It doesn't matter what time of day it is... whether it is 7 am or 3:30 in the afternoon. It's always nap time. I have NO energy whatsoever. It's like my body has decided that it wants to relive the memories of the first trimester. Seeing as how I love naps, you think I'd be ok with this trip down memory lane... but I actually have the desire to get stuff done before the baby gets here. I want to have a clean, organized house and I would love to have everything decorated and nicely stored away. I would like to read another book, or maybe exercise more often. However, I don't even have to move a muscle in order to wear myself out. I actually wake up sleepy.
People keep telling me that I'll get an energy burst before the baby is born so that I can get some last minute stuff in... I sure hope so! There's a ton that has built up while I've been sleeping!
What is great is that my Momma is coming to help me! Woo hoo! I feel bad for leaving so much for her to do and for letting her see my house this way (I don't like to let anyone see my house even slightly messy... it really pushes me over the edge!) but I honestly don't have the energy to do anything about it. She's coming on Christmas Day (YAY!) and is staying until the middle of March! I'm so pleased with that, it is going to be so nice to have her around to help with the baby/house. Now I just have to convince this baby to stay in there until after we're ready.
We had our 34 week midwife appointment yesterday and everything still looks great. I'm still measuring a week ahead, but other than that, everything is on target. The heartbeat was good, the baby is still moving around well, and the baby is growing like a weed. He/she still is in the correct position (head down) and has moved down a little bit. This is fine, it just means the baby is getting ready to make an entrance sometime in the future and that it is able to headbutt my pelvic bone whenever I move into a position it doesn't like. I will say that I am so very glad that my baby is hanging in there, growing and getting stronger by the minute. I will also say that sometimes I think the baby does things JUST to cause me pain... it even follows up those activities by sticking its little booty out at me (usually followed by a punch in the bladder). I've apologized for not providing enough entertainment (what... you wanted cable in there?! sorry!), for running short on space, and for serving the baby something that isn't on its "favorites" menu. I really feel the punishment that I receive is a little extreme sometimes though.
Nic actually laughed at me today because I had asked him to hand me my sudoku book and when he did the pencil fell out. I tried to bend over to pick it up and when it was out of reach, I just gave up and started looking for something else to do. He thinks it is kind of funny that everything is so hard for me now... what is funny about that, I don't know. I honestly plan on renting him one of the pregnancy suits one day and making him wear it for a week or so. We'll see who is laughing then!
Wow, I sound mean. I don't mean to. I really do enjoy being pregnant... it is such an amazing process and I love the little kicks and hiccups. I love having the baby all to myself and watching it roll and move around. I'm just really looking forward to meeting the baby and getting my body back.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Dropping Babies
I think maybe the baby has dropped in the past day or so... I can certainly breathe a lot easier and the baby seems a lot lower than it has been in the past few months or so. I'm not positive, as it could just be positioned differently (the baby has been head down for the last two months or so, but this morning I was feeling kicks on my side, so maybe it's just turned sideways?). I've never done this before, so who knows.
I'm so excited about the baby though and it's getting more and more difficult to contain myself about it. A few friends have had their babies recently (that were due about the same time as me) and I can't help but think that that's what my baby looks like inside me. Then it dawns on me... HOLY cow, there's a real baby in there. Not a pretend one that I've always dreamed of, a REAL one. A big real one. The baby is supposed to be 16.7 inches long and 3.75 pounds right about now (according to Babycenter). That's pretty big.
We went out with some of Nic's work buddies on Saturday for some pub golf (I didn't participate obviously) and everyone seemed to have a different opinion about the baby. I think more people thought it would be a boy than a girl, but we'll see. One of the guys said that he was really good at guessing when babies would be born and he thought I'd have it around Christmas. You know, I've always been fairly sure that I'd carry full term (not sure why...) but this whole having the baby early way of thinking has me a little concerned. What if I DO have the baby early? Two days after Christmas I'll be 37 weeks, which is considered to be full term. That's when the baby's lungs should be fully developed and it begins to really focus just on gaining weight etc. I would be ok with that I guess, although I'd prefer to have the baby stay the full 40 weeks, just for good measure. So, then I began to think about how soon that is... I'll be 37 weeks in just 4 1/2 more weeks! My baby's lungs will be ready in 4 1/2 weeks. How crazy is that?! This whole pregnancy has flown by. Sometimes it seemed like it would never be over, but looking back, holy cow, it's been a super fast 8 months. I only have 7 1/2 weeks until my due date! Wow!
I feel ready to have this baby. The only thing that has me unsettled is that my house isn't as clean as I'd like it to be. I do pick up, I do the laundry and the dishes, etc... but it just doesn't feel CLEAN like my Mom's house does. I know this has to do with my disliking of dusting (I'll admit, I don't do it as often as I should) or the fact that my floors are lint/dirt magnates. That, and it feels cluttered to me. We have a lot of stuff... and I keep looking around thinking about how in 6 or 7 months we're going to have our hands full trying to keep the baby out of everything! That leads me to my next thought... as much as I love wood flooring, I don't think it's the most baby friendly flooring in the world. It makes me miss our old house, simply because it had nice new squishy carpet.
To be honest, I miss the U.S. in general. I've been really homesick lately. I'm not sure if it's just because the option of flying home is now out of the question (I'm too far along according to the airlines) or if it's my huge desire to be closer to friends and family or what... but I do miss home. I know Nic does too. We talk about going home quite often. We ask each other what we miss the most and what we think we'll miss about living here when we do decide to go back. We have this sort of conversation probably once a week or so.
Nic is being so cute lately. He rubs my belly as he's going to sleep and has been asking loads of questions about how we are going to parent (ie: "How close do you think is too close to the TV?", "What age are you going to let our kid play Halo with us?", "Do you think we should ship over my old tricycle?", "Are you singing to the baby during the day? Make sure you diversify... I want it to know more than just Ani songs" lol...). I love it. The other day, he even offered to eat more veggies so that I wasn't the only one eating them at dinner time (for those of you who don't really know Nic that well...he only likes three vegetables really- Okra (fried), potatoes, and corn). He asks me on a daily basis whether or not I'm drinking enough water, and if I've taken my vitamins. It's rather cute and I love seeing this side of him. Oh, did I mention, he's already started in asking for parts for the mini robot that would match his? Yeah. I told him we could wait on that one! Lol.
Anyway, I'm off to take a cat nap before I do my afternoon clean up of the house!
I'm so excited about the baby though and it's getting more and more difficult to contain myself about it. A few friends have had their babies recently (that were due about the same time as me) and I can't help but think that that's what my baby looks like inside me. Then it dawns on me... HOLY cow, there's a real baby in there. Not a pretend one that I've always dreamed of, a REAL one. A big real one. The baby is supposed to be 16.7 inches long and 3.75 pounds right about now (according to Babycenter). That's pretty big.
We went out with some of Nic's work buddies on Saturday for some pub golf (I didn't participate obviously) and everyone seemed to have a different opinion about the baby. I think more people thought it would be a boy than a girl, but we'll see. One of the guys said that he was really good at guessing when babies would be born and he thought I'd have it around Christmas. You know, I've always been fairly sure that I'd carry full term (not sure why...) but this whole having the baby early way of thinking has me a little concerned. What if I DO have the baby early? Two days after Christmas I'll be 37 weeks, which is considered to be full term. That's when the baby's lungs should be fully developed and it begins to really focus just on gaining weight etc. I would be ok with that I guess, although I'd prefer to have the baby stay the full 40 weeks, just for good measure. So, then I began to think about how soon that is... I'll be 37 weeks in just 4 1/2 more weeks! My baby's lungs will be ready in 4 1/2 weeks. How crazy is that?! This whole pregnancy has flown by. Sometimes it seemed like it would never be over, but looking back, holy cow, it's been a super fast 8 months. I only have 7 1/2 weeks until my due date! Wow!
I feel ready to have this baby. The only thing that has me unsettled is that my house isn't as clean as I'd like it to be. I do pick up, I do the laundry and the dishes, etc... but it just doesn't feel CLEAN like my Mom's house does. I know this has to do with my disliking of dusting (I'll admit, I don't do it as often as I should) or the fact that my floors are lint/dirt magnates. That, and it feels cluttered to me. We have a lot of stuff... and I keep looking around thinking about how in 6 or 7 months we're going to have our hands full trying to keep the baby out of everything! That leads me to my next thought... as much as I love wood flooring, I don't think it's the most baby friendly flooring in the world. It makes me miss our old house, simply because it had nice new squishy carpet.
To be honest, I miss the U.S. in general. I've been really homesick lately. I'm not sure if it's just because the option of flying home is now out of the question (I'm too far along according to the airlines) or if it's my huge desire to be closer to friends and family or what... but I do miss home. I know Nic does too. We talk about going home quite often. We ask each other what we miss the most and what we think we'll miss about living here when we do decide to go back. We have this sort of conversation probably once a week or so.
Nic is being so cute lately. He rubs my belly as he's going to sleep and has been asking loads of questions about how we are going to parent (ie: "How close do you think is too close to the TV?", "What age are you going to let our kid play Halo with us?", "Do you think we should ship over my old tricycle?", "Are you singing to the baby during the day? Make sure you diversify... I want it to know more than just Ani songs" lol...). I love it. The other day, he even offered to eat more veggies so that I wasn't the only one eating them at dinner time (for those of you who don't really know Nic that well...he only likes three vegetables really- Okra (fried), potatoes, and corn). He asks me on a daily basis whether or not I'm drinking enough water, and if I've taken my vitamins. It's rather cute and I love seeing this side of him. Oh, did I mention, he's already started in asking for parts for the mini robot that would match his? Yeah. I told him we could wait on that one! Lol.
Anyway, I'm off to take a cat nap before I do my afternoon clean up of the house!
Friday, 6 November 2009
Gestational Diabetes
I thought I'd update you all on my recent trip to the maternity hospital for my second glucose screening.
I left the house (starving!) at 7:40 for my 8:35 appointment hoping that I had left myself enough time to get there (it's about a ten minute drive without traffic) and then started to worry a bit when I went all of a mile in half an hour. I did manage to get there on time, but only just. The ladies there were absolutely wonderful and the lady that took all my blood samples was a superstar. You can't even see any holes or anything so I don't look like a pregnant crackhead (like the other time I had my blood taken by the midwife in training... that was bad!). They offered to let me watch tv, which I refused because I had brought my new book with me. The whole test went rather well... they even let me have the lemon lime stuff instead of the horrible orange that everyone kept warning me about. It didn't exactly taste good by any means (think two packages of kool-aid with enough water to make half of one package) but it wasn't THAT bad. I will say I'm glad it wasn't the orange kind, but that's a personal preference, as I don't usually like orange flavored stuff. Anyway- the end of the test was the best part! They brought me decaf tea and two slices of toast! They said they didn't want me to get light headed or anything on my way home... how sweet is that?! I was very grateful, as by that time it was 11:30 and I was really really hungry.
They told me that they would call me if my scores were high again (meaning I had GD), otherwise I'd get a letter in the mail with my scores... so no news is good news.
Well, I got a phone call today... but I DON'T have Gestational Diabetes. They had forgotten about the Royal Mail strike/problems going on right now and didn't want me to worry about my scores so they thought they'd call as well as send my letter. My scores were absolutely perfect, exactly in the middle of the range they prefer. I'm so happy! Seeing the number on my phone scared me quite a bit, I assumed she'd be telling me I did have it after all and it wasn't just the orange juice... so I was pleasantly surprised when she said she had good news!
Hooray!
I left the house (starving!) at 7:40 for my 8:35 appointment hoping that I had left myself enough time to get there (it's about a ten minute drive without traffic) and then started to worry a bit when I went all of a mile in half an hour. I did manage to get there on time, but only just. The ladies there were absolutely wonderful and the lady that took all my blood samples was a superstar. You can't even see any holes or anything so I don't look like a pregnant crackhead (like the other time I had my blood taken by the midwife in training... that was bad!). They offered to let me watch tv, which I refused because I had brought my new book with me. The whole test went rather well... they even let me have the lemon lime stuff instead of the horrible orange that everyone kept warning me about. It didn't exactly taste good by any means (think two packages of kool-aid with enough water to make half of one package) but it wasn't THAT bad. I will say I'm glad it wasn't the orange kind, but that's a personal preference, as I don't usually like orange flavored stuff. Anyway- the end of the test was the best part! They brought me decaf tea and two slices of toast! They said they didn't want me to get light headed or anything on my way home... how sweet is that?! I was very grateful, as by that time it was 11:30 and I was really really hungry.
They told me that they would call me if my scores were high again (meaning I had GD), otherwise I'd get a letter in the mail with my scores... so no news is good news.
Well, I got a phone call today... but I DON'T have Gestational Diabetes. They had forgotten about the Royal Mail strike/problems going on right now and didn't want me to worry about my scores so they thought they'd call as well as send my letter. My scores were absolutely perfect, exactly in the middle of the range they prefer. I'm so happy! Seeing the number on my phone scared me quite a bit, I assumed she'd be telling me I did have it after all and it wasn't just the orange juice... so I was pleasantly surprised when she said she had good news!
Hooray!
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Busy Body
Well... Life has officially started to become busier here in the Alvarado household. It's amazing how much stuff we are trying to pack in to such a short amount of time. Somehow, I think we'll make it work and get everything done. I've been proud of myself this week, I've managed to keep afloat regardless of all the stuff that's been happening. We've had quite a bit of emotional turmoil this past couple of weeks (not Nic and I, just other stuff that I don't think is blog material) and somehow we've managed to keep the house picked up, get the septic tank emptied, go to the midwife, and spend some quality time together. I'm proud of the teamwork that my hubby and I have going on... I'm proud of us in general. I have to take a second and be a sappy pregnant woman- I adore my husband. Even though he's super messy and has the attention span of a 5 year old most of the time, he makes me incredibly happy. He knows just the right things to say most of the time and can make me laugh when I feel like my world is falling apart. He is my absolute favorite person and I am so thankful to share every day with him. I swoon. Ok, enough of that.
My midwife appointment went rather well last week. I am measuring a week ahead (I was measuring 29 weeks at 28) but that's normal, or so I'm told. Maureen (my midwife) said that anything within a two week period is normal, as babies have growth spurts and most of the time it will even out. Even if the baby is a week ahead, that's perfectly fine, as I'd rather be ahead of the game as far as development is concerned than behind. The heartbeat sounded good as well. However... my blood results came back and my sugar was a little high (normal is a 7, mine was a 7.8- Not THAT bad...). Anything above normal requires extra testing, which means I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow for a three hour glucose test to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. I'm pretty sure I don't and that the spike in my blood sugars from last week was due to the fact that I had forgotten to pee in my little cup before the appointment (I had already gone twice that morning!) so I panicked and downed 16 oz of orange juice before I left for the appointment hoping that it would help me find the urge to go (nope... I did REALLY need to go afterwards though lol). Orange juice has a lot of sugar in it and I know my body didn't have time to break down the sugars before she drew my blood. At least that's what I'm hoping.
I'm not really looking forward to the test though... it requires me to spend 3 hours in the hospital without food. In fact, I have to fast from midnight tonight and won't get anything to eat until nearly noon tomorrow... that doesn't bode well for me since the longest I could hold out today without feeling famished was 9:30 this morning. I've bought myself a Jodi Piccoult book to pass the time quickly hopefully, and will be bringing my ipod and sudoku book as well. I'm hungry just thinking about the test though. Oh, did I mention- I also have to drink this super sugar drink while I'm there? I've heard horror stories about that drink and was happy thinking that I was going to get to avoid it last week. Oh well. At least I don't have a phobia or disliking of needles necessarily, so the 4 vials of blood they'll draw won't be a problem. Nic isn't going with me this time... I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to sit for 3 hours if I didn't have to and his slight phobia of needles would make the whole process really uncomfy for him I'm sure. He stands on the opposite side of the room when I get my blood drawn for the midwife appointments (and she only takes one or two!).
Anyways... we start going to our labor classes next week. I'm kind of excited about them but at the same time, I wish we could get them all over with at once instead of in installments... it seems like a waste of time sort of to have them spread out like that.
Here's our tentative schedule for the upcoming classes/events:
~Nov 7th- My sister's birthday! (Happy Birthday Raime!)
~Nov 10th- Coping with Labor class
~Nov 14th- Nic's sister's birthday! (Happy Birthday Karin!) and Laura's Virgin Vie ( like Mary Kay) party
~Nov 17th- Midwife Appointment and then Coping with Labor (part 2) class
~Nov 20th- Aberdeen Scoobies Quiz Night (my event!)
~Nov 21st- Fugro Pub Golf Night
~Nov 29th- My birthday!
~Dec 1st- Preparing for Labor class
~Dec 8th- Midwife Appointment
~Dec 11th- Breastfeeding class
~Dec 17th- Coping Strategies for Labor
~Dec 22nd- Midwife Appointment
~Dec 25th- Christmas! Nic's mom's birthday! (Happy birthday Cris!)
~Jan 1st- New Years!
~Jan 5th- Midwife Appointment
~Jan 8th- Our 5th Wedding Anniversary (I love you honey!)
~Jan 17th- Our Baby is DUE!!!
~Jan 26th- Nic's birthday! (Happy birthday honey!)
Between now and Nic's birthday, there is a lot going on... but there is also a lot of little things to do to get ready for the baby! I still need to get my Mom's flights sorted out, get a few last minute things for the baby (like a changing table that fits on top of the crib for example), finish planning the rest of the quiz night, do some stuff for Deeptrek, get Nic's diving certification sorted, as well as some other odds and ends. It's going to be a busy time but I'm so very excited for the outcome!
I can't wait to hold our baby!
My midwife appointment went rather well last week. I am measuring a week ahead (I was measuring 29 weeks at 28) but that's normal, or so I'm told. Maureen (my midwife) said that anything within a two week period is normal, as babies have growth spurts and most of the time it will even out. Even if the baby is a week ahead, that's perfectly fine, as I'd rather be ahead of the game as far as development is concerned than behind. The heartbeat sounded good as well. However... my blood results came back and my sugar was a little high (normal is a 7, mine was a 7.8- Not THAT bad...). Anything above normal requires extra testing, which means I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow for a three hour glucose test to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. I'm pretty sure I don't and that the spike in my blood sugars from last week was due to the fact that I had forgotten to pee in my little cup before the appointment (I had already gone twice that morning!) so I panicked and downed 16 oz of orange juice before I left for the appointment hoping that it would help me find the urge to go (nope... I did REALLY need to go afterwards though lol). Orange juice has a lot of sugar in it and I know my body didn't have time to break down the sugars before she drew my blood. At least that's what I'm hoping.
I'm not really looking forward to the test though... it requires me to spend 3 hours in the hospital without food. In fact, I have to fast from midnight tonight and won't get anything to eat until nearly noon tomorrow... that doesn't bode well for me since the longest I could hold out today without feeling famished was 9:30 this morning. I've bought myself a Jodi Piccoult book to pass the time quickly hopefully, and will be bringing my ipod and sudoku book as well. I'm hungry just thinking about the test though. Oh, did I mention- I also have to drink this super sugar drink while I'm there? I've heard horror stories about that drink and was happy thinking that I was going to get to avoid it last week. Oh well. At least I don't have a phobia or disliking of needles necessarily, so the 4 vials of blood they'll draw won't be a problem. Nic isn't going with me this time... I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to sit for 3 hours if I didn't have to and his slight phobia of needles would make the whole process really uncomfy for him I'm sure. He stands on the opposite side of the room when I get my blood drawn for the midwife appointments (and she only takes one or two!).
Anyways... we start going to our labor classes next week. I'm kind of excited about them but at the same time, I wish we could get them all over with at once instead of in installments... it seems like a waste of time sort of to have them spread out like that.
Here's our tentative schedule for the upcoming classes/events:
~Nov 7th- My sister's birthday! (Happy Birthday Raime!)
~Nov 10th- Coping with Labor class
~Nov 14th- Nic's sister's birthday! (Happy Birthday Karin!) and Laura's Virgin Vie ( like Mary Kay) party
~Nov 17th- Midwife Appointment and then Coping with Labor (part 2) class
~Nov 20th- Aberdeen Scoobies Quiz Night (my event!)
~Nov 21st- Fugro Pub Golf Night
~Nov 29th- My birthday!
~Dec 1st- Preparing for Labor class
~Dec 8th- Midwife Appointment
~Dec 11th- Breastfeeding class
~Dec 17th- Coping Strategies for Labor
~Dec 22nd- Midwife Appointment
~Dec 25th- Christmas! Nic's mom's birthday! (Happy birthday Cris!)
~Jan 1st- New Years!
~Jan 5th- Midwife Appointment
~Jan 8th- Our 5th Wedding Anniversary (I love you honey!)
~Jan 17th- Our Baby is DUE!!!
~Jan 26th- Nic's birthday! (Happy birthday honey!)
Between now and Nic's birthday, there is a lot going on... but there is also a lot of little things to do to get ready for the baby! I still need to get my Mom's flights sorted out, get a few last minute things for the baby (like a changing table that fits on top of the crib for example), finish planning the rest of the quiz night, do some stuff for Deeptrek, get Nic's diving certification sorted, as well as some other odds and ends. It's going to be a busy time but I'm so very excited for the outcome!
I can't wait to hold our baby!
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Oh Christmas Tree...
Why do I have a Christmas carol stuck in my head? Why do I keep dreaming about Christmas time and decorations? Why am I panicking about the possible Royal Mail strike (and therefore the possible delay of my Christmas cards arrival to their final destinations)? What is my obsession with Christmas this year?!
Is it perhaps that we aren't really planning on celebrating as usual this year? Who knows. All I know is that on Christmas day, I will be nearly 37 weeks pregnant and probably in no mood to decorate anything unless it is my baby's nursery. Nic and I had decided that we would forgo the hubbub this year to save money, time and effort since it will be just he and I here anyway. That seems sensible. However... I still have a little guilt that we won't even have a tree or anything up. I have a little Scottish Santa that resides on my fireplace (yes... year round. He's cute.) but that will be about it as far as decorations go. I am quite aware that it won't really feel like Christmas. Especially without all the usual yummy Christmas foods. I'm not sure what we'll have that day, but I doubt it will be the feast that everyone thinks of. Will I even want to eat a big meal then? I barely have room for food now, I can't imagine how squished my stomach will be in 9 more weeks (Holy cow! Is it really that soon?!).
I'm thinking, maybe Nick and I should do something that will focus on us this year, since this is our last Christmas as just us. I just don't know what that may entail. On top of that... I need to think of something for our 5th Wedding Anniversary (the 8th of January). I will be 38 1/2 weeks then... oh how fun. I don't see us doing anything wild and crazy, that's for sure. The traditional gift for the 5th anniversary is wood. I wonder if the crib counts. LOL.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to get in the festive spirit when you are really pregnant? I'm all out of ideas.
Is it perhaps that we aren't really planning on celebrating as usual this year? Who knows. All I know is that on Christmas day, I will be nearly 37 weeks pregnant and probably in no mood to decorate anything unless it is my baby's nursery. Nic and I had decided that we would forgo the hubbub this year to save money, time and effort since it will be just he and I here anyway. That seems sensible. However... I still have a little guilt that we won't even have a tree or anything up. I have a little Scottish Santa that resides on my fireplace (yes... year round. He's cute.) but that will be about it as far as decorations go. I am quite aware that it won't really feel like Christmas. Especially without all the usual yummy Christmas foods. I'm not sure what we'll have that day, but I doubt it will be the feast that everyone thinks of. Will I even want to eat a big meal then? I barely have room for food now, I can't imagine how squished my stomach will be in 9 more weeks (Holy cow! Is it really that soon?!).
I'm thinking, maybe Nick and I should do something that will focus on us this year, since this is our last Christmas as just us. I just don't know what that may entail. On top of that... I need to think of something for our 5th Wedding Anniversary (the 8th of January). I will be 38 1/2 weeks then... oh how fun. I don't see us doing anything wild and crazy, that's for sure. The traditional gift for the 5th anniversary is wood. I wonder if the crib counts. LOL.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to get in the festive spirit when you are really pregnant? I'm all out of ideas.
Friday, 16 October 2009
What's in a Name?
I'm a planner. I've always been a planner. I'm pretty sure that I'll always be a planner. Because of this, Nic and I picked out names for our kids (one boy name and one girl name) YEARS ago. I mean, we had them picked out when we were engaged to be married. Some people think this is a little odd, but it's always been a little comforting for me. We've been happy with our choices, and still are, and didn't really question the fact that we would name our child one of our pre-chosen names.
Until now.
The only name that is up for debate is the name we had picked out for a girl. What is strange I guess is that neither of us are unhappy with the original choice. In fact, if our baby is a girl and the next child we have is also a girl, we are planning on using both of the names we have selected. The dilemma I guess, is which name to use first. We've kind of decided to wait until the delivery day, and IF it is a girl, see which name seems to suit her more.
I'm still getting used to the idea of not fully having everything planned out... as there are a lot of things still unknown in the birth of our child. I have a birth plan (of course...) to have the baby naturally and I am really hoping for a water birth. However, there is only one pool available and if some other lucky Momma is in it, it's not an option for me. So, the question is... what happens then? I still plan on having the baby naturally but I do have to admit, it does make me a little anxious since the water is supposed to be my pain reliever of sorts. I'm sure it'll be fine either way, billions of women have done it before me and will do it after me.
Then there's the plan of when the grandparents will get here... Cris and Tony are thinking about coming from the 20th to the 30th and I think Mom is going to be here from the 10th to the 31st. My only concern I guess is that what if the baby is earlier than that? While it would be nice to have some alone time with just our little family, I really want my Momma to be here to help out, I know we'll probably need it!
Today I was looking through one of the pregnancy boards that I read and some of the ladies were posting pictures of what outfits they had picked out for their babies to wear home from the hospital. I have no clue what our baby will be wearing yet. It's not because I don't want to pick something out, or haven't thought about it... it's simply that I don't know which color the outfit should be. I'm happy about the surprise, don't get me wrong... I really think that will help me out in the end (especially if someone is in my pool!) and am really looking forward to hearing my husband announce what the sex of the baby is. However, the planner inside me is screaming bloody murder because I can't plan what outfit our child will be wearing home. YES, the baby could wear something that it has in its closet (the baby already has a healthy selection of clothes), but it won't be sex specific and I'm not sure if that's ok (the planner inside me says no).
Another thing is the art in the baby's room. I plan on putting our baby's name on the wall above the crib (or at least their initials), but I can't do that until afterwards. We don't even know which name we are using, how would we know what letters to put up?! Can you tell I'm a little anxious for the arrival of our little one? I just can't wait to see who is in there, and what they look like, and be able to share that with the ones I love. I'm so excited about this child, and I am just becoming a little impatient.
On the opposite side of the table... I would like my baby to stay inside for as long as it needs to. I want to ensure that everything possible is done to make sure we have a happy healthy little one and that it is "fully cooked". I'm pleased to say that our baby is viable now, and that if I were to go into labor it would most likely survive (it's something like 90% viability at 27 weeks), but I wouldn't want my baby to have to struggle to breathe or have to stay in the NICU for any period of time. I'm really hoping to walk out of the hospital the same day with my baby. Actually, if all goes as planned (meaning, I have the baby naturally, without drugs and any problems) we'll hopefully leave the hospital a mere 3-4 hours afterward. I would LOVE that! I think we'll be much more comfortable at home and that I'd be able to rest easier that way.
Ok. I'm off to take a quick nap before I head off to the grocery store. We are going to dinner tonight with Bob and Roger, as well as a couple VP's of a company that we are hoping to get some equipment from. Tomorrow we are all heading to the west coast of Scotland to do a little survey work and then we'll hopefully be back tomorrow night... if not, Sunday.
Until now.
The only name that is up for debate is the name we had picked out for a girl. What is strange I guess is that neither of us are unhappy with the original choice. In fact, if our baby is a girl and the next child we have is also a girl, we are planning on using both of the names we have selected. The dilemma I guess, is which name to use first. We've kind of decided to wait until the delivery day, and IF it is a girl, see which name seems to suit her more.
I'm still getting used to the idea of not fully having everything planned out... as there are a lot of things still unknown in the birth of our child. I have a birth plan (of course...) to have the baby naturally and I am really hoping for a water birth. However, there is only one pool available and if some other lucky Momma is in it, it's not an option for me. So, the question is... what happens then? I still plan on having the baby naturally but I do have to admit, it does make me a little anxious since the water is supposed to be my pain reliever of sorts. I'm sure it'll be fine either way, billions of women have done it before me and will do it after me.
Then there's the plan of when the grandparents will get here... Cris and Tony are thinking about coming from the 20th to the 30th and I think Mom is going to be here from the 10th to the 31st. My only concern I guess is that what if the baby is earlier than that? While it would be nice to have some alone time with just our little family, I really want my Momma to be here to help out, I know we'll probably need it!
Today I was looking through one of the pregnancy boards that I read and some of the ladies were posting pictures of what outfits they had picked out for their babies to wear home from the hospital. I have no clue what our baby will be wearing yet. It's not because I don't want to pick something out, or haven't thought about it... it's simply that I don't know which color the outfit should be. I'm happy about the surprise, don't get me wrong... I really think that will help me out in the end (especially if someone is in my pool!) and am really looking forward to hearing my husband announce what the sex of the baby is. However, the planner inside me is screaming bloody murder because I can't plan what outfit our child will be wearing home. YES, the baby could wear something that it has in its closet (the baby already has a healthy selection of clothes), but it won't be sex specific and I'm not sure if that's ok (the planner inside me says no).
Another thing is the art in the baby's room. I plan on putting our baby's name on the wall above the crib (or at least their initials), but I can't do that until afterwards. We don't even know which name we are using, how would we know what letters to put up?! Can you tell I'm a little anxious for the arrival of our little one? I just can't wait to see who is in there, and what they look like, and be able to share that with the ones I love. I'm so excited about this child, and I am just becoming a little impatient.
On the opposite side of the table... I would like my baby to stay inside for as long as it needs to. I want to ensure that everything possible is done to make sure we have a happy healthy little one and that it is "fully cooked". I'm pleased to say that our baby is viable now, and that if I were to go into labor it would most likely survive (it's something like 90% viability at 27 weeks), but I wouldn't want my baby to have to struggle to breathe or have to stay in the NICU for any period of time. I'm really hoping to walk out of the hospital the same day with my baby. Actually, if all goes as planned (meaning, I have the baby naturally, without drugs and any problems) we'll hopefully leave the hospital a mere 3-4 hours afterward. I would LOVE that! I think we'll be much more comfortable at home and that I'd be able to rest easier that way.
Ok. I'm off to take a quick nap before I head off to the grocery store. We are going to dinner tonight with Bob and Roger, as well as a couple VP's of a company that we are hoping to get some equipment from. Tomorrow we are all heading to the west coast of Scotland to do a little survey work and then we'll hopefully be back tomorrow night... if not, Sunday.
Monday, 12 October 2009
Cribs, Bedding and Bellies... Oh my!
Here's a picture of our baby's crib for your viewing pleasure. I love it and can't wait to see our little one in it! I love the height, simply because you don't need to drop the side down to get the baby in/out easily which definitely helps when they are sound asleep. This picture was taken before we moved some furniture around, so ignore the chairs and such around it :)
And here is a picture of the bedding set that we are getting... it's being shipped to my Mom's house, so it'll be a little while (like right before the baby comes) before it gets here. It comes with the three wall hangings, the curtains, the mobile, blanket, crib sheets, diaper holder and dust ruffle. I am going to add some teal colored accessories to the room (including the brown and teal blanket that my Momma is crocheting!). So exciting!
Wow, I'm getting big! This is me at 26 weeks... I have no idea how big I'm going to get in the next 14 weeks, but if my growth so far is any indication I'm guessing HUGE! I might just get to the point where I'm wider than I am tall...
I ordered my glider and car seat today and am super excited to get those... hopefully they'll come this week sometime! I can't wait! Once they get here, I'll take a picture of the glider/stool and the stroller/car seat. I am really starting to feel prepared and can't wait for the baby to get here (at the full 40 weeks of course).
Oh- also, I've added a list of the blogs I read on a regular basis (except the ones that are set to private and the ones that I only check occasionally). Check them out if you'd like and/or are bored. They keep me entertained to say the least.
And here is a picture of the bedding set that we are getting... it's being shipped to my Mom's house, so it'll be a little while (like right before the baby comes) before it gets here. It comes with the three wall hangings, the curtains, the mobile, blanket, crib sheets, diaper holder and dust ruffle. I am going to add some teal colored accessories to the room (including the brown and teal blanket that my Momma is crocheting!). So exciting!
Wow, I'm getting big! This is me at 26 weeks... I have no idea how big I'm going to get in the next 14 weeks, but if my growth so far is any indication I'm guessing HUGE! I might just get to the point where I'm wider than I am tall...
I ordered my glider and car seat today and am super excited to get those... hopefully they'll come this week sometime! I can't wait! Once they get here, I'll take a picture of the glider/stool and the stroller/car seat. I am really starting to feel prepared and can't wait for the baby to get here (at the full 40 weeks of course).
Oh- also, I've added a list of the blogs I read on a regular basis (except the ones that are set to private and the ones that I only check occasionally). Check them out if you'd like and/or are bored. They keep me entertained to say the least.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Num Num Num!
I'm an eating machine lately. I want to eat EVERYTHING (except cow of course... I haven't quite lost my disliking for red meat). I especially want to eat apples, cheese and crackers. Together. MMM.... so good. To be honest, I just finished off a plate of that exact thing. Two apples, 10 cheese slices, and 10 crackers later I'm one happy camper.
This, however, has lead me to gain a little weight... so now my weight gain for the pregnancy is up to 12 pounds so far (I'm at week 24)... so while I'm not doing too bad I do need to curb it a bit I think. This concern only comes from the fact that I only had gained a whopping 3 pounds or so up until a month ago. Yes. I have gained 9-10 pounds in the last month. No, I don't plan to continue at that rate. At least I hope not. The baby, however, would like me to gain 10 pounds a week I think. Baby bug is a hungry hungry hippo that wants me to eat ALL THE TIME... but in semi-small quantities. If I eat too much I do get massive objections from my little karate star in there. Usually this means I'm being kicked repetitively in the bladder, or punched in the stomach... whichever it prefers that day.
I'm more and more entertained by this little person growing inside me... I think he/she has got quite the sense of humor already and I'm starting to love its little personality. The baby will play games with me now, as in- when I poke my belly it will kick back. It isn't afraid to show when it is displeased with something (like the fact that I'm trying to bend over and inadvertently squishing it or when the midwife is poking it with the fetal doppler to find its heartbeat) by kicking the crap out of whatever is pushing on it. The baby also likes to play a game where whenever someone else tries to feel it move (like Daddy for example), it will immediately stop moving until they move their hand away. This game that the baby plays is a little frustrating, but at the same time kind of funny. It's like the baby is listening in to our conversations and can hear when I say "ooh, I think you'll be able to feel it... put your hand here". It's like a game of freeze tag. The other day I was giving it love pats (a tradition in my family... we're rockers and patters) and every time I'd stop the baby would kick like crazy until I started again... then would be still until I stopped again. It was too cute.
I can't wait to meet our little baby and really get to know him or her. I'm so excited!
This, however, has lead me to gain a little weight... so now my weight gain for the pregnancy is up to 12 pounds so far (I'm at week 24)... so while I'm not doing too bad I do need to curb it a bit I think. This concern only comes from the fact that I only had gained a whopping 3 pounds or so up until a month ago. Yes. I have gained 9-10 pounds in the last month. No, I don't plan to continue at that rate. At least I hope not. The baby, however, would like me to gain 10 pounds a week I think. Baby bug is a hungry hungry hippo that wants me to eat ALL THE TIME... but in semi-small quantities. If I eat too much I do get massive objections from my little karate star in there. Usually this means I'm being kicked repetitively in the bladder, or punched in the stomach... whichever it prefers that day.
I'm more and more entertained by this little person growing inside me... I think he/she has got quite the sense of humor already and I'm starting to love its little personality. The baby will play games with me now, as in- when I poke my belly it will kick back. It isn't afraid to show when it is displeased with something (like the fact that I'm trying to bend over and inadvertently squishing it or when the midwife is poking it with the fetal doppler to find its heartbeat) by kicking the crap out of whatever is pushing on it. The baby also likes to play a game where whenever someone else tries to feel it move (like Daddy for example), it will immediately stop moving until they move their hand away. This game that the baby plays is a little frustrating, but at the same time kind of funny. It's like the baby is listening in to our conversations and can hear when I say "ooh, I think you'll be able to feel it... put your hand here". It's like a game of freeze tag. The other day I was giving it love pats (a tradition in my family... we're rockers and patters) and every time I'd stop the baby would kick like crazy until I started again... then would be still until I stopped again. It was too cute.
I can't wait to meet our little baby and really get to know him or her. I'm so excited!
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Windblown and Sunburnt...
We're in Wales again finally... we got here last Friday after spending Thursday night in Liverpool at Jay's Mom's house. We got unpacked and settled in somewhat and were looking forward to getting starting on getting some serious work done. Then Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday it was a weather nightmare. The rain was heavy then light, but always around and the wind was at hurricane force. It was to the point where you had to walk at a 15 degree angle to get anywhere you wanted to go or else risk being picked up or blown over by the wind. Ridiculous. Thankfully the weather lightened up and was STUNNING yesterday... it was perfect. The sun was shining the whole day and the wind was just a breeze now and then. Some of the guys actually got to go out yesterday and get some diving time in (Bob, Jay and Warwick) and somehow Bob managed to use up 4 tanks! Nic and I spent the day working on one of the other RIBs but got so much done it's not even funny. We installed the other camera/light, made a removable table for the comms box, Nic re-wired the umbilical and I re-wrapped it, we got storage for the unorganized gear room, and tied up a few more odds and ends. I ended up a bit red, I think from the sun yesterday but it could be a bit from the wind the past few days as well.... who knows. We were proud of our productivity considering the day before we had worked all day and hadn't gone to bed until 1:30. Poor Nic was exhausted since he has to get up at 4:30 every morning to go with Bob to check the swells on the site to see if it is ok to dive that day. We've been going non-stop since we got here, despite the weather. Actually, I think we are actually busier when we have bad weather since we are trying to get everything done and then make up for lost time when we actually can get in the water.
I'm a little bummed that I'm not going on the boat this trip. I'm used to being out there with the guys and it's really strange to not be able to suit up and get out there. The water is just too rough though and I don't think it's worth the risk to the baby to be out there. Hey... next trip is either the Bahamas or the Keys in our new yacht though, so I'm pleased enough knowing that is one trip I won't have to miss :) Things are happening and I'm so excited about them. I can't post anything here, because nothing is finalized and we still need to secure some stuff first... but I can't wait!
The baby has been kicking up a storm lately (more so than usual) and I love it! I look at the new ultrasound pictures every night and can't help but fall more and more in love with our sweet baby. I can't wait to see what the next 18 1/2 weeks brings and meet the baby!
OH! I just realized I haven't written about the ultrasound yet! Sorry! We went to the ultrasound on Thursday morning, right before we left for the trip. We got to spend about half an hour watching the baby yawn, stretch, and do somersaults. It was really clear and we could see all the little details (except the sex which we were glad of!) like the eyes (you'll see in the picture...), all ten fingers and toes, the organs, it's skull and spine, and just how freaking cute its little profile is. Everything looks great and is right on target which was fantastic news. It's so comforting to see that! We got a really good look at the baby's heart, which was pumping so rhythmically and efficiently... we even got to see the way the blood flowed through it (it would color incoming blood blue and outgoing blood red... so we got to see how its heart actually was working- AMAZING!). It is absolutely indescribable the feeling that you get watching your baby like that.
Anyway... Here's the pictures from the ultrasound so that you can see for yourself.
This one shows the baby as it does a somersault. You can see the spine really well and the head on the right. You can also see a leg on the left.
Here's our sweet baby. I love this one, it is a great view of the baby's profile. So adorable!
This is actually both of the baby's feet. You can see the heel of one on the left and then the sole of the other one on the right. The baby had its legs crossed most of the time... just relaxing and trying to take a nap.
Here is a blurry picture of the baby's profile. It was laying perfectly still until the tech tried to take this picture and then it moved a bit, so it's a little smeared. You can see an ear and part of it's face (the smudge makes it look like a monkey!). You can also see the little arm and hand in this one, it's rubbing it's neck or something...
Here's the last one... but one of my favorites. The baby is looking straight at the camera and you can see it's eyes and skull shape, as well as both of the hands and it's belly. So amazing. This is right before the baby let out a HUGE yawn and tried to push against the walls to get some more room. I'm SO in love!
I'm a little bummed that I'm not going on the boat this trip. I'm used to being out there with the guys and it's really strange to not be able to suit up and get out there. The water is just too rough though and I don't think it's worth the risk to the baby to be out there. Hey... next trip is either the Bahamas or the Keys in our new yacht though, so I'm pleased enough knowing that is one trip I won't have to miss :) Things are happening and I'm so excited about them. I can't post anything here, because nothing is finalized and we still need to secure some stuff first... but I can't wait!
The baby has been kicking up a storm lately (more so than usual) and I love it! I look at the new ultrasound pictures every night and can't help but fall more and more in love with our sweet baby. I can't wait to see what the next 18 1/2 weeks brings and meet the baby!
OH! I just realized I haven't written about the ultrasound yet! Sorry! We went to the ultrasound on Thursday morning, right before we left for the trip. We got to spend about half an hour watching the baby yawn, stretch, and do somersaults. It was really clear and we could see all the little details (except the sex which we were glad of!) like the eyes (you'll see in the picture...), all ten fingers and toes, the organs, it's skull and spine, and just how freaking cute its little profile is. Everything looks great and is right on target which was fantastic news. It's so comforting to see that! We got a really good look at the baby's heart, which was pumping so rhythmically and efficiently... we even got to see the way the blood flowed through it (it would color incoming blood blue and outgoing blood red... so we got to see how its heart actually was working- AMAZING!). It is absolutely indescribable the feeling that you get watching your baby like that.
Anyway... Here's the pictures from the ultrasound so that you can see for yourself.
This one shows the baby as it does a somersault. You can see the spine really well and the head on the right. You can also see a leg on the left.
Here's our sweet baby. I love this one, it is a great view of the baby's profile. So adorable!
This is actually both of the baby's feet. You can see the heel of one on the left and then the sole of the other one on the right. The baby had its legs crossed most of the time... just relaxing and trying to take a nap.
Here is a blurry picture of the baby's profile. It was laying perfectly still until the tech tried to take this picture and then it moved a bit, so it's a little smeared. You can see an ear and part of it's face (the smudge makes it look like a monkey!). You can also see the little arm and hand in this one, it's rubbing it's neck or something...
Here's the last one... but one of my favorites. The baby is looking straight at the camera and you can see it's eyes and skull shape, as well as both of the hands and it's belly. So amazing. This is right before the baby let out a HUGE yawn and tried to push against the walls to get some more room. I'm SO in love!
Monday, 31 August 2009
Meh...
I have a lot to do this week but am seriously lacking the motivation to do any of it.
Here's my to do list so far:
1. Clean the house! - We are going to be in Wales for a while and would hate for the house to be dirty when we get back... that and the landlord has a habit of doing inspections when we are on holiday. I need to do a quick clean of the kitchen (I did most of it this weekend), thoroughly clean the living room/dining room, pick up the study, vacuum the carpets all over, put the clean clothes away in our bedroom, and clean the bathrooms (I did the toilets this weekend, but the rest still need done). Whew.
2. Mow the yard. This would be easier if it wasn't raining this week. I've been ready to do this a few times and then couldn't because it was too wet.
3. Pack for the trip- I need to get Nic and I packed for however long we'll be there. We need both cold and warm clothes, swimming gear (which I have NONE for me that fits now), our dry suits, all of the Deeptrek gear that we have at the house, and all my preggo stuff (like prenatals, pillows, blanket making stuff, etc).
4. Finish up doing the laundry- This won't be hard... I have one load to go and then I'm caught up completely, including the sheets and blankets in the house.
5. Get insurance for the cars and the hilux... this is proving to be really difficult actually for some reason. I've been working on this all week and have got nowhere. It's really frustrating.
6. Finish fixing the Hilux and RIB- The parts for the RIB still haven't come in yet, so that we are just waiting on... but it needs to be done before Thursday. The Hilux is currently in the shop getting repaired, but we'll see if it gets done in time.
7. Go to dinner/movie with Nic, Bob, Jacqui, Mike, Jenny, Stavros and Fiona- this doesn't really need any preparation, it just takes one night of time (Tuesday).
I'm sure there is other stuff I'm forgetting, but that's all I can think of at the moment. Let's see... it's 2:30 on Monday and we leave (hopefully) at like lunchtime on Thursday (after the ultrasound!). So I have a little less than 3 days to get it all done.
Here's hoping I find the motivation needed to get my booty in gear.
I figured I'd throw in a picture as well for those of you who aren't on Facebook so you can see the bump (although Papa thinks I'm past the "bump" phase and onto the "mound" since I'm big... lol).
Here's my to do list so far:
1. Clean the house! - We are going to be in Wales for a while and would hate for the house to be dirty when we get back... that and the landlord has a habit of doing inspections when we are on holiday. I need to do a quick clean of the kitchen (I did most of it this weekend), thoroughly clean the living room/dining room, pick up the study, vacuum the carpets all over, put the clean clothes away in our bedroom, and clean the bathrooms (I did the toilets this weekend, but the rest still need done). Whew.
2. Mow the yard. This would be easier if it wasn't raining this week. I've been ready to do this a few times and then couldn't because it was too wet.
3. Pack for the trip- I need to get Nic and I packed for however long we'll be there. We need both cold and warm clothes, swimming gear (which I have NONE for me that fits now), our dry suits, all of the Deeptrek gear that we have at the house, and all my preggo stuff (like prenatals, pillows, blanket making stuff, etc).
4. Finish up doing the laundry- This won't be hard... I have one load to go and then I'm caught up completely, including the sheets and blankets in the house.
5. Get insurance for the cars and the hilux... this is proving to be really difficult actually for some reason. I've been working on this all week and have got nowhere. It's really frustrating.
6. Finish fixing the Hilux and RIB- The parts for the RIB still haven't come in yet, so that we are just waiting on... but it needs to be done before Thursday. The Hilux is currently in the shop getting repaired, but we'll see if it gets done in time.
7. Go to dinner/movie with Nic, Bob, Jacqui, Mike, Jenny, Stavros and Fiona- this doesn't really need any preparation, it just takes one night of time (Tuesday).
I'm sure there is other stuff I'm forgetting, but that's all I can think of at the moment. Let's see... it's 2:30 on Monday and we leave (hopefully) at like lunchtime on Thursday (after the ultrasound!). So I have a little less than 3 days to get it all done.
Here's hoping I find the motivation needed to get my booty in gear.
I figured I'd throw in a picture as well for those of you who aren't on Facebook so you can see the bump (although Papa thinks I'm past the "bump" phase and onto the "mound" since I'm big... lol).
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