Awesome

I think I brag on James fairly regularly on my blog, because he's a great guy. Definitely not perfect, but a great husband, a wonderful father, a conscientious employee, and a stubborn seeker-of-God.

One of my favorite roles of his? Grocery shopper.

With this pregnancy, he has taken on the additional burden of being our family grocery shopper. And about half the time, he takes Wendy with him, meaning I get a few hours of quiet AND a replenished kitchen. Sure, he has to call me a couple of times each trip to ask for clarification about something on the list, or if I know where in the world Kroger hides the relish, but it's totally worth it.

I'm serious - I haven't set foot in a grocery store since maybe November. I don't miss it.

In a few weeks, after David arrives & we get a bit more settled, I'll have to take over the grocery shopping again. I'm not looking forward to it, but I have been so thankful to have this time of rest.

"Sleeping" in the Third Trimester

I never used to have problems sleeping. Throughout childhood, college, vet school, you could point to me & say, "Go to sleep!" and I probably could, right there on the spot. After vet school, when I started struggling with depression & anxiety, I had trouble staying asleep during the night.

But it's been nothing like this third trimester of pregnancy.

Here's last night as an example:

• 10 p.m. - about to get ready for bed, but legs are very twitchy due to pregnancy-related Restless Legs Syndrome. Hard to relax.
• 10:30 p.m. - in bed, thinking about all the things I still need to do before we have David next week.
• 10:45ish p.m. - asleep
• 11:15 p.m. - bathroom break
• 12:00 a.m. - bathroom break, heartburn, move out to the couch, have trouble falling back asleep, more twitchy legs
  
• 12:30 a.m. - asleep
• 2:30 a.m. - bathroom break, awake for about an hour, more twitchy legs, hot flashes
  
• 5:00 a.m. - wake up with headache, try to go back to sleep
• 7:00 a.m. - "Mommy, yous seepin?" The day begins.

It's no wonder I'm tired.

I know that I won't get much sleep when David comes, since I'll be nursing & taking care of him, but for goodness sakes - at least the sleep I get will be good!

WFMW: Packing for Hospital

If you read my blog at all, you know that we'll be having a baby next Wednesday, if all goes according to the new plan. I spent some time this weekend getting a bag ready to take to the hospital, so that we're ready to go when the time comes.

Before beginning my packing, I asked around for suggestions of things to pack. We've been through this before, but when we had Wendy, I didn't do such a good job of packing. I took too much stuff to the hospital, and was missing some things I could have really used. Anyway, here's a compilation of suggestions from folks who are much smarter than I am:

• 3-4 changes of comfy clothes, depending on how long you anticipate your hospital stay to be. Comfort is key!
• Nursing bras if you're planning to breastfeed
  
• Extra socks, comfy slippers
• Light sweater, no matter the season - sometimes hospitals are COLD.
• Toiletries. Don't forget some basics for your husband - he'd appreciate being able to brush his teeth.
• Maxi pads. From what I remember, this is no time for the thin & trim styles!
  
• Clothes for your husband if he's staying with you the whole time.
• Chapstick & lotion - must stay hydrated!
  
• A comfy pillow - can stay in the car if not needed
• Camera/camcorder
  
• Chargers for cell phones/camera/camcorder
• Laptop and/or iPod if you're into that.
  
• Light reading/crossword puzzles/sudoku book - nothing too heavy, but something to occupy your mind if you can't sleep or get bored with the TV!
• List of people to call when baby arrives
• Snacks - we're taking peanut-butter crackers & trail mix for between-meal munching.
• Things for baby - two going-home outfits (just in case), socks/booties, hat, receiving blanket, Binkie, baby nail trimmers
  
• Gift for older child or children - we have a baby doll for Wendy that looks a lot like a newborn baby. It even has hospital bracelets. When she first comes to see us in the hospital, she'll get her very own baby to take home with her - I think that'll help with the idea of a baby brother.
• And don't forget to install that car seat! Can't take baby home without it!

Looking at this list, it sounds like a lot of stuff. It really isn't; ours is mostly packed into a smallish rolling duffle bag. Also keep in mind that my list is based on a scheduled C-section - I would imagine that if you're going through labor, you may want a few additional things.

Please, let me know in the comments if you have other suggestions! There's still some room in the duffle bag!

Being prepared for our hospital stay works for me. For more tips & ideas, visit Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family!

Bummed

The amniocentesis results show that baby David's lungs are not quite ready to work. My OB is out today, so I don't know what Plan B will be. We should talk to her tomorrow & see where to go from here.

I'm bummed. I mean, I'm glad we know, so that we don't risk having him too early & have him struggling to breathe. But I was really, REALLY looking forward to being done tomorrow.

Amnio Adventure

Today was the big day. Well, not the BIG big day, that'll be next Tuesday or Wednesday. But the day I've been dreading for several weeks - our scheduled amniocentesis. Ever since my OB mentioned that we should have one to make sure David's lungs are mature before we deliver, I've been nervous & anxious about it. After all, long needle? In my belly? Really? Yikes.

I did quite a bit of research about the procedure, so I knew what was going to happen. None of my friends have had an amnio, though, so I was really missing a trusted first-person perspective. Was it going to hurt? How much? Would it feel like the infamous "pressure," as OBs seem to describe all kinds of pain? Would David move? Would it take a long time? Would I be sore afterwards?

So here's the scoop: it was by no means pleasant, and I'm not in a huge hurry to do it again, but it wasn't THAT big a deal. James was right beside me, so I got to squeeze his hand through the whole thing. It was painful, but definitely not unbearable - I'd rank it about a 4/10 on a pain scale.

The two worst things about it:

1. I almost fainted. Seriously. I've never been that close to fainting in my life. Although, really, if you're going to faint, what better conditions? Laying down in a dark room, with a doctor and two nurses with their hands already on you? I told them I was feeling "a little dizzy" (which was a big understatement) and I think once they noticed I was the color of cottage cheese, they had me turn on my side. Problem fixed almost immediately - it was just from David's weight cutting off my blood supply.
2. They had to stick me 3 times. David kept moving, which made the fluid pockets shift. The first poke was definitely the worst, since after that I knew roughly what kind of pain to expect. Even with 3 tries, they didn't technically get enough amniotic fluid, but they called it quits to keep from turning my belly into a pincushion.

After the procedure, we went to Labor & Delivery for monitoring, to make sure I wasn't going to go into labor as a result of all the poking. We spent about an hour relaxing in a quiet room, munching on ice, listening to David's heart on the monitor, and watching reruns of "Home Improvement." It was actually kind of nice.

We should have the results on Monday, and hopefully once those are in we'll be scheduled for either Tuesday or Wednesday for the C-section.

Oh, and David's weight estimate today is 6 lb, 9 oz, which puts him at the 71st percentile. We'll see how accurate that is in a few days!

Thank you so much for all of the encouraging comments & prayers. They've made a huge difference in strengthening this little chicken-hearted girl.

Before 9 a.m.

One of the strangest things about my third trimester this time around has been my sleep patterns. For the first time in my life, I'm waking up around 6 a.m., and can't go back to sleep. Trust me, it's NOT that I'm not tired, or that I'm sleeping too much. It's just...I don't know. It's like my brain switches to the "ON" position and won't turn back off so I can go back to sleep.

This puts me in quite a predicament. It means I get up & start doing things around the house, and then am ready to crash by 9 a.m. Once Wendy wakes up at 6:30 or 7 a.m., she's raring to go, too, and she definitely keeps me busy.

Today, for example, she woke up at 6:30 a.m. Here's what she managed to do by 9 a.m.:

• Ate a banana while watching Curious George.
• Insisted she had to potty. Refused to perform. Threw a tantrum because Curious George was over.
• Ate some Mini-Wheats. Insisted she had to potty. Success.
• Got into a basket of supplies from when she was a newborn. Managed to string old Binkies, nasal aspirators, thermometers, baby hats, etc. all over her room.
• Found a Hello Kitty Band-Aid. Opened it. Couldn't find a suitable owie, so placed it directly over her belly button. (Which was pretty cute.)
• Demanded to wear princess tutu. Demanded to have princess tutu removed when it rubbed on the Band-Aid on her belly button.
• Asked me to remove the Band-Aid, then cried because it hurt.
• Found her container of earrings. Spilled entire container on our deep-pile, cut-loop carpet. Did not help Mama pick them up. (And in case you were wondering, 20 pairs of little stud earrings are hard to find once they get to the bottom of deep-pile, cut-loop carpet.)

Looking at that list, it's no wonder I was ready for a nap by 9 a.m.! I ended up confining her to her room & letting her watch her Wiggles playlist on YouTube, while I rested on the couch.

It's hard to take care of someone small, active, creative, and stubborn - especially when they have twice your energy!

Counting Down

This morning we had our next-to-last regular OB appointment! It seems like the first 6 months or so of this pregnancy just dragged by, and now, here we are, almost at the end! We're 33 weeks tomorrow. (And please, ignore my skin. Rosacea + hormones = AWFUL.)

We had an ultrasound, and David is measuring 4 lbs, 9 oz, which is at the 46th percentile - right on track. He looks healthy, and is growing well, and is active and STRONG. We reconfirmed that he does, indeed, have boy parts. (I know ultrasounds are pretty reliable these days, but I have a fear of having everything prepared for one sex & then having the other.)

We scheduled the amniocentesis for Friday, May 8th. Because it's a Friday, and my doctor isn't in on Monday, we'll probably get the results on Tuesday, May 12th, and then have him Wednesday or Thursday. I'm starting to feel a little more calm about the whole thing, and I really hope that calmness continues through the procedures.

And I just can't believe I'll be holding my little guy in 3 1/2 weeks!!

**Edited to add:***
Also - I'm pretty sure my OB has given up on me gaining weight at this point. I think I've done pretty well to only lose 25 pounds this time - with Wendy I lost 45. Now let's just see if I can keep it off after David arrives...

Even When I Sleep, I Can't Rest

The longer I am pregnant (and make no mistake, I feel like I have been pregnant for a LONG time), the more convinced I am that hormones can cause just about any symptom in the book.

Headaches? Yep.
Moodiness? Um, yes. (Just ask James. Nevermind, don't.)
Strange appetite changes? You betcha.
Weight fluctuation? Absolutely.
Sleep disturbances? YES.

I have always had very vivid, disturbing, convoluted dreams when pregnant, starting at about 6 weeks. Most of the dreams are just bizarre without really being scary or stressful.

Last night's dream was definitely scary. Definitely stressful. Definitely capable of getting my emotions riled up in a huge way.

My dream took place in the future, maybe 4 or 5 years from now. I was a widow; James had died suddenly about 8 months before. I don't know the circumstances of his death, just that he had died and I was a single mom. After 8 months, we had started to find a "new normal" place from which to operate, and our little family was settling into some sort of routine.

But then I was diagnosed with some kind of terminal cancer. The plans were for surgery & aggressive treatment, but even then I would most likely die within a few months.

The dream involved me explaining that to the kids. I had to tell my children that Mommy was very sick, and that we were going to pray hard, and do whatever the doctors told us to do, but most likely, Mommy was going to die soon.

It was not a good dream.

It took a lot of praying, some snuggling with James, and reading of a totally unrelated work of fiction to calm myself down enough to get back to sleep.

I'll be glad when this baby comes.

Time Flies!

We had an ultrasound & OB appointment today, 2 days shy of 29 weeks. I can't believe how quickly the time is starting to go now!

The ultrasound was great; David showed us all of the important bits. He's positioned exactly like Wendy was during the last trimester - sideways, head on my left, feet way up by his face. He's measuring 3.2 pounds, which is a little big, but since he'll be delivered early that may be to his benefit. (More on the early delivery after the pictures!)

This picture is of him looking right at you - it almost looks like he's smiling!
We got to see him practice sucking, too - very cool.

I really like this picture! We never had any 4D pictures of Wendy,
but they probably would've looked just like this.
That's his right foot up there against his face.
Judging from this picture, he's going to look a LOT like Wendy!
I'm so glad we were able to see this!

After reviewing the surgical records from my first C-section, my OB has decided that the best course of action is to do an amniocentesis at 36 weeks to check on the maturity of David's lungs. If everything looks good, we'll have a baby that week!

I've been taken a little off-guard by this plan. First of all, it never even crossed my mind that I would have an amniocentesis, and the idea freaks me out a bit. (More than a bit. A lot.) This also moves up the schedule by two weeks, and suddenly makes it seem like this is all right around the corner - it's in 7 1/2 weeks. I feel like we have a lot of preparing to do in a very short amount of time!

I'd appreciate your prayers as we prepare for this baby. We've got some financial things to figure out, some furniture moving to do, and some baby clothes to buy! I've also been struggling with anxiety attacks for the past couple of weeks, so prayers for peace of mind would also be greatly appreciated!

You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging much lately. It's not because of time constraints, or a busy schedule, or a self-imposed hiatus, or anything of that nature.

It's because my brain, it is empty.

Unless you want to hear a litany of pregnancy-related complaints.

(I'll just say this: I'm starting my third trimester, and could totally make my own Pepto-Bismol commercial. Nausea! Heartburn! Indigestion! Upset stomach! Diarrhea!)

(But I wouldn't make a Pepto-Bismol commercial, because it's not something you can take while pregnant, so there.)

Anywho. If at some point I have something worthwhile to share, I'll be sure and do that. Meanwhile, you can look forward to more random cute pictures of Wendy, and more pregnancy updates. We have an ultrasound on Thursday to see how little David is growing, and I'm hoping we'll get some good images this time.

25 1/2 Weeks

Baby Update

We had our 24-week check-up today, and we'll be 25 weeks tomorrow. Everything looks good! Our next visit will include an ultrasound (which I ALWAYS love!) and then we'll start having appointments every two weeks until he comes!

Highlights:

• I GAINED 4 pounds!!! This is the first time, in my total of 15 months of pregnancy experience, that I've ever gained weight. Until now, I've always lost weight.
• My blood pressure was good! I have a serious white-coat problem, and my blood pressure is usually quite high at my check-ups but normal at home. Today it was good for my check-up!
• Baby David's heart rate today was 130, nice & strong & easy to find.
• I'm only measuring 3 weeks larger than normal this time. With Wendy, I measured 8 weeks too big for the whole pregnancy.
  
• My OB is now talking about doing the C-section between 38 and 39 wks, instead of at 37 weeks, like we had originally discussed. It'll be better for Baby David's lung development, I know; I do still have concerns about going into labor & rupturing.

Thanks for following along on our journey! Have a good weekend!

Olfactory Overload

I've always heard that a pregnant woman has a heightened sense of smell. I never noticed it when I was pregnant with Wendy, and I didn't notice it this time around, either - until the last couple of weeks. I don't normally have a very sensitive nose; I think the years of working with animals burned out some of my olfactory receptors. But now, it's like I've had a sudden awakening, and some unusual scents are particularly good.

Most people like certain smells, like flowers, fresh-cut grass, cookies baking, etc. I like all of those, too, but here are some of my more unusual favorite smells:

• Dial antibacterial gold soap. I love it.
  
• Band-aids.
• Sizzling onions/peppers/steak. Like, the fajitas being brought to the table next to yours, when you ordered a healthy, boring salad.
  
• Warm, clean, happy cat. Usually found purring in the sunshine.
  
• April Fresh Downy. I don't use it often, but I keep snuffling the clothes when I use it.
  
• ripe peach. I would almost rather smell it than eat it. Almost.
  
• Lemon Endust. The house isn't clean if it doesn't smell like Lemon Endust.
  
• freshly-bathed Wendy (that's kind of a given)

The flip side of this is that some smells are intensely displeasing to me now, things that ordinarily wouldn't bother me at all. Things like:

• Garlic. Not fresh garlic in a meal, but the garlic that you ate yesterday that is now oozing from your pores. Yeah, I can smell that. Go stand way over there, please.
• Ripe bananas. Green or just-barely ripe ones are fine, but once they cross that threshold, I don't want them anywhere around.
• Gasoline. Normally, I kinda like the smell. Not right now.
• The Refrigerator. All those closed-in smells. Normally, I don't think our fridge smells like anything, but when I'm pregnant, it stinks.
• The Microwave. When you cook something and then shut the door, the smells stay in there & get funky - did you know that?
• Cat breath. Especially Maestro's. Smells like something died in there.

Do you have any strange favorite or least favorite smells?

WFMW: My Sleeping Buddy

Sleeping while pregnant is complicated. The pajamas have to be just right so they don't irritate sensitive or itchy skin. The covers can't be too heavy. The pillow must be aligned just so. The bladder must be empty (or at least start out that way!). And the pregnant woman must lay on her left side like all the books & doctors say. If she wants to change positions & sleep on her right side (rebel!) it takes 5 minutes & a rest break to get all of THAT flopped over & comfy again.

I've always been a very active sleeper, so it's not easy for me to adjust to sleeping on my left side. I'm also prone to tension headaches, and I discovered pretty early on that sleeping in one position most of the night was NOT good for my shoulders. I would wake up with bunched muscles & neck strain from sleeping exclusively on my side.

Then I remembered my friend, the bolster pillow. Mine is about 8 inches in diameter and about 15 inches long, and is PERFECT for snuggling without being in the way. It fits neatly between my two arms when I'm laying on my side, supporting the upper arm & keeping my muscles nice & relaxed. It has made a huge difference in my comfort, and in pregnancy, comfort is essential!

That's what works for me - for more great tips, head over to Shannon's place for the weekly Works-For-Me Wednesday tip carnival!

Return of Ickiness

Someday, I promise I'll write about more interesting things than Wendy's latest antics or pregnancy-related things. Today is not that day.

I've been feeling pretty good for about 6 weeks now. I'm tired all the time and it doesn't take much to get my hips and/or back hurting, but other than that things have been good.

But this last week, I've struggled with nauseousness again. And it starts in the middle of the night. I wake up feeling nauseous & can't get back to sleep. The nauseousness lingers until the middle of the day, and then I start to feel a little better.

I woke up around 3 a.m. this morning feeling yucky. I checked my blood sugar, to make sure nothing weird had happened, and it was fine. I had some Tums, nibbled on saltines, and went back to sleep for an hour around 6 a.m.

I don't know why this is happening - I haven't changed anything in my diet or my routine. I never had anything like this with Wendy - with that pregnancy, once the sickness went away, it stayed away. I've heard that some women experience nauseousness again in the third trimester - which is 2 weeks away - and I think, "NO, please, not THAT!!"

Have any of you moms experienced something like this? Any suggestions?

A Cabin-Fever List

Last night and today, we've had freezing rain. That means, for this girl, there will be no going out. At all. Not even to the mailbox. Pregnancy makes me afraid off all kinds of things, like falling & going splat on the pavement. And driving on slick roads? Nu-uh.

I've got a little bit of cabin fever; before I heard the forecast, today was going to include a big trip to Target to look at baby stuff. Since that's not going to happen, I'm writing a list of randomness.

1. I had my first Braxton-Hicks contraction last night. I had a lot of them with Wendy, so I'm familiar with the slightly-uncomfortable tightening, and feeling like I suddenly have a fully-inflated basketball in my belly. I'm 21 weeks, so I guess it was about time.
2. It was bound to happen - we've been asking Wendy where "Mommy's baby" is, and laughing when she pats my tummy. Yesterday, I asked her where her baby is (meaning her baby doll) and she patted her own tummy. It was pretty cute!
3. I don't think we're going to get everything on my list done before David arrives. And in addition to my long list, James has to take a day-long licensing exam on April 24th, about a month before David's birthday. He has a lot of studying to do, which means that much less time to get other stuff done.
4. I'm ready for spring.
5. I'm thinking about finding a new home for our dog. She's a good little dog, but she's definitely at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to care & attention. She would probably be happier with someone else, someone who can dote on her & lavish her with attention & let her sleep on the bed at night.
6. Taking a newly-potty-training toddler to church is an exercise in, well, exercise. I think we average 3 trips to the potty during a worship service, because it's too early in the process for me to tell her to hold it.
7. Wendy loves fish & tartar sauce. I don't know why that surprises me, but it does.
8. I'm getting bored with my maternity clothes. Since I only have 16wks left, I'm just going to deal with the boredom. I am going to look through the stuff I haven't tried lately, since I've lost 25 pounds. The stuff that didn't really work early on might work just fine now.
9. Confession: I've been eating Wendy's M&Ms. The ones that are in a container as a reward for her potty-training successes. I'm a bad Mommy.
10. I can't think of a #10, but it would seem strange to have a list of 9 things. So here's#10.
    

It's a...

BOY!!!

We could not be more thrilled! Seriously! (And I'm sure, had it been a girl, we'd feel the same way!)

His name is David James, after baby's two Grandpas and his dad.

I'll try to get some ultrasound pics up soon; he was cooperative but not terribly photogenic today.

We're SO excited!! Now to plan his room & the baby registry...

Overheard in the Van

On the way to Grandma's house today.

Me: Wendy, do you want a brother or a sister?

Wendy: Budder.

Me (just to clarify): Do you want the baby to be a boy or a girl?

Wendy: Boy!

30 seconds of silence

Wendy: Sisser. No boy.

Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow!!

If...

...a toddler who normally naps for 3 hours every single afternoon doesn't nap at all

...exhausted, crabby pregnant Mama doesn't get to nap either

...dinner plans are thrown awry by an important ingredient missing from the pantry

IF all of that is true...
...the right course of action is NOT for said exhausted, crabby pregnant Mama to attempt to make it all from scratch, involving 3 boiling pots, a hot oven, and constant whisking, all while dodging/placating the VERY crabby toddler.

Also - a little bit of flour spilled on a linoleum floor is very slippery.

Jumping Bean

This Friday, Jan. 23rd, at 8:15 a.m. is what I've been waiting for the whole pregnancy. It's the BIG ultrasound. Of course, we're hoping that all signs point to a healthy baby. We want to see that little heart beating away, we want to see those legs & arms flail about, and we want to see all kinds of development since our last ultrasound two months ago.

But what I'm really excited for? We want baby to show us those privates!!!

This is no time for modesty.

There's a poll up at the top of my sidebar so you can vote for what you think we're having. I just knew that Wendy was a girl; I'm not as sure with this one, but I'm leaning toward a boy.

Come back Friday afternoon for the big reveal of the baby's sex & name!