Belly Week 37

Belly week 37 - ~Snapshot of my Life~

Music that I (we) have been listening to lately: Christmas music by Mandisa, Point of Grace, Crystal Lewis, Steven Curtis Chapman and others. Also, Air1 and KTSY radio stations.

Recent movie I've seen: Nothing new... just re-watched Fun With Dick & Jane and Groundhog Day.

Book I'm reading right now: Brent and I have been reading The Tale of Despereaux together... to the belly (outloud).

Top news story right now: Economic woes, Obama inauguration... not sure what else. I have to admit, I'm not really too concerned with the news right now... in light of recent events that have developed in my own life. My top news story is that I'm gonna be a parent by this weekend! Dr King called today to say the protein in my urine was high and she wants to definitely induce me on Friday!! In addition to high levels of protein, I continue to have high BP and swelling in my feet/ ankles/ legs. I'm officially diagnosed with mild pre-eclampsia! And I'm still confined to bedrest for the remainder of the week... booooorrinnng!!! The things we do for our kiddos, huh? ;)

Ew... Gross!!

There's something just wrong about having to keep a container of pee in the fridge for an entire day!! Well, I collected 24 hours worth of pee and took it into the lab at the hospital. Now, I just have to wait for Dr King's call tomorrow for the results. I'll find out more definitively then about being induced on Friday...

My Eleventh OB Visit + Ultrasound

I wasn't supposed to have a 3rd trimester ultrasound (US) but since I was measuring large, my Dr wanted to check to make sure everything was OK in there. My appt was at 11:30am and started with the US. The tech checked baby and amniotic fluid measurements and everything looked good. Then it was time for us to meet with Velma. Once again: checked my weight, peed in a cup, checked BP... uh-oh, it's high! I think she told me 150/110?!? Yikes!!!! They had me lie there for a while and then checked again. It was somewhere around 135/98-ish... but still high! Plus my feet, ankles and calves were really swollen this time. We didn't even discuss much with Velma. She felt it was necessary to send me over to the hospital for a non-stress test. We went to the Labor & Delivery (L&D) triage dept where, once in a room, I got to strip and try on one of those lovely hospital gowns. Beautiful! : (Not.) The nurse got me all hooked up to various machines so they could monitor baby and my BP... ooo, but not before I got to pee in a cup again. While they contacted my Dr... who just happened to be at the hospital doing an emergency c-section today... Brent went to the waiting room to call both of our bosses with the news of our hospital visit. My Dr requested labs and another US... I said, "Are you sure? I just had one at her office." But they wheeled me down to radiology anyway. Once there, I checked with the US tech once more. I said, "Maybe this is gonna be different than what I just had... but I was just over at Dr King's office where they did an US to check measurements." The tech contacted my Dr again... who had forgotten that my US was today so she said nevermind. Whew! Now, back up to L&D triage. They hooked me up again and said they were just waiting for lab results and orders from Dr King. By this time it was close to 5pm and we were getting hungry!! Finally, the nurse told us the results were back and that Dr King was still in the hospital so she would come down to see us. Now, the verdict: my CBC and Chem Panel looked great. My urine had a little protein in it. My BP never did get back down to normal and my extremities were still swollen. The Dr was concerned about pre-eclampsia so she sent me home with a 24-hour urine catch kit. She also put me on bedrest and said that I was not to go back to work until after baby... oh, and by-the-way, she may want to induce me this Friday. THIS FRIDAY?!?! That's, like, 20 days early!! Whoa. Ok. Here we go...

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all!!

I've been feeling a little disorganized this year. I think it's a combination of being pregnant and sick for the last 2 months! I honestly haven't felt like braving the crowds at the mall... or any major retailer, for that matter. Brent had yesterday off and I got to go home early as they shut the office down for half the day! Brent met me at my office at noon and we finally did some Christmas shopping!! I don't think I've ever waited (read: procrastinated) this long to buy gifts! Of course, there's been more than one occasion where I've had to buy the last minute stocking stuffer or whatnot. But to do major shopping on Christmas eve?!? That's a rare one for me! As for today, we were supposed to get together with Jodi and kids mid-morning... but as it turns out, their dad wanted to pick them up earlier than expected. We would've only had about an hour with them (if that) so we decided to wait until they returned from their dad's place. We'll probably see them on New Years Day if everything works out. Otherwise, our Christmas Day was pretty mellow. Brent and I opened gifts from each other, then we went to some friends' house for an early dinner. Turkey, potatoes, stuffing... the works! It was yummy! We visited for a few hours and played some Wii games. It was between 8 and 9pm when we decided we should go since all the slush outside was turning icy. It was such a fun evening! It's always more fun when spent with friends and family. :) We're hoping that everyone had a fabulous Christmas Day...

Remembering that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Belly Week 36

Belly week 36 - Notes: Less than a month to go!! Woohoo!! I've finally finished filling out my birth plan. I printed one out from a baby website... and, really, there were only just a few things that I was completely set on (if all goes well). Mostly regarding who's to be in my room, breastfeeding issues, and being able to hold baby right away. Also, I'll have the pediatrician circumcise him later. Speaking of pediatricians, I don't remember if I've mentioned who we've chosen to be ours... it's Dr Eric Roy at the clinic where I work. He's really nice and one of only two Drs in the Meridian office who use the plastibell method for circs. If you're interested, check out his bio on our clinic website: www.tvpeds.com Don't be alarmed... he is a younger guy but completely capable! Plus, some of the older Drs tend to be set in their ways or they'll hand out Rx's too hastily. I've gotta say, it's kinda nice to have the advantage of working in a Dr's office and to be able to select whomever I want out of 11 pediatricians! :)

Snow Day

Well, I probably could've made it to work today but Brent didn't want me to drive in this awful snowy, slushy mess! So, I called my boss and told her that I had to get snow tires before Brent would let me drive. The roads were starting to clear by noon so I ventured out. I called a few places beforehand to see what the wait time was: 2 HOURS?!? Yep. Everywhere I checked... even on a Monday! I suppose that's to be expected. I called my boss back to let her know and I mentioned that I didn't know if it would be worth it for me to drive to work for just 2 or 3 hours. She agreed. I said that I'd get this done today and plan to be to work tomorrow. She was fine with that. So, off I go to begin my long wait at the tire store. I picked up some lunch on the way. I brought some things to work on. It actually wasn't all that bad... well, except for the new tire smell. Kinda nauseatingly strong. But I got used to it. I think my total wait time was 2.5 hours. Oh well, at least that's over with... and now I have snow tires! Yay! I know we'll feel much safer driving to and from the hospital when the time comes. :)

More Snow!!

We woke up this morning to a Winter Wonderland! Everything was completely white! Probably at least a couple of inches. I love the snow... and it's so beautiful when enjoyed from the comfort of your own home! Of course, by late afternoon/ early evening, the wind was really starting to howl and we were getting some pretty good snow drifts all over the Treasure Valley. As Brent and I were watching the evening news and hearing of all the slide-offs around town, he told me that he didn't want me to go to work in the morning... especially since I don't have snow tires yet. I didn't argue. Even though I'm a fairly safe/cautious driver in the snow, I always feel safer if the vehicle has snow tires... and you just never know about those goofy drivers around you who, apparently, see themselves as invincible as they're jetting past everyone. Of course, those are the guys who inevitably slide off into snow drifts. :) Kinda makes me chuckle. Happy snowy Sunday to everyone!

Small Group Christmas Party

Brent and I got to host our small group Christmas party tonight. I wasn't sure if I'd be up to doing all that extra cleaning and decorating but I managed... and Brent helped a lot too. Thank goodness for Brent! He sure has been a wonderful help to me throughout this entire pregnancy. Anyway, we pulled it off and everyone had a great time. I made my oh-so-yummy Baked Cheesy Hashbrowns and everyone brought other finger foods to munch on. We also decided to do a White Elephant gift exchange... which was fun... but could've been more fun if we'd had more people to participate. It can get pretty crazy if folks are swiping gifts from each other! We all missed Jamie, who stayed home due to the cold/flu crud that's been going around. But we had a visitor, Alex, who had some very thought provoking questions for us. We even got to play the game Apples to Apples which has become a group favorite. All in all, it was a splendid evening! (And now I have a clean house!) ;)

Hospital Tour!

I had almost completely forgotten about this!! Today was the last chance to take a free tour of the Maternity/ Labor & Delivery/ Nursery departments at St Luke's in Boise for this month! I figured we'd better get right on it since we're not sure when this little dude will be joining us. It started out in a conference room where we met for a short orientation. Then we moved on to the 2nd floor where we'd check in to Labor & Delivery, first to be triaged to see how I'm progressing, and then into a birthing room (if it's a "go") or sent home (if a false alarm). Once baby is delivered and everything is grand, we'd go up to the 8th floor where there's a nursery (if needed) and spend the rest of our time in a Mom & Baby room. We got to see the cute and oh-so-tiny babies in the nursery as we passed by. They were swaddled so snug... they looked like bugs in a rug! And that was the extent of our tour. We were only there for just over an hour. After leaving the hospital, we decided to do a little bit of shopping since we were in town. We didn't want to waste the trip to Boise, after all. Anyway, I feel like we're closer to being ready! I think the only thing left to do is the car seat check! Yay!

Eventful Day!

I had quite an interesting start to my day today! I had only had a couple sips of o.j. and just a bite or two of cereal when I started coughing so hard that I ended up vomiting!! I really thought I would get through this whole pregnancy without doing that! Turns out, I was wrong. And, let me tell you, although I'm sure everyone already knows, that is so disgusting!! Then I had to change my clothes and wash up again so I ended up being late for work. Thankfully my boss is so understanding. Also, we had our Christmas potluck and gift exchange during lunch at work today. Needless to say, I still didn't really have much of an appetite by the time lunch rolled around. I mostly just picked at my plate. I did participate in the gift exchange however. That was fun. After we finished with lunch and gifts, I only stayed at work for about an hour longer before I felt like I should go home. I couldn't hardly talk or breathe at times because I was so congested and plugged up. And then I would start hacking up a lung to the point of near-vomit again. That is NOT fun. Especially at work... where I'd have to keep excusing myself. So, I called my boss and said I may need to go and she was fine with that. Once home (I think it was about 2:30pm), I called Brent to let him know what was going on and then promptly fell asleep until he got home at 6pm!! Whew, what a day!! At least I'll have the weekend to recupe again. :)

My Tenth (Impromptu) OB Visit

Ok, so now I'm officially feeling icky again so I decided to call my Dr's office to see if I should take another round of antibiotics... and also to find out if there's something I should be taking to strengthen my immune system. The nurse calls me back to say that Dr King would like to see me first; so I set an appt for 3pm today. Great, more time off of work... just what I need - NOT. So I get there, expecting they'll just check to see if my 6 week illness has turned into any kind of bacterial infection. But they proceeded to do the whole "OB visit" thing. Weight check, pee sample, BP (120/80). When the Dr entered the room, she asked about contractions and did the usual measuring (still large) and checked baby's HR (still good). She couldn't find the heartbeat at first, so she moved the doppler higher on my belly and found it! That concerned her slightly because of how the baby might be positioned. Then she wanted to do a quick ultrasound for her own curiosity... just to make sure. She looked and found the baby was in the right position: head down, bottoms up. :) She also told me that if I went into labor at this point, she wouldn't do anything to stop it. I guess because of how big baby is. She still wants me to go in on the 29th for a more in-depth ultrasound and then decide whether to induce me at 39 weeks or sooner. Which would mean a Jan 14 or 15 birthday rather than the 22nd. By the way, after checking my throat and listening to my lungs and pushing on my sinuses, she said what I have is just viral. Gotta let it run it's course. And then she said that there are some women who don't get over a winter cold completely until after baby arrives! Ugh! Seriously?? I just keep telling myself that all this will be worth it in the end! :)

Belly Week 35

Belly week 35 - People say that my belly looks:
a) less pregnant than it actually is... Hmm... I don't think so.
b) right on target... Not sure... maybe more this than the others.
c) like it's ready to pop... I think my Dr thinks this option is most accurate.

Other notes: Well, unfortunately for me, I'm getting congested again. And my cough is worse this time. Thankfully, I don't feel quite as achy, drained, exhausted, etc. this time around so I'm still able to make it to work. I'm still working on my goals from last week. I have a feeling I should hurry it up though. I just have this sneaking suspicion that you may get here early. :)

I Think My Preggo Body is Attracted to Germs!

I started getting a sore throat again today!! Ugh! Will this ever end?!?!?! I'm going to think positive thoughts and hope that I don't catch another full-fledged cold.

On a less frustrating note, the snow had cleared somewhat and I was able to make it to work both yesterday and today without incident. My all-weather tires are working nicely so far. I'm hoping it stays that way. I really don't want to have to fork out another $600 or more for studded snow tires this year... or any year, for that matter. But I'm sure it's bound to snow again before the year is through so we'll see what happens. I didn't even get any pics this time either! Next time it snows, I promise I'll take some photos. :)

Snow!!

We woke up to snow this morning!! There was a light dusting on the ground but it just kept going! By the time we were supposed to leave for church, there had to have been close to an inch! Neither of us have our studded snow tires on our vehicles yet so we decided not to drive... instead, we walked to College Church this morning. It actually turned out to be a really good service so we were glad we went. We just relaxed at home after that... It's nice to watch the snow fall from the comfort of your own warm, cozy house. I just hope the drive to work in the morning is safe... Ah shucks, I didn't manage to get any shots of the white fluffy stuff today! I'm sure it'll snow again soon enough.

Brent's Work Christmas Party

Well, it just so happens that tonight is Brent's Christmas party. We're glad we got to attend both parties this year. Last year they were on the same evening so we opted for Brent's party. Then I ended up feeling kind of out of the loop with my co-workers. But each year, I realize again just how many people work out of Brent's office! His company parties are so crowded! They're fun though. It's neat to chat with all his friends... and, somehow, they know so much about me already! ;) This year, we sat with our friends from our small group: Brian & Jamie and Nic & Alejandra. Jamie's mom was visiting and she was able to attend as well. We had fun. Even Santa was there! If AFI employees were bold enough to get a photo with Santa, they received a scratch off ticket for a chance to win some cool prizes. Brent and I had our picture taken but Brent didn't win anything... and we have yet to receive a copy of that picture. Hopefully we'll get it soon so I can add it to this post. The line to get food was a little bit chaotic but everyone managed to make it through. And the dinner was scrumptious!!! We had lasagna, salad, and garlic bread - YUM! Then the employees played a rousing game of "Signature Bingo" to win the big prize: A Nintendo Wii. Brent actually came in third!! Oh well. Better luck next year. ;) It was a little surprising how quickly everyone left after all the prizes were handed out. Don't people like to stay a chat a little while? Well, the night was still young so we ended up going to Nic and Alejandra's place to visit some more. It was a fun evening!

Pam's Work Christmas Party

The Christmas party this year was, um, interesting. It was quite beautiful though. It was held at the Idaho Botanical Gardens where they do the annual Winter Garden Aglow display. We were in a private, heated tent where there was a catered meal and then we had the opportunity to walk the grounds and look at the huge Christmas light display. There were even a couple groups of carolers wandering around producing the sounds of Christmas. It was a perfectly frigid night like we knew it would be so we dressed warm... the only thing out of our control was that it had started to rain. Kind of a rain/snow/slush mix that made for soggy shoes, socks, coats, hats, gloves, cameras, etc. A couple of things I would've changed had they been in my control, however: More seating and more food. There were probably only about 8 long tables with chairs around them. Now, I know we're not a huge corporation but, as I looked around, there were at least as many folks standing as there were sitting... and all the chairs were taken! Also, Brent and I got there a little bit later than we expected. The party started at 6:30pm and we showed up about 7pm because of unforeseen circumstances. By the time we got there, they were already running out of food! And we weren't even the last ones to arrive! Oh well. We did go out with our friends, Derek and Stephanie, afterward and that was fun. :) It was kind of unfortunate that I wasn't able to get any pictures of the people I work with. I still like getting together outside of the work environment though. And Christmas is the best time of year!!!

My Ninth OB Visit

It's been just over a week since my last OB appt, but I think this was the only one they could find that was on track with my appt schedule... and, of course, we have to work around the holidays. Well, I forgot my camera again today but Brent took a couple pics of me once we got home. It was a good appt though. Only gained a pound. Yay! My BP was 125/85... still lookin' good. Baby's HR was still at 140 bpm. After the Dr measured the belly she gave me kind of an odd look. I asked what the measurement was and she said 37cm. She said that was quite large for only being 34 weeks along. And she wants to do an ultrasound at my next appt!! I wanted to say, "Have you seen my husband and me lately? We're actually on the larger side ourselves." But I didn't. Instead, I sat quietly... thrilled that I get to have a third trimester ultrasound so we can see what our little guy looks like now! The Dr just wants to make sure things are progressing as they ought and I'm stoked about getting another picture of our son. I imagine, if the little dude is getting too big, she may decide to induce me early?? Who knows? I, for one, would have no problems welcoming this babe before the new year... I guess we'll see what happens. We just pray that he's healthy!

Belly Week 34

Belly week 34 - Notes: I keep compiling lists of things to do or stuff I need to get together... like my hospital bag. And, according to preggo websites and our birthing class, even dads need to get a bag together for the hospital stay these days. My goal this week is to get my bag ready and maybe help Brent with his. I also need to finish up my birthing plan so I can go over it with my Dr. I'm pretty sure this is the week that we're to go take a tour of the hospital as well. I need to double check the day and time on that. Last Sunday, I confirmed the day for my very first baby shower with the "Shower Coordinator" at church. It will be on Thursday, January 8th, in the evening... probably around 7-ish. Brent is even invited! I'm so excited! Our first baby shower! Ooo, I should get myself pre-registered at the hospital sometime soon too! Whew. So much to do yet... and now I'm feeling like time is really flying by! Thank goodness I'm feeling so much better than last week! We also need to get the car seat checked out to make sure it's installed correctly. Hmm... am I forgetting anything?? Gotta get started...

Back to Work... Again.

I am feeling much better today! I did get tired around mid-morning and mid-afternoon but I imagine that's to be expected when one is used to taking naps at those times. :) Hopefully, that will wear off as the week goes on and I get used to the regular work schedule again. Other than just getting myself back to work, it was a fairly uneventful day. I will say this: It's nice to come home to a clean house. We usually keep our place on the cleaner, more organized side... but since the holiday and being sick, it had gotten a little disheveled. And when I walked in the back door, I was surprised to see our shiny, new, white washer and dryer! I was expecting the old, dirty mustard colored ones. :) That may take some getting used to.

They're Heeeeere!!

The Sears truck just pulled up! Here come our new washer and dryer set!!! WOOHOO!! And they're even gonna haul away the old, OLD dirty mustard set. :) Brent called the landlord and asked what to do with it since, after all, it is his. He said to get rid of it. And then he told Brent he was pretty sure that old Maytag set was puchased in the 1960's!! It's older than we thought! I will say this though: It says a lot about Maytag that it would last this long! And it wasn't even completely dead (although it was sure close)! But we were pretty sure the washer wasn't really getting our clothes super clean and the dryer definitely wasn't catching all the lint and wouldn't even get our clothes completely dried the 1st time around. Anyway, I think the delivery guys are pretty close to being done with the installation. And Brent has our king-sized comforter in hand. :) A big THANK YOU goes to Brent's folks for this fabulous gift!!

The photo in the middle is all the junk that was underneath the old set. I just thought it was funny. :)

Feeling Much Better!

Maybe it's the antibiotics finally kicking in... I'm actually feeling good today. Yay! I don't want to overdo it though, so I'm gonna take it easy for a little while this morning. I may do some dishes later on today. I'm sure I could find lots more to do but I really wanna try to rest as much as possible. At least for today. I'll buckle down tomorrow and get stuff done before our washer and dryer arrive! Did I mention our new washer and dryer are being delivered tomorrow?? I am so excited!!! Yay for new appliances!! :D

Went to Work...

... but they sent me home! I really thought I was doing better and I tried to go to work today! When I got there I was still sniffling and coughing pretty bad so they said to go home. And they told me to just stay home on Friday too!! I actually had Friday scheduled off but I told my boss I'd be willing to work it. She said I should just stay home and recuperate; that 4 days to get 100% well would be better than working 2 days then having the weekend off and coming back to work on Monday only 75% well. So, I took her up on the offer. It was kinda weird though... I don't think I've ever left work after having been there for only a half hour! I was thankful for the time to rest however. I actually ended up sleeping for a good portion of the day! I guess my body still needed to sleep.

Belly Week 33

Belly week 33 - Notes: Wow! Time sure does seem to be flying! I've definitely had some of the Braxton Hicks contractions now. My belly gets super hard... it doesn't really hurt though. It's just uncomfy for about half a minute. I'm thankful for that. I've read that it can be painful for some women.

One month to go! This is what I'm doing to prepare for your arrival: Well, at this point, I think it's really about 6 weeks to go. Still, it's getting closer! I'm really just waiting for our new washer & dryer to arrive so I can start washing E V E R Y T H I N G!!! There are a few of our regular loads to wash, not to mention: bedding, blankets, baby's clothes, miscellaneous mats (bath, door, kitchen). We also ended up buying a small, bag-less, upright vacuum since our old one broke. And, dare I say, it works superbly on carpets and floors!! Yay for a clean house!

a) I think I'm officially nesting... By the looks of the above paragraph, yeah. ;)
b) What's nesting?... Does anyone really need me to explain this?? :D It's amazing how things change in a week!

My Eighth OB Visit

I was a little bummed at this appt because I completely forgot to bring the camera so I couldn't get a profile shot in the hallway this time. Oh well... probably better off since I'm sick and not looking that great... most likely. Today's appt was more of the same: weight check (I've lost track of how much gained. I think I'm close to +20 total.) BP was 120/80 again. Gave pee sample. Baby's HR was 140 again. Things seem to be fairly consistent. And they just measured me again today. Thank goodness! I was afraid I was gonna be 'violated'. :) Lord knows I wasn't in the mood for that! I guess that happens closer to the delivery time to check for effacement and dilation, etc. I did let Velma know that I've been sick for a month... and now my breathing feels kinda rattly and wheezy. She listened to my lungs and decided to put me on some antibiotics for fear that it might turn into pneumonia. And letting it go untreated could definitely complicate things. Brent was concerned the AB's wouldn't be good for the baby but Velma assured him they would be ok. Still not able to work today though. Velma wrote a note for my boss since I've been out sick for so long! She suggested that I just stay home and rest. Sounds good to me! We didn't really have too many questions today. I was mostly focused on getting meds to help me feel better.

The estimated size of baby today is a little over 4 lbs and has passed the 17" mark (like a pineapple).

I Can't Believe it's December!!

I've officially been sick now for a whole month!! Had to call in sick again today. Thank goodness my boss is understanding! I'm also thankful that my next OB appt is tomorrow! Hopefully they can give me something to help with whatever it is I have. When I went to my chiropractic appt last week, the Dr said that my immune system is caring for two now... and it tends to take care of baby first. Perhaps I should ask my OB about Echinacea? At any rate, I'm hoping to be over this soon... I'm really tired of talking about me being sick all the time. *sigh*

Weekends are for Snoozing...

Especially when one is sick. I'm thankful for them. If I do say so myself... and I do. :) Saturday was relaxing. I was able to rest a lot. The only thing we really wanted to do yesterday was find a good deal on a washer/dryer set to purchase. (I think what we have now was purchased c. 1970! It's even that dirty mustard color that's coming back into style these days.) Anyway, we almost didn't make it out due to my illness but then decided to go at the last minute. We made it to the mall by 8pm-ish. Actually, not a bad time to go on the Saturday after Thanksgiving since most of the crowds were gone by then! It was easy to find a salesperson to help us too. I think we made our selection, purchased it, and were outta there no later than 9pm! We even had time to stop for a snack and take a quick peek in Borders before the mall closed (at 10pm).

I don't know if I over-did it last night but I was too exhausted to make it to church this morning! I hate being stuck in bed!! Thank goodness the Dr hasn't placed me on bed-rest! I would go crazy!!! Yet today was another day stuck at home, in bed... or on the couch... whichever was most comfy at the time. I did alternate quite a bit. Nothing too exciting today though... just takin' it easy.

Black Friday...

Normally, I would've worked today but I had requested it off to do some "combat shopping" with Brent. My plans were foiled, however, when I woke up with the worst cough and congestion ever!! Needless to say, I stayed home and slept! My mom and sister came over later to check in and they both said that it sounded like I may have bronchitis. My next OB appt is in 4 days and I don't wanna have to be seen before then. I started taking Robitussin Cough & Congestion and that helped more than the Tylenol and Sudafed did. At least I have a couple more days before I have to go back to work. Hopefully, this will clear up before then. It's probably a good thing I stayed home today anyway... I keep hearing about HUGE lines everywhere and people getting trampled! How sad that a material item is so important that people can't stop to help someone up! And, seriously, wouldn't one be the least bit concerned if the walking terrain had changed from a hard flat surface to a step up onto something a little more pliable?? For real, c'mon people!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Despite being sick, today was a good day. It's always good when we can spend the holiday with family! Brent and I got up at 7 this morning to put the bird in the oven... after all the preparations, we finally managed to toss it in there by 8am. Whew! What a chore! It was a big bird though... almost 18 lbs! (To clarify: not THE Big Bird... just a big bird... one that we didn't even know.) ;) We ended up going back to bed to rest for a little while and then I got up just in time for the Macy's T-day Parade. We started working on some of the other side dishes while watching the parade and then Jodi and kids got here at about 11:30am. Mom and Bill got here around noon and dinner was on the table by 2pm. Everything was so delicious! We had a good time of visiting but then Bill needed to get some rest so they had to leave. Jodi and kids went to visit a friend for a little while but then returned to have pie and play games later this evening. We have so much to be thankful for!

Mom and me during the Thanksgiving weekend.

Belly Week 32

Preface: Doggone it! I just tried to publish this post as my computer was freezing up and, for some reason, it didn't save! Ugh! Now I have to try and remember what I wrote. Blasted computer!

Belly week 32 - Notes: Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I wish I were feeling better. I'm afraid Brent may have to help more than he's accustomed to. I'm excited that my folks are here though. We're gonna have a full house for sure! Baby is moving around lots. I'm feeling and looking pretty BIG now. I'm also compiling a list of recommended must-haves before baby's arrival. We have a bunch of stuff already... but there's certainly more to get. I'm not yet feeling like there's a rush to get stuff done though. We have plenty o' time! ;)

Where Did The Week Go?

This has been one whirlwind of a week! On Friday, Brent and I decided to have a date night. We went to see Kung Fu Panda at the cheap seats - cute flick! The weekend was fairly relaxing though... Saturday was our group night but one of the couples couldn't be there so we ended up having a game night! And what's a game night without yummy snacks? Not as delicious, that's what! It was quite fun! We did a little bit of cleaning on Sunday to prepare for my folks coming over during the Thanksgiving holiday. All the while, I'm needing to take it slow because I'm still not much better from this sickness that seems to be going on and on... without end. Monday, at work, was extremely draining... but there was still some cleaning that needed to be done at home that evening, so I had no time to rest. By Tuesday, I was sounding and feeling worse but I can't really afford to take more time off this month. So, I went to work with an ample supply of Tylenol Cold & Sinus. Mom and Bill made it into town this evening so we met them at Wendy's for dinner. Jodi and kids were there too... it was quite the lively party at Wendy's! After dinner, Brent and I still had some grocery shopping to do. That made for a bit of a late night. Only one more day of work before I get 4 days off! YAY! Today, Wednesday, I almost didn't make it to work... but I dragged myself there. Still congested, exhausted, coughing and, as the day wore on, more and more hoarse, I actually made it through the day!! Despite the fact that I was pretty much there by myself for the last 20 minutes since no one even told me they were leaving!! Aargh!!!! SO FRUSTRATING!! Thankfully, mom was able to make it over to our place to start on dinner for the evening - Yay for mom! We had beef stew, biscuits, and Jell-o with raspberries in it. YUM! Plus, I really do love it when everyone can get together. Now I just hope I can get enough rest to make it through the remainder of the week. :)

Snowy Saturday!

It's snowing!! For the first time this season!! And the flakes are HUGE! I just ran outside to try to get a picture but the snowflakes blend in with the overcast sky. And it's not sticking to the ground at all... too wet! Darn. But it sure is fun to watch. I'm sure there will be plenty of other times this season to get great snow pics. Next time, I'll take the picture with a darker and more solid background. :)

Back To Work

I finally went back to work today, although I didn't want to. I really would've been content to sleep for another day but, alas, I got myself up and to work this gray and blustery day. Thank goodness Debbie offered to work the front desk for me because I felt like I was in a dazed stupor (is that repetitive?) all day long! Hopefully I didn't make too many mistakes! Folks tend to get a little cranky if they're scheduled on a different day than they originally planned. At least I made it through the day. Tomorrow should be better. I'll go to bed early and take a nighttime Sudafed to help me sleep.

Belly Week 31

Belly week 31 - I am now most comfortable sleeping:
a) On my back... No way, José!!
b) On my side... Most likely. And with a bunch of pillows under, on and around me!
c) I'll take it any way I can get it!... Most definitely!!

I am now getting up to pee about 3-4 times a night!

Other notes: Well, I had to call in sick again today. It really isn't any fun to be sick while pregnant! There's not much I can take for it and I'm hoping that whatever I have doesn't turn into a sinus infection... or any kind of infection, for that matter. The baby's still doing great though. Moving around lots and the movements are much bigger now! My whole belly will do this perpetual wave-like motion, back and forth... It's quite bizarre to watch and to feel! Brent and I can't wait to meet this little guy! :)

Will It Ever End?

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. This is the 2nd day this week that I've had to call in sick. I'm extremely drained and all I wanna do is sleep. I don't even have anything new and/or note-worthy to write about... just sickness. Icky, gross, snotty sickness. I'll tell you what though: I have been downing the orange juice, 100% grape juice, Sierra Mist, and chicken noodle soup like it's goin' outta style! Mmm, yummy! :)

It's Baaaaack!

My cold. It decided to visit me again... or maybe still. Maybe it didn't fully disappear. Whatever the case, it's back with a vengence. I didn't even go to church today. Pretty much slept all day long... other than drinking o.j. and water and eating chicken noodle soup. Mostly the same symptoms as before: achy and congested... only now I'm coughing up a bunch of junk too. Yuck. I don't know if I'll be able to make it to work tomorrow... I'm feeling really drained this time around. Ugh. I hate being sick and calling in sick. Well, back to the Tylenol and Sudafed routine.

Childbirth Preparation Class

Honestly, I don't think a one day (7 hour) class can possibly squeeze in everything there is to know about preparing for childbirth!! I do think the class was helpful and informative... at least, it answered most of my current questions. But, as my pregnancy progresses, I know I'll have more questions... and, really, only time will tell if I'll even be able to stick to the birthing plan that I'd like to experience. They do say to "stay flexible"... which I have no problem doing. There are so many "what ifs" in labor and delivery, how could I not stay flexible?

All in all, the class was good. We practiced some breathing techniques and different things the dad-to-be can do to help mom-to-be during labor. We were also able to try out helpful positions for labor and delivery for those who might opt out of pain meds. (A couple of which Brent whispered, "Isn't this what got us here in the first place?") ;D That made me laugh. We also watched a few videos which were definitely eye-openers for me! After the very 1st one I turned to Brent and said, "I think I'm a little more freaked out now than I was before!!" Of course, we learned afterward that all the women in the 1st video were going completely natural - no pain meds at all!! Whew. That was a relief!

Our instructor, Marsha, told the guys that they could try on an 'Empathy Belly' if they so desired. Aha! Now I knew the reason for the cameras! :) Only a handful of guys wanted to try it on... and Brent was not one of them. He said, "I just lost 38 lbs. I already know what that feels like." Needless to say, I didn't take any pictures. Oh well. At least I have one picture of Brent with his 'belly'. :D It was taken at one of my first OB visits.

In summary, I know that every birthing experience is unique. Ideally, I'd like to be able to stay mobile through as much of the labor as possible and maybe try some of the techniques I've learned. I'm hoping that I'm not in so much pain from the get-go that I'm crying for an epidural as soon as I get to the hospital. I know that being upright (at least partially) will utilize the gravitational forces to my benefit... rather than being confined to lying in bed for the duration. I'm certainly not against pain meds though! If I need 'em, I'll ask! .....

My mind keeps going back to one of the final episodes of 'Mad About You' when Jamie is about to give birth. She was set on not taking any pain meds... until it was too late. She had asked the Dr for an epidural and the Dr said that she missed her window of opportunity. So Jamie screams, "Well then BREAK THE WINDOW!" Funny stuff.

Enjoy your day!

My Seventh OB Visit

These appts are getting quite predictable by now. :) I know I hopped on the scale but I don't even remember what the outcome was this time. I'll have to ask next time. BP was good again: 120/80. Gave pee. Discussed bloodwork from last time: I'm not anemic nor am I diabetic - WHEW! Thank goodness! Dr King checked baby's heartbeat (140) and measured... although, I forgot to ask my measurements... again. Next time.

Just a few questions for Dr King this time:

Q: Hands and feet tend to get really puffy now. What's the best way to alleviate that?

A: Drink lots of water, elevate feet in the evening, watch sodium intake, don't sit or stand for long periods of time.

Q: Is it too late for a dental cleaning at this point?

A: Nope. Go ahead and get that done if you want to.

Q: How do you feel about Birth Plans?

A: I don't mind them at all. It's good info and lets me know how you'd like your birthing experience to go. We can go over it together next time if you'd like.

The estimated size of baby today is almost 3 lbs and 15.7" long (like a head of cabbage).

Baby Hiccups, Perhaps?

I think I felt the baby hiccupping today. My belly was kind of bopping up and down in a rhythmic pattern, so I just figured that's what it was. I've heard they're normal for the belly-bound babes... and that it helps with lung maturation (or something like that?)... but I know that it bugs the heck outta me when I get the hiccups so I kinda felt bad for the little guy. :) It didn't last too long though, so I guess that's ok. ;)

Belly Week 30!!

Belly week 30 - Notes: I guess this means I'm 3/4 of the way done!! YAHOO!! Just about 10 weeks to go... I'm so excited! I've been feeling a little more puffy these days. Just call me Puff Mommy. ;) I told Brent that I have "prankles" and he said, "What's that?" I said, "Preggo ankles." And he chuckled. I still get nervous when I don't feel the baby moving around much. This morning was one of those times... he wasn't moving much at all. Finally, after lunch, I jostled my belly a little... well, that must've awakened him 'cause he hasn't been very still since! :) I haven't given up on my quest to find a comfy sleeping position. I may just have to move myself out to the recliner if the bed gets too uncomfy. Only time will tell.

"Your Bank Account"

My mother-in-law sent this e-mail to me and I thought it was a good reminder... so I'm posting it:

This is AWESOME… something we should all remember.
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room yet. Just wait!"
"That doesn' t have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life."
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from it what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Preggo Day!

I don't know if there are days when one can feel more pregnant than others... but I am feeling very pregnant today!! I could barely stay standing during the time of singing at church! And when it was time for the message... I just wanted to sleep. This kiddo is getting bigger, for sure... and I think it's taking a toll on my body. Now I'm just praying that I can make it the rest of the way without collapsing from exhaustion! I don't know... do I look tired to you?

Lazy Day

Brent and I love sleeping in on Saturdays! He usually sleeps longer than I do since I can't seem to handle the lying down position for more than a few hours at a time these days. I think I finally got out of bed at around 9am... so I grabbed a bowl of cereal and did some computing (e-mails, etc.). Brent finally got up and then I started some laundry. He decided to play a video game for a little while. All of a sudden, he comes running around the corner to go grab some more presentable clothes. I ask what's going on and he said, "At first I thought we were going to be visited by some 'J-dubs'... but I looked again and it's my Aunt Nadine!" So, in turn, I get up and run, frantically, to find some more presentable clothes for myself! It turns out, NNU's Homecoming Weekend is this weekend and she was just over at the live auction representing her class and visiting with folks. She decided to bid on a basket full of baby goodies and won it!! So she brought it over to give to us!! How sweet is that?!? Then she said she'd like to go grab a bite to eat with us. We ended up going to the Little Kitchen in Downtown Nampa and had a wonderful time visiting with her.

Tonight was fun, too! We have our small group Bible study on Saturday nights and tonight we celebrated Jamie's birthday! We had yummy food: pizza, nachos, salad, cake and ice cream! And we had a great time visiting and 'playing' with balloons! We did have a short time of prayer for each other. It's a good thing that I was to pray last because, when it came my turn, I abruptly burst into hysterical laughter at the fact that one of the kitties was playing with and chewing on my ponytail!! I totally couldn't help myself. It was one of those times when you know you're not supposed to laugh so it makes you want to laugh all the more!! I was laughing so hard I was crying!! At that point, I'm pretty sure the mood was ruined. All I could do was apologize... I couldn't even pray! Thank goodness God has a sense of humor! Perhaps He knew we needed to laugh. :D Good times!

Linea Nigra

I noticed mine today. That dark line that runs from the belly button, downward. I wasn't sure if I'd get one or not since some women do and some don't. It seems to me that they're more prominent on women with darker skin tones... and the majority of the pictures I see are of darker women. Anyway, I thought it was cool to see one on me... and I thought I'd share. That was the only real significant thing that happened today. :)

Belly Week 29

Belly week 29 - More things that I miss from life-before-the-belly:
a) Walking sans waddle... yes
b) My lap... yes
c) Normal undies... and yes. Hey, don't judge me... this is what they had in the book. :)

Other notes: Seems like this kiddo hardly sits still anymore! Although he moves mostly around meal times... before (To let me know he's hungry), during (Perhaps to say: hey, thanks for thinkin' of me! Or: yum, this is quite tasty!) and afterward (Now he's just playing contentedly). I'd really prefer that he not use my bladder as a punching bag... but what can ya do? Here's a wish list that the preggo me has come up with:

1. To be able to wait longer than an hour or two before needing to use the restroom again.
2. To get more than 2 or 3 hours of comfy sleep at a time.
3. To be able to bend over to pick something up off the floor or to just tie my shoes.
4. It'd be nice to have my pre-preggo selection of clothes again.
5. To get up and down from a sitting position without making weird, involuntary noises.

But, then again, here's why I don't mind putting up with all that (this is the cool part):

1. We're finally having a baby!
2. I love being able to feel him move inside me.
3. It's fun to watch Brent talk to my belly.
4. I like having something in common with all the other mothers out there.
5. I get to be the one to make our parents grandparents this time. :)

Tuesday = Sick Day #2 + Voting Day

I'm feeling a little better today but still not well enough to get myself to work. Maybe all the rest and o.j. really is helping... 'cause I've gotta say: There ain't much a preggo can take in the way of OTC cold remedies! Mostly just Tylenol... and maybe Sudafed. Sudafed. That word just sounds like a person is stuffy, doesn't it? :D I'm glad I was able to muster the strength to take a shower today. Showers can make any sicko feel better. :) I wanted to surprise Brent today by doing some dishes... but that still required too much energy. Bummer. He said he'd come home early today so that we can beat the after-work crowd to the polls. Yay! Maybe the walk across the street to the Brandt Center in the crisp air will do me good.

That did not take long at all!! I think we completed the whole process in the span of about 10-15 minutes! Now we can just hunker down and watch it all pan out on any one of the plethera of t.v. channels covering it all. That should be fun. I think I'm most excited about the fact that there will be no more campaign ads on the boob tube for a very long time. :)

Monday = Sick Day

Well, it happened. I am in the throes of sickness. Boo. I called in sick today... good thing, 'cause I can't hardly move around. Who gave this to me?? Whoever did it, I really wanna sock 'em in the arm! Although, I'd probably be too weak to even attempt that. I stayed in bed most of the morning. In fact, I'm sure I could've stayed in bed even longer... the only reason I got up is because I knew I had to feed this growing bundle o' joy inside me. Yay for bland, yet brothy, chicken noodle soup!! And pulp-free o.j. Boo for daytime t.v. And campaign ads. Can't wait 'til those are gone! Although, I am excited for election day tomorrow. Ooo, and guess what I got in the mail?? I got a Prospective Juror Questionnaire for Canyon County!! What fun! And for the whole month of December, too!! Hmm. I would have to say: Any other non-pregnant day, Jury Duty might be quite interesting... but this might be a little too close for comfort to my due date. I'll have to call my Dr and see what she says...

Sunday = Sleep Day

I may have done too much on Friday night and Saturday because today I really started to feel worn down! Our plan was to do some grocery shopping after church but I was soooo exhausted! Brent brought me home to sleep while he went out and did the shopping! Have I mentioned what a great hubby I have?? I think he must've spent a good 3 hours meandering aisles and going through coupons to try and find the best deals. And he saved over $11 in coupons - not bad!! I woke up as he was putting the groceries away. I wanted to help him but I was too weak, achy and congested to do anything! So I continued to rest. Ugh... I don't wanna be sick! :(

El Dia de los Muertos

I'm not too familiar with this Mexican holiday but Brent and I were invited by friends to attend a celebration with dancing and yummy, authentic ethnic food. It was held at the Hispanic Cultural Center in Nampa and our friend, Alejandra, was one of the dancers. To give an idea of what it's about, I'll copy the little blurb that was in the program:

*El Dia de los Muertos on November 1st and 2nd is an important religious holiday in Mexico. Also called All Souls Day, it is an occasion marked by festive celebrations to honor the dead. Cemeteries are cleaned and decorated, special food and candies cooked, and home altars are designed in homage to one's ancestors. It is a day of joyous remembrance, not of sadness. The special songs, poems, foods and toys created for El Dia de los Muertos reflect this outlook.

We had such a fun time watching the very colorful dancers and eating some very scrumptious food!! It's certainly not scary or gross like what our American Halloween has turned into. It's meant to be respectful and honoring of those who have passed on before us. I would say it's more like a Memorial Day... only more celebratory, not sad.

Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween and it's Friday. I should be all festive and fun but I didn't even feel like going to work this morning because I'm all achy and congested! Not to mention there are no cards, no cupcakes and no costume! Oh well. They'll understand, I'm sure. And actually, no one else wore costumes anyway so I don't feel too bad. I even thought of an idea for a costume... but it was too late to execute my plan. So the only thing on my list that I actually did myself was: make the chili. Brent was the one who went to get the groceries. And the other things just didn't get done. I told Brent my costume idea and he said, "Maybe you could do that next year?" Now, I understand that it's quite possible to have kiddos that are only 12 months apart... but Lord help me if I'm 7 months pregnant again by next Halloween!! ;)

We got to the Trunk or Treat event a little late so we decided not to hand out candy this time. The chili was delivered and we also donated a few giant candy bars for the Candy Bar Walk game they were doing. Other than that, we stayed inside and visited with folks... kind of a nice change from years past. And it was fun to see all the kids' costumes... can't really see them too well when you're outside, in the dark. Brent said he liked my chili the best! I thought he was just being nice... but when I looked again, my chili was all gone! Woohoo! All in all, it was a fun night!

Achy and Tired

This whole day I've felt like I could just curl up on my desk at work and take a nap! Only thing is, I've been working the front desk this week and the people walking in to see the doctor might think that was a little weird. I wasn't able to get a nap during my lunch hour today so I got comfy on the couch when I got home. Well, my intention was just to rest for 20-30 minutes... but I actually slept for about 2 hours! Brent got home and even made dinner while I was still sleeping! Aww. What a guy! Then he asked me to help him make a list of what we needed for the chili and he went to the store for me!! When he got home, he said he forgot to get orange juice (for me, not the chili) and asked if I wanted him to go back. I told him it was fine and that I could just pick some up tomorrow... but I was sounding so awful at that point, he grabbed his jacket and was out the door again! Such a sweetie! I'm glad he went back for it though. I'll mix it up in the morning to take some to work with me. So much for Halloween cupcakes though. There's no way I'm up to making those to take to work tomorrow! And I haven't even found an easy costume yet. I don't think that'll be quite ready for tomorrow either. Oh well. There's always next year, I guess. :)

Belly Week 28

Belly week 28 - Notes: This has been a busier week than usual as Brent's Uncle Hep passed away recently and with the coming of Halloween. We went to Hep's viewing on Monday night and we reminisced a little with his family. Then Tuesday was the graveside service. I wasn't able to go to that as I had to work. Brent was a pall-bearer... he said that service was fairly small. I don't know if too many folks knew about it. Today was the memorial service at the church they attended. That was such a nice service. There were a few songs, a slideshow of his life, and some testimonials from family and friends of how Hep impacted others. I don't know if the pregnancy hormones had any effect on how much I was crying but my face and eyes looked so red and puffy when all was said and done. Uff-da. Although, I'm pretty sure everyone got a little teary at some point or another.

Halloween. It'll be here this Friday. I have so much I'd like to do, however, I'm not sure how much I'll get done as I'm starting to feel achy and my throat is sore now. Why do I always get sick around this time of year? Here's my list of things to do:

1. Make festive cards to send out.
2. Bake and decorate cupcakes to take to work.
3. Buy groceries for the chili I volunteered to make for the Trunk or Treat event at church on Friday night.
4. Make the chili.
5. Find a quick and easy costume for Friday... possibly incorporating my preggo belly. ;)

Wish me luck!

I know this didn't really have anything to do with my belly... but that is what's going on around here this week. :)

Baby Stretch and Flu Shots

Last night, as we're getting all situated in bed, the lights are off and Brent's almost asleep, I think the baby decided to stretch out as far as he could!! It really felt like he was the entire width of my torso! I felt him pushing on both sides of me, simultaneaously! It shocked me so I said, "Whoa!" in a louder-than-normal voice. Well, that pretty much jolted Brent right out of nodding off and he said, "What?! What happened?!?" So I told him what I felt and that I didn't mean to alarm him. It was really quite humorous. I couldn't help but crack up while I was apologizing. :)
Also, I got my flu shot at work today... finally. That was pretty much unremarkable. It didn't hurt at all but I did walk away with a pretty cool band-aid on my arm. Oh yeah, and they found one that didn't have the preservative that preggo women aren't suppose to have... I think it was the last one in their stash so YAY for me!

Evil Chili

So my chili goodness the evening before turned into heartburn from the devil!! I woke up at about 3am for the calling of nature. I felt a twinge of that esophageal reflux so I consumed about 4 Tums and a sip of water to ease the inner distress before lying down again. Well, I don't know if that combination was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back... or if I just went horizontal again sooner than I should have... but shortly after lying down, I burped. And what I thought was going to be a small, insignificant burp ended up being this fiery evilness from hell!... Or maybe just from the pit of my gut... At any rate, IT BURNED EVERYTHING that stood in it's way!! From my stomach to my throat!! I felt like I'd spew fire if I opened my mouth!! And I almost vomited again because of the nasty grossness I felt in my mouth. Nevertheless, to my feet again, I go to the kitchen (so as not to disturb Brent with my coughing and hacking from the residue that was left in my throat from the fiery bile) to pour myself a nice tall glass of milk! Although quite refreshing, that wasn't cutting it completely so I grabbed the only thing I could bear the thought of noshing on at 3:15am: a plain ol' piece of white bread! Finally, some relief!! It may have been about 3:30am before I was able to get cozy (and pain-free) in my bed again.
Mental note to self (in big bold letters): Nothing to eat with a tomato base for the remainder of this pregnancy!!! The end.

Great Friends, Great Fun!

Today was a fabulous day! It really was! This morning I decided that I wanted to make some homemade chili and cornbread to take to our Bible Study group tonight. I also baked a couple loaves of banana bread... one to take to Steph's open house/ housewarming party... and one for us. We went to the open house party first. A great time was had by all! It's fun to hang out with friends from work, in a non-work environment... especially if everyone gets along! Plus, there was some super yummy food there. ;) From there, we went to our group. It was decided that we would go visit a friend who recently had back surgery... I think everyone was blessed by that. We must've spent more than an hour visiting! It was close to 9pm when we got back to the house where we had our chili and cornbread. So yummy!!! Definitely worth the wait! Then for dessert, Jamie made an awesome cake (that I probably shouldn't attempt to spell because I'm sure I'll butcher it... but I'll try anyway) called Trés la Leche (please tell me I'm at least close to the correct spelling?) and some hot spiced cider. Lo-ho-hoved that rich yummy goodness! Well, after all was said and done, we ended up getting home way past our bedtime! :) I just hope we can get up in time tomorrow to make it to church... G'night!

Yay for Long Weekends!

It gives me a chance to regroup and... well... catch up on some dearly missed sleep. :) And whatever else may need completing: cleaning, baking, organizing, scrapbooking. Today was mostly a sleeping/ cleaning/ cooking sort of day. I even had dinner on the stove when Brent got home! I know, I know! It's ok to say it: WHOA! I really do enjoy doing that... I'm usually just too worn out from the workday. Especially now. I'm just hoping that I won't be too exhausted to do more of that when I'm home on Maternity Leave. Guess we'll see.

Belly Week 27

Belly week 27 - Right now my husband is feeling a little:
a) Overwhelmed... not quite yet, but maybe starting to. Feels like he should start looking for a better job, etc.
b) Overprotective... mostly cautious.
c) Left out... just that baby bump can put a damper on getting intimate... occasionally.
d) Ecstatic... yeah! Definitely excited about finally being a dad!
e) All of the above... Ok, so this is the most locigal (and shortest) answer. But I asked Brent about each individual item and these are the answers he gave me. :)

Other notes: I'd really like to NOT feel tired... for just one day. Or maybe a week. It feels like my joints are kinda sore. And I think I'm really starting to waddle more than walk normally these days. Plus, it's getting harder to do simple things like: put socks on or bend over to pick something up off the floor. It really doesn't get any easier from here on out, does it? ;) It'll be so worth it though!

My Sixth OB Visit

More of the same today: Another weigh-in. Only +3 today... which means 11 lbs total. Woo! BP today was 125/76 which they still said was good. Gave inevitable pee sample. Gave another blood sample an hour after drinking that horrendous glucose drink. YUK!! I had to have my breakfast completed by 7:30 this morning and then couldn't eat again until after my blood was drawn. I then drank that grossness by 9:50am which meant my blood was to be drawn by 10:50am. Which worked out perfectly since my appt was at 10:30am. Nothing like having super-sweet, flat, orange soda on an empty stomach! By the time I gagged that stuff down, I really felt like I was gonna hurl. I certainly hope I don't have to do that again any time soon. After all that, Velma came in to answer any questions, check the baby's heartbeat (142), and measure the belly. She measured differently though... she just used her fingers. Dr King used a tape measure last time. Whatever works, I guess. I don't remember her telling me what my measurements were though. Hmm. I vaguely remember something about 4cm?? Maybe that's how much we've grown since last time... which would make me 28cm. That sounds about right.
Some questions we had for Velma:
Q: What does it mean when heartburn turns into back pain?
A: Watch it. If it doesn't go away with Tums, it could be a gall bladder issue.
Q: I have a fairly large vein in my right leg that tends to get slightly painful at times... I've read about blood clots, could that be an issue?
A: It looks like a varicose vein and those can get painful during pregnancy. Blood clots tend to get red and hard. Elevate legs above your heart for at least 20 mins a night. Showering at night is best and at the end of your shower, run cool water over legs. There's also support hose that can be worn.
Q: Baby movements seem very low at times. Is that normal?
A: Should be fine.
Q: Had some cramping on left side. What does that mean?
A: Discussed round ligament pain which could worsen as uterus grows.
Q: Will I get a 3rd trimester ultrasound?
A: If your other ultrasounds looked good and there were no concerns, probably not... unless something unusual comes up.

The estimated size of baby today is about 2 lbs and 14.5" long (about the size of a head of cauliflower).

I Made It!

The women's retreat weekend turned out to be just fine... as I knew in my head it would be. The video sessions with Beth Moore were fantastic! She is such a dynamic speaker! I learned a lot about loving well. And there was so much free time on Saturday that I was able to escape to rendezvous with Brent for lunch. When the Sunday morning session was done and it was time to go, I decided to stop by the Motherhood store in the mall to try to find some preggo jeans. I did find one pair of jeans, although, they were slightly long. And I found two t-shirts that I just had to have as well. As for the super-long jeans... I'm wondering: do the makers of preggo clothes assume that all pregnant women are extremely long-legged?? Or that they desire to wear 4-inch heals all day long?? These are the things that were coming to my mind. Because I am neither of those things. I do think I'm above average for a woman's height... but, my goodness... there's no way, especially at 5'9.5" and pregnant, that I'm going to be trapsing around in high heals in order for my jeans to fit. I may have to succumb to one of two options: either roll up the pantlegs OR make some modifications by cutting and sewing. Hmph. Oh well, at least I have jeans I can (sorta) wear now. And it was good to get home to Brent and my own bed again. :)

Yay For Weekends!

It's Friday!!! The workday is about finished and I'm excited and a little bit apprehensive about spending this weekend at a Women's Retreat. We're not going too far away... just to the Hyatt in Boise... but I like to be able to decide my own schedule and have my own free time to do whatever, whenever. And I like to spend time with Brent. Plus, he gets to go to a cooking 'class' led by a co-worker who makes really yummy Thai food. It sounds like that will be super fun! After they cook the food, they'll get to have their own little party and chow down on the food they made. Yum!! I wonder if I could sneak away for a little bit on Saturday... a retreat from my retreat, so to speak. ;) Anyhoo, I'll be computer-less until Sunday evening. Until then...

Belly Week 26

Belly week 26 - Notes: I received my free "Special Beginnings" books and DVD from my insurance company this week. Apparently, I have my very own Maternity Health Coach that I can call or e-mail any ol' time I have a question. How handy. And now that I'm in my 3rd trimester, everything I read discusses creating a birthing plan. Who knew? We get to choose all the details of how we'd prefer the birth to go. Everything from pain meds and who we want to be present during the whole affair... to holding the baby right after birth over having him cleaned off first. We can opt to have the baby in our room the entire time... or not. If I decide to breastfeed, I can request that pacifiers and supplements be avoided. Whew! Lots to think about! I hope they go over all of this in our birthing class. :)

A couple of other exciting things to report on: First of all, the baby countdown ticker says "99 days to go" today! I'm finally out of the triple digits!! Yay! Also, Brent was able to see the baby move today! Baby was moving around a lot this evening so I went and sat down by Brent on the sofa and had him stare at my belly for a minute or two. He finally saw it move and asked, "Was that a kick?" Yep! He was able to see a few more kicks before the baby settled down for the evening. How exciting!!

My Second Preggo Gift!

I just have to say... the gals I work with are so nice!! Debbie brought me a gift today. It's a cute little blanket in a bag... and it's so soft! She said, "You can never have too many blankets!" I'd have to agree with that! :)

*The gift bag * The blanket bag * The blanket!

More Baby Stuff

Well, Gayle dropped by the office with more stuff today! I think she must've been cleaning and came across some extra things. Just another box full of clothes, diapers and toys... oh my! :) She's so darn nice! I would say we've saved at least $1000 with all the stuff she's given us! We are so blessed! p.s. The cat did not come with the box of goodies. ;)

What Is Going On Here?!?

I've had this pain in the middle of my back that started last night and has continued into today. It's the weirdest thing... kinda like my rib is out of place but I don't think it's that. I can usually tell when that happens. It's more of an odd 'heartburn-y' kind of feeling. I'm wondering if I ate too much sugar last night. Although, honestly, all I had was a brownie with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of milk. Maybe too much dairy? Oh, I guess I did have a couple of chocolate covered bing cherries earlier in the evening. You know, it's weird... even with this hugest sweet tooth that I have, I really haven't been jonesing for sugary sweetness during my pregnancy. I think I've mostly craved meat, produce and carbs. Which is probably a good thing since I'm sure I'm at a greater risk for gestational diabetes. Anyhoo, after attending our small group this evening... where we prayed for each other and had some fabulous home-made Thai chicken curry soup, I might add... I felt much better! I was afraid the spiciness of the curry would make my heartburn feeling worse but it didn't! YAY!

Where's the Kitty?

To get ready for this evening, Brent had placed some miscellaneaous baby clothes -that I still had sitting out- on our bed to get them out of the way. Before bedtime, I reached to grab them in order to find a more suitable, out-of-the-way place to house them... and I had to do a double take! Henry was sitting right in the middle of everything! Now the trick was: to grab my camera and get back to take a picture before he decided to move. Cute widdo kitty! :)

Sleepin' In

You know how yesterday was an exhausting day for me? Well, it carried over through the night and I tossed and turned all night! I knew I wasn't going to be able to function at work so I called in "late." It was nice to have the extra couple of hours to sleep! Plus, I had a little bit of time to do some straightening up around the house since we're having Jodi and kids over tonight.

We're celebrating Jacob's 6th birthday this evening... which was actually on Sunday (10/5) but he was at his dad's house that day. Here's the b-day scoop: Jodi drops everyone off at our place (except the birthday kid) where we make/have our own dinner, bake and decorate a cake, decorate the room (if time allows) and wrap a gift or two. Meanwhile, Jodi takes the b-day kid out to Red Robin for a free birthday dinner... I signed everyone up for the R.R. Birthday Club when they moved into town a couple years ago, so each kiddo could have some quality time with their mom. Then, when they return, everyone gets to have some cake and ice cream for dessert. So, a couple of days ago I asked Jacob what kind of cake he likes. He said: Chocolate-Peanut Butter. Hmm. Well, I'm sure there's a recipe out there, somewhere, for Choc.-PB cake but I opted for Choc.-PB brownies instead. I even decorated the top just like it was cake - so cute! - Halloween style. :) You'll never guess who didn't like the "cake." Mmhmm. Jacob! Actually, he ate the topping but left the rest. Typical 6 year old, I guess. Well, then he didn't like the card we got for him because it had a train on it... and we should have known that he didn't like trains anymore! Silly us. But the gift wasn't much better... He had been whining and crying about getting a Webkins so that he can play on the computer like the other kids. Well, we bought one for him and he quickly learned that you really need to be able to read a little before you can really have fun with it. So, needless to say, he was more interested in playing Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii than having the other kids "help" him with his Webkins. I think the only thing he really got to be in charge of was picking out his user name, password, and the naming of his Webkins pet. Not too thrilling, I'll have to agree. The thing he did like? The Spiderman decorations: cups, plates, and blow-outs. Go figure. At least birthdays only come around once a year! Thank goodness!

So Exhausted!!

I'm wondering if I'm getting enough sleep. Before pregnancy, I could get by on 6 or 7 hours a night. Now, I have to get at least 8-9 hours a night to be able to function normally. Well, I don't think I got enough z's last night because I'm certainly feeling the effects today. Yawn!!

My First Preggo Gift!

I get to work this morning and there's a gift on my desk! What could this be?? It's not my birthday. I only had a couple of options as far as who could've placed it there because there were only 2, maybe 3, people who were there before me. It was wrapped in some cute Winnie the Pooh paper... so I go inquire. "Alright, who put this on my desk?" It was Steph! She's so sweet! I unwrap it to find a cute little 'Cherished Teddies' frame with a preggo bear in front. So adorable! I have yet to figure out what picture to put in there. Maybe I'll do one of Brent and me... when I'm a little farther along. How fun!

Belly Week 25

Belly week 25 - I feel compelled to talk about my pregnancy:
a) Anytime, with anyone who happens to be around
b) Only with other pregnant women or new moms
c) Not much at all.

I'd have to say: a - but really, I think it's the other way around: Women are compelled to talk to me about things... whether it's their own stories, or just asking me how I'm doing. I'll always talk about things with whomever is interested though. If I say that I can really feel you moving a lot today, I think it takes the moms back to that time in their own lives, and it seems like they miss that, which is cool.

Other notes: I can tell that your dad is really excited about meeting you! He'll look at my belly and say, "Guess what?" I'll say, "What?" and he'll say, "You're pregnant! Isn't that cool?" Yep, that is so totally cool! He's also said that he can't wait to meet you and he wonders what you look like. And I whole-heartedly agree!

I Forgot to Mention...

I've finally selected and registered for a birthing class! It'll be at the Meridian St Luke's location on Saturday, November 15th. It runs from 9am-4:30pm and it's just the one Saturday. We preferred that over 4 weekday/evening 2.5 hr classes. The class description is as follows:

Become more physically, mentally and emotionally prepared for the birth of your new baby through a variety of coaching, breathing and relaxation techniques. Topics include: the birth process, pain management of labor, decision-making, unplanned cesarean birth and transition to parenthood. Spouse, partner, or support person is encouraged to attend. Please bring 2 bed pillows to each class. Saturday class participants should bring a sack lunch and a camera.

What?? A camera? What will we be taking pictures of, I wonder? Hmmm... Anyhoo, since the class is in Meridian and I'm delivering in Boise, we'll have to pick a separate time to go in for a Birth Information Tour... to kind of get a feel for where things are and where we'll need to go, etc. Wow. Things are moving right along, aren't they? Our excitement grows! :)

New Background

So, I've had a couple of requests for a new background since the sunshine on the previous background made some of the words hard to read. A friend told me of this website: http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/ where I could find fun backgrounds that are easy to download. I'm likin' the frogs. They're very boyish. Who else likes the frogs?... Raise your hands. ;) Hopefully, this is easier to read.


Well, today was my 1st day of wearing an "official" maternity outfit. You know, the stretchy belly panel on the pants and the "baby doll" style top with a tie back. It's kinda cute. I'll have to wear it to my next Dr appt to get a picture under the sign. :) My next appt is in about 2 weeks... my how time flies!

To The Mall We Go

We finally took a trip back to the mall today to return the preggo pants that didn't work. I did pick up another pair of the stretchy pants from JCP that I like. We even broke down and went into the Motherhood store. They were actually having a sale on a lot of things. I found a pair of Khaki preggo pants and a couple of cute tops that should work nicely. Yay for fitting rooms and being able to try things on before purchasing them. :)

The rest of the day was nice and relaxing. This morning at church was the 100-year celebration for the Nazarene denomination... quite an event, for sure! It was fascinating to hear from a few of those who had pastored our church in years past. Then there was a scrumptious turkey dinner that was provided for everyone after the service. YUM! A good time was had by all. :) Now I get to relax with my honey... a perfect way to end a great day. ;)

Can I Just Say...?

Our trip to Gayle's house - my friend who said she had lots of stuff to give me - proved to be quite a haul!! And she wasn't lyin'... there was LOTS of stuff!! Probably at least half of a garage space full of baby stuff! She was so generous! We came away with a crib (with matress and bedding included), a bassinet, a car seat/stroller combo, a Baby Björn carrier, an infant tub, and bags and bags... and bags of clothes!! Brent's pickup was filled to the brim with all these goodies! We even had to shove some things behind our seats inside the cab! So, if we didn't feel prepared for a new baby before... there certainly is evidence that a baby's on the way now!! Our friends, Brian and Jamie, came over to help us sort through and make sense of it all. Talk about a productive day!! Brent went down to the basement to consolidate things and make room for more storage. The guys took the doors off the closet to make more open space for baby items and then they took all the stuff that we had stacked in that closet to the basement. Can you believe we can actually still get around down there?!? They did a great job!! All the while, we girls were going through those bags galore, pulling out clothes and separating them into size categories. Then we realized that we needed the guys to go buy storage totes for all the different sizes and to go ahead and grab lunch for all of us while they were out. ;) By the time we got done sorting, Jamie said, "This kiddo will be set with a full wardrobe through the age of 4!!" And it's true!! We literally had one tote for each size: 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, 18-24 month, 2T, 3T, and 4T! I kept all the preemie/ newborn/ 0-3 month items out so that we could wash them and get them ready for day of arrival. Now we just have to go back over our What-We-Need-For-Baby List and update our registries. I think we also have to schedule a car seat check with the hospital to make sure we're good to go. This certainly is quite an experience! I'd have to say, the coolest part of it all is feeling this little one moving around inside of me. I love that. It makes this other stuff: cleaning, sorting, rearranging, etc... all worth-while!