Week 36

We had an appointment on March 6th and an ultrasound to check Baby's position. the appointment went well. So far no progress, but that's okay. The ultrasound was fantastic. Baby is head down, and the tech says Baby is getting long. Baby was sleeping and looked so peaceful. Baby also already has some hair. Maybe not a lot, but at least there is enough to see in the ultrasound. I have been having a lot of cramping, but nothing too terribly painful. Baby doesn't seem to like the cramping and kicks me or wiggles a lot when it happens. Paul and I have another appointment tomorrow, and this time I am hoping for some progress. Now that Baby is head down, we are ready! KNowing the ornery child I am growing, Baby will be a week late... at least!

Week 34

We had another non-stress test on Friday. Everything went well. Baby moved so hard Paul saw my belly jiggle like a Jello mold. Baby's feet still seem to be planted right in my pelvis. I truly understand the meaning of "Evil Crotch Pain". We have another appointment on March 6th... which is 25 days before our DUE DATE!! My oh my time is flying now. At the next appointment, we will have an ultrasound first to see if Baby has flipped head first. Please cross your fingers. I don't want to have a version, and I definitely don't want a c-section. For now, I will try not to freak out about it. I had to see the midwife for my appointment, since my doctor was out of town. I really like the midwife, and I LOVE her nurses, so it wasn't a big deal. My blood pressure was much lower than normal, which may explain why I was feeling to worn out. My weight gain is up to 24 pounds. Right on track. I did notice that my weight went a little crazy in the 2nd trimester, but I've heard it's not uncommon to gain the bulk of pregnancy weight at that time. I gained 6 pounds one month and 8 the next... yikes!!!! Then I leveled out to a pound a week. I have gained 4 pounds in 6 weeks, so hopefully I can keep it at that.

We got the nursery finished on Saturday. It looks really nice. The insides of all of Baby's furniture are sanitized, all of Baby's clothes and bedding are washed and put away, all of the furniture is polished on the outside, and the carpets are vacuumed and steam cleaned. Needless to say, I was in an extreme amount of pain by Saturday night. I didn't know 24 extra pounds would hurt my back and feet so bad. I had a bad night, which made me cry, and the added pain made me cry even more. I know it is all worth it in the end, but I wish some of this extra weight could cushion my poor bones. I feel like I am walking on bare bones in my feet! And my sweet, sweet baby thinks it fun to stretch out into my spine. Mom, I am sorry for ever having caused you so much pain by being posterior, now please undo the curse you put on me. I am BEGGING you!!

Paul is out of town this week, but he bought me some entertainment before he went. I really do have a very thoughtful husband, in spite of what I may say in my more hysterical moments. He bought me a new Harvest Moon game, so I can get my farm on. He also bought me ice cream... rather... he let me buy some ice cream. I cry about my weight all the way to the refrigerator... The weather has been nice and the sun is staying up longer, so I am trying to get back to walking. I am going to need Heather to drag my hiney out whether I like it or not. It's just so easy to curl up in bed at the end of the day. But, if I want my ice cream, I need to be willing to expend a little extra energy to work some of it off. In my defense, I did buy a lifetime supply of fruit on Friday. I just like dessert afterward.

Basically, all is well in the Hancock world. The dogs are a pain, but what else is new. I am a bit crazy, but, again, what else is new. Paul is Paul. Very sweet and always caught in the middle of me and my personalities. God bless him. At least he will be prepared the second time around. At least he is still up for pregnancy number two someday.

Week 33

And a little before...

We had our baby shower on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I have an amazing family and a wonderful set of friends. We got a variety of gifts, and we are about ready to meet little Hucklebaby. It was fun to get to spend time with my family, but it makes me heartsick once they leave. I have never been this far from them before, and it's hard for me to see them go. At least I am lucky enough to be able to visit them, and they visit us. I am in a rush and do not have time to tell the shower story, but there are a few moments worth mentioning quickly. Paul was a sport and changed a baby's diaper. He listened very carefully about what to do, and didn't complain once. Granted, it was a clean diaper, so we'll have to see how he handles a poopy one later on! One of the games we played was a Jelloo eating contest. You had to eat all the Jello in your bowl and suck out a tiny pacifier, all without touching your bowl. It was a close finish. I finished first (hey... it was an eating game... was there ever a doubt?), Suzy was a close second and Mom was a very close third. We had Jello all over our faces, and seeing Mom covered in red Jello was priceless. I will always have that mental image in my head!

Monday started out with a little scare. I called the doctor's office to let them know I really hadn't felt Baby move a whole lot over the past week. They wanted me to come in right away to be seen my the doctor. I freaked out and tried my best not to cry, but I just couldn't help thinking that I would be lost forever if anything happened to our little baby. We got to the office, and the doctor tried to perk Baby up by wiggling him and squeezing his head. That part will be really funny a little later. Baby moved a little, but not a whole lot. I got hooked up to a non stress test machine to monitor Baby's heart rate for a little while, and everything sounded fine as far as that went. We got scheduled for a bio physical profile for Wednesday.

On Wednesday we went for our ultrasound and discovered baby had moved toes first. Baby's head and upper body is mostly behind the placenta. Basically, baby is punching a pillow, so I can't feel the movement very well. Baby is also very stretched out, much to my dismay. So I have a head under my ribs and toes in my cervix. I had to have a cervial measurement to be sure it's still holding. It is. While she was measuring that, I saw something in the corner of the screen and asked if it was a foot. Suddenly, the foot crashed into my cervix (boy did I feel that), and she said, "wow. Those feet are low!" I knew something was hitting me there, I just didn't expect it to be feet! Baby was being very good and was even practicing breathing and swallowing, which was fun to watch. Baby has very long fingers and toes and has big eyes and chubby cheeks. The tech measure Baby's longest toe (she was in awe of how "adorable" Baby is), and it is already measuring a little over half an inch long. Baby has Mommy's toes and fingers!

Tomorrow, we have a follow up appointment with the doctor. All seems to be well, though. The tech said Baby is perfectly formed, so that is a relief. I guess we'll find out what the plan is since Baby is breech. We still have a couple of weeks to worry about that. I really don't think I will ever get around to posting any belly pictures, but I am posting new baby pictures. I will write an update next week on how our appointment goes tomorrow.

32 Weeks

Paul and I had an appointment last Thursday, January 30. We didn't get to see our regular doctor, but the appointment went well. I gained 2 pounds in three weeks. Hooray for that! I was pretty sure I had gained about 5!! So my weight gain is now around 20 pounds. Right on target. I am starting to feel better about my self image. I just try not to look at my rear in direct light... My blood pressure was nice and average, and Baby is moving often.

Paul and I also finished our birthing classes. We got to go on a tour of labor and delivery, and I almost cried a couple of times. No real reason other than my stinking hormones. It's just amazing to think we will be in there before too long having our own little baby!

Baby is nice and playful now. I have a head in my left hip, a hiney in my belly button, and a foot in right ribcage. My body is starting to really hurt me. I have a pretty consistent pain in the lower right side of my belly, and my back and hips hurt me beyond description at times. I am also starting to get pretty sleepy, but that could be due to my lack of sleep. Either I am too uncomfortable to sleep, I am comfortable but Baby is not or I just can't sleep. HOWEVER... I am not complaining. I am just updating you all on how I am feeling. eing pregnant is amazing, and time is passing to quickly. I will very much miss feeling my little baby moving around inside of me. I will miss having my baby with me where ever I go.

Paul and I worked on the house some more over the weekend. The nursery is primed and ready to be textured. The bathroom is almost completely grouted. Now, let's just hope we can get it sold this summer!

In any case... 8 MORE WEEKS!! Our next appointment is February 13. Our baby shower is this coming Saturday. My family (minus Dad) will be here on Friday, and I am so excited to see everyone. I think they will all get a kick out of seeing me the size of a small walrus. I really do need to post some belly pictures. I promise I will get on that shortly. Sometimes it really sucks not having internet at home. I have the pictures, I just need to upload them. I will try to update as soon as I can. I'm pretty sure it won't be until next week, though.

Where has the time gone?

I'm glad I'm not responsible for a popular blog. I just realized it's been almost a month since my last update. In my defense, it was the holidays, and we were moving our office where I work. Given that we only have about 11 weeks left, and things are bound to happen quickly, I will make a point of updating weekly! For now, I will do a quick "catch up".

Last appointment: 28 weeks on January 8
U/S results: Cervix is nice and long. No need to watch it anymore!!
Doctor appointment results: I am no longer sharing my weight gain. Blood pressure was fine, weight gain was fine. My belly is measuring right on track. Baby's HR was nice and fast. My glucose test came back right in the middle of the acceptable range. All of my other blood work is great. I told the doctor I have no complaints and that I'm boring, and he said "you are not boring. You are nothing short of perfect". He also said I'm skinny! I'm pretty sure I love him. Paul tells me all the time how great I look, and I appreciate that, but it's nice to hear it from a doctor.

I have all intentions of posting a picture of myself soon and finally scanning my 20 ultrasound baby face picture. I'll try to do it in the next few days.

Paul and I started our birthing classes. It freaked me out! Mostly, I just feel unprepared. We need to get a lot taken care of for the house. I also wish our nest egg was a little bigger. But... everything always works out in the end. All will be fine. I realize that. It all happens the way it's supposed to happen, whether it makes sense at the time or not.

Better late than never

Paul and I had our 24 week appointment on Thursday, December 11. I had to have an ultrasound to measure the length of my cervix, and all is well so far. The ultrasound was done internally, so we were only able to see part of Baby's head. No risk of seeing the gender!

After the ultrasound, we had our doctor's appointment. Baby's heart rate was 155, and Baby thought the doppler was a fun toy to kick at. My blood pressure has gone back down, and I gained 4 more pounds. I feel like that is pretty good considering I ate like a horse over Thanksgiving. The doctor prescribed me some Tylenol 3 for my migraines, and it finally kicked out my two-day migraine that was refusing to leave on its own. I felt guilty taking the medicine, but it was only once, and the doctor said it's completely safe.

In the week since our appointment, I have felt Baby from the outside once and even got to see my belly jiggle from a kick. Someday soon, hopefully Paul will be able to see and feel too. He always seems to just miss it!

Lactose, my enemy

I really, finally think I have developed a mild intolerance to lactose. Go figure. I was feeling fine after my lunch this afternoon, until I had some chocolate. Now I am bloated and have crazy heartburn. It seems like anytime I have milk, ice cream, chocolate, etc. I feel pretty crappy. However, I need the calcium and I love milk, so I will have to live with it. Perhaps I'll buy some tums. Will that give me too much calcium and cause kidney stones? Hmm... I guess I'll find out.

Baby update... I am growing a boxer. Punch, punch, punch all day long. Tiny kicks here and there, but apparently punching is more fun. Baby is taking after grandpa (my dad) and Paul, and is already learning to express his /herself through hand gestures. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to feel my tiny baby telling me all is well. I can't wait to see how he / she is looking at our appointment next week. Baby seems to enjoy Christmas music! A baby after my own heart!! Baby bounces and wiggles while we are listening to the songs. No punches. Just wiggles. Perhaps I have a dancing baby!! It wouldn't surprise me, since I've been shaking my belly since the day I learned there was a baby in there. I refuse to raise a rythmless baby. Baby needs to know how to dance from their soul!

Mommy and Daddy update... Paul is still the best husband ever. And not only because he reads this blog, either. He is very patient with me and tries to keep me stress free. But since he does read this, you better tell me if you are stressed, too. We're a team, remember? Anyway... I'm getting pretty freaking chubby. And don't say, "oh it's to be expected. You're pregnant." I'm not pregnant in my butt, or my legs! I'm pregnant in my belly. That being said, Paul and I are walking on our rebounders in the evenings, and it's much better of a workout than I would have thought! I am trying to find a way to steal my sister's horse riding machine, but I don't think it will be easy. Also, I'm not sure baby likes bouncing around. As I was getting off of my rebounder last night, I bounced a little, and baby gave me a swift punch to the bladder. Not a happy moment for me. I shall from now on walk and not bounce.

Paul is starting work up at the ski area this weekend, so I will have a whole day to myself to get some clenaing and laundry done. I may not even get dressed. I will, however, brush my teeth. I will be sure to move around and avoid sitting around and eating all day. As I refuse to alter what and how I eat, I must stay active to keep the winter weight to a minimum. Baby just punched to say that's a good idea. Belly just growled to ask when dinner is.

I am trying my best to avoid being a crazy pregnant lady and to be nice to those I care about. My biggest problem is that I speak before I think, and I feel like an ass about it later. To the girl in Target... I'm so sorry I was rude to you. To the lady whose toes I stomped on in Target... be happy I didn't break a toe. You shouldn't push pregnant ladies around.