Up EARLY!

I tried to get out of it...thought I had by missing it in December...but NO!

CNM *still* wanted me to go in to get my Glucose Tolerance test done. Which is this annoying test to check for gestational diabetes. {eyeroll} I know, I'm SO rebellious!

So you can't eat anything past 11pm, which I never do anyway BUT because they told me not to, I totally wanted to. lol I almost forgot this morning NOT to eat--simply out of habit.

I get there first thing @ 7am. I had to wake up in the dark mind you due to the time change. ugh. There was a long line @ the lab. Go in, drink the sweet orange stuff. It kind of tastes like flat orange soda but on an ampty stomach...ugh. They take blood. The guy who did it---barely a pinch. He was good except I couldn't really understand his accent. He was nice enough NOT to tape the gauze to my hairy arms but used this sticky ace bandage-y stuff instead.

Next hour go in for more blood....a different person. This one poked a bit more & she used tape but didn't put it too tight, thank goodness.

Next hour, last time. This one HURT! & she put the tape TIGHT! What happened to the ace bandage? kwim?

It was over anyway.
I crocheted a hat while I was there & did some writing. Real writing, on paper, in a journal book. lol

My arm is still sore from the last one & I think I have a slight bruise. What's up w/ that?

I have my next prenatal appointment tomorrow AND Birdy has a violin lesson half hour later. I have to scramble to figure out a way to get her to her lesson while I am @ w/ the CNM......Dh is unavailable. (for a good reason) And she can't miss, it's her first one & she had to miss last week cause DS had Scarlet Fever. I've had it before, which makes me immune, so baby & I were safe.

Getting excited?

I think I am....

A few online E-quaintances have had their babies recently & it makes me feel excited.

Plus, w/ all the extended family drama & stress I've been experiencing lately, I am looking fwd to the sweet blessing & distraction a baby can bring. I still need to get the crib out of the garage & make sure everything is ok w/ it.

I need to clean up my room really good to make room for the crib, or in the not-so-littles room.

Baby will be rooming n w/ us & co-sleeping for quite some time, but eventually will be in the crib & I want it out & about now. kwim? Our rooms are so small...

The BH I experience are getting stronger. Nothing serious but simply noticeably stronger & more intense. Sleeping is getting harder & sciatica is getting stronger but not as bad as I remember...so far anyway. I am thankful about that though.

@ my last appointment CNM still pointed out that she *still* wants me to take the diabetes/sugar test. {eyeroll} She said though that they would do some other labs @ the same time. I'm not sure what other tests there are...but whatever. Everyone has been sick here so I did not make the appointment yet, but I will tomorrow, unless I forget. She also said she will do an ultra-sound @ the next app & they will being to be every 2 weeks now.

Registery ugh!

Yesterday & today I finally went to register....

Sunday was AWFUL! What a nightmare! Plus I was rushed but WHY do they only have ONE employee working the registry counter on a WEEKEND? kwim?
I jsut needed to get those little cards to give to my MIL.

Went back today to actually register for *real* items...
I feel guilty for being flippant & putting the Nintendo DS (handheld) on the registry ONLY because S saw & instantly got SO excited not understanding what this whole *registry* deal is & thinking we were going to actually GET those items or people were REALLY going to BUY us what we scan. kwim?

Maybe it would work if that was ALL I had on my registry. kwim? Cause I am rebellious like that.

SO I went back today & ONLY was able to hit 1/4 of the store & ended up w/ 123 items on my registry.
123 items of WHAT? I have NO idea really.
But each & every item seemed to make sense @ the time. kwim?

I think it was mostly various lotions, washes, (all natural) & then other various things that I never knew they sold there like mouthwash, toothpaste & toothbrushes, for adults. lol

And hardly anything that I really, really wanted. I chose a sling, not the wrap type but a solid sling, no rings, hopefully it will fit & work well.

I told MIL people could order ONLINE & DH just started LOLing @ me when she replied EXACTLY like I already KNEW she would; that NO ONE was going to go ONLINE & shop!!! arg!

@ least I scanned a car seat. An infant one & then I found a 3 in 1, bigger & bulkier but it made sense to me to get that, it goes from infant to the booster, kwim? But do I WANT the infant one to be able to carry him? IDK You tell me, please?

DH didn't think we'd need an extra base for the infant one...Has he REALLY forgotten how CONVENIENT that is to have 2 bases? I mean SERIOULSY! Even L had 2 boosters! DUH! lol

I was like: do YOU want to be the one to UNDO it each & every time? UNLESS he's *trying* to make it hard sot hat we NEVER trade cars....cause the lease is up & eventually (any time now) he will be getting a *new* car. We HAVE too cause the lease is up & we owe more then the car is now worth. Don't remind me---> consequences, consequences, consequences!

How big/small should my registry be?

I know I scanned 2 diaper bags. I scanned one then DH pointed out one he thought was *nice* so I just went ahead & scanned that too. I couldn't tell if he was just trying to point things out or if he was showing a preference. kwim? It was that same confusion that led me to become a scanning maniac to begin w/. kwim? Cause I already had some preconceived ideas of what I did & did NOT want...then all of a sudden he'd make a comment & felt obligated to scan items he was pointing out. kwim?

Initially I said I wanted the *theme* to be *frogs* so he was then pointing out EVERY single thing that had a frog on it. kwim? Trying to be nice, ya know...but I was only referring to bedding...or the baby shower decorations. But now I don't even think I want frogs...IDK I didn't even get to the bedding area!!!

I did scan some cloth diapers they had. I know they won't be DSQ but I have to make due...hopefully if people are willing to buy me enough, it could work well enough.....who knows what can and/or will change as baby grows & then I can afford to buy real ones online....

Have you seen those gdiaper systems? I think it's kinda funky but they are *flushable* or *compostable* disposables? But they require a cloth/plastic diaper cover. Weird. But the covers said you can use them for cloth diapers so I scanned a bunch of those....they didn't even have any nicer cloth diaper covers except *plastic* pants, which are just awful! I hate those!

Oh...so anyway...

I think I may just HAVE to go back again! sigh.

34 WEEKS

taking it's toll.

I don't normally ever get to the point of *wanting* it to all be over. Not even @ the end. I know it's best for baby to stay put as long as possible & I know how different things will be once baby is here....so I never get that impatient feeling or want to rush the pregnancy.

But this week...I feel different.

I think it started when I made a mistake & thought I was a week farther than I really was. I had a momentary shock of panic to think I only had 6 weeks left, but really I have 7. I was feeling a bit down over some other unrelated matters & began thinking what I nice & lovely distraction it would be to have baby now. kwim?

Maybe I will feel different tomorrow. I usually feel different *tomorrow*. kwim?

Or I mean maybe *registering* will cheer me up. It's like shopping except you don't spend any $$$$. lol

I'd like to *make* baby something too, a nice crochet blanket or something but for whatever reason, I'm just *not* motivated for that either.

I'm disappointed in myself for being so INactive this pg. I wanted this to be everything I wanted it to be. kwim? It's prolly the last, no specific reason why, just how I feel. SO I wanted it to be the best pg ever. But I allowed it to get away from me.

I just feel like a giant bump on a log. It's not just being pg...it's being INactive. I'm certain this is the *biggest* I've ever been...I can *see* it, I can *feel* it & it's just blah!

This might be the pg I *don't* lose any weight afterwards......kwim?

Then again, like I said, I might feel better tomorrow.

Guess it was nothing...

So yesterday I was afraid my water had broke...or something.
No need to go into TMI? OR maybe I can, it's my blog anyway, right?

So went to the restroom & when I was finished there was another continuous *gush*...weird.
The thing is I've never experienced my water breaking before labor. W/ S I was already @ the hospital near the end & it broke on a*push*.

W/ L, the midwife broke it for me as I was already 9.5 cm dilated & L was born soon after. kwim?

So I was quite perplexed...& I do not normally have incontinence issues during my pregnancies.

So I just lay low & kept up the water intake.
Things seem fine today.
Guess I just need to chalk it up to one of those weird pg things/quirks.

One of those things that makes you go hhhmmm? kwim?

When did I become so sensitive?

There has been some extended family drama recently & I just can't believe how it has affected me!!!

I was so upset Monday over some shocking news & I could feel my entire body physically tensing up & my stomach start cramping. Well by Tuesday, I was having some pretty strong cramping & braxton hicks all day! I stayed laying down, upped my magnesium & water intake.

It's so discouraging though how even though I didn't appear to be upset & felt I had vented enough to feel ok about the situation, it was still obviously affecting me.

It was almost scary...but everything seems fine now! :-)

Baby Bump

31 WEEKS

Baby Bump

29 WEEKS

If I hear ONE MORE TIME...

"you are so huge!" I will not be able to control myself & may smartly retort: So are YOU!!!

& NO I am NOT due *next month*. I am due in APRIL....that's almost 3 mos away.
& yep, I prolly *will* get bigger.

Yes I AM pg!

It's a boy & NO I am NOT telling you the name.

I will probably let you touch my stomach if you ask.

And hey--my face is UP HERE!

Yes I'm aware that I am now *totally* showing.
& no I don't need or want a second serving of food, nor do I have *room* for more, either.

AND I really do feel GREAT! :-)

Finally....

After getting out of the habit, I decided to call in to the casting agency...FIRST call was for pg women, obviously showing, between 6-8 mos...

BUT in their 20's! Bummer!

I called & left my info anyway....who knows? right?

Sex-pot to Totally NOT!

Not that I've ever *really* considered myself a sex-pot or even close...but there's that small window of opportunity in pregnancy where your body's filling out & you don't exactly *look* pg but your skin is glowing & fresh, you're kinda voluptuous & the hormones are raging. Well, that is if you're not barfing & hanging out over a disgusting toilet all day.

But anyway, one day it suddenly switches & nothing fits & you can't see your feet & you keep noticing stains on your shirt where your stomach is just *always* in the way! In *that* moment, you struggle to still look somewhat attractive, despite your growing girth.

You long for some semblance of *self* & not just the identity of human-incubator. kwim?
You try to dress nicer, which is a total joke as far as the maternity fashion ward is concerned, but we wear denial like a badge of honor & try anyway.

I experienced that first hand today. It's been hot suddenly, in the dead of winter, so I found myself a maternity skirt. I told myself it was cute, ignoring the UNflattering bunched elastic along the back, worn w/ a bright red maternity shirt. (@ least it didn't have any stains) I did wonder, however, if it was this fitted *now*, how would it be next month? {sigh}

I was @ the mall w/ DH, he was looking for shoes.

I happend to land my eyes on the cutest & slightly sexy heels EVER.
They had a bit of open toe, a bow, cork heel & the shoe itself was a tiny red rose print. Can you say Fabulous!
And comparitively speaking, they made my gams look great!
I pondered if I, an obviously full & pg woman, could *pull it off*.
I was debating how long I could *really* wear them until I began to ache *somewhere*...when DH walked up behind me & as I just slightly turned to look @ him.....nearly fell over as I lost my balance!

A simple physical manuever, taken for granted in so many other moments....

The right one didn't quite fit well enough anyway!
& they really weren't worth the price. You call *that* clearance? hmph!
I put them back in the box, noticing a black scuff along the side, they must be a *return*.

And slipped my feet back into the flip-flops I was wearing.

Do you think I could pull off high heels while transporting baby in a sling? ;-)

Baby Bump

27 WEEKS!

MUST have/read for EVERY Mother!

A friend from church gave me this book about 2 weeks ago.

It is totally amazing. It's written for pg mothers. It is full of blessing prayers for baby while in utero but it can be used for children already born. It makes so much sense.

The amazing thing is that while I've been saying these prayers & blessing over my babe, I have felt God ministering to my own soul through the words.

I wish I could afford to purchase a box of them & I'd give them to every mother I know.

Pure Joy!

Almost felt like *me* again.

I took a run today!
Maybe it was more like a jog & waddle...a joddle? or a woggle? waggle? lol

Whatever.

But I felt good about it.
I walked a warm-up mile then ran (ok already, *jogged*) a mile.
Then walked a cool down mile.

It wasn't so bad.
I felt the aches & pains I get from walking but it wasn't so bad & after a while, they left completey. It did feel like every car that passed me was staring @ me...maybe they were?

But boy did I feel *great* afterwards!
There *really* is a *runner's high*.

& for a few slow, lumbering minutes, I felt like *me* again!

& btw: this little guy is *so* active. Seriously.
Berty was the last one & I really don't remember *her* being so active.
I don't remember noticing any of them being *so* active.

I wonder if that is a sign of thigns to come?
But newborns are so INactive, w/ the introduction of gravity & all...so I wonder....

I also wonder what he is gonna look like.
What his personality is going to be.

I always enjoy that contemplation.
Wondering what the DNA mix is gonna be....only God knows. ;-)

Baby Bump

25 WEEKS!

Where does *all* that weight go?

Maternal stores of nutrientsand muscle development 7 Pounds
Increased body fluid 4 Pounds
Increased blood 3 - 4 Pounds
Breast growth 1 - 2 Pounds
Enlarged uterus 2 Pounds
Amniotic fluid 2 Pounds
Placenta 1.5 Pounds
Baby 6 - 8 Pounds
Total 26.5 - 30.5 Pounds
Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Baby Alive

Wasn't there a doll w/ that name? lol

Baby is *so* active right now. I mean *really* active....*all* the time.

In these precarious times it's a comfort really, to know I'm *never* alone. A constant reminder & companion.

It's neat.

I'm in the cute stage anyway & that is enjoyable. You know the stage where all anyone can notice is your baby belly & they say nice things like: oh you exactly the same except w/ a baby bump, like you haven't gained *any* weight @ all.

Oh how sweet....& you sigh as you think, yah, you say that *noooooow*! lol

Wait till 8.5 mos! lol

I did find & bring out my 'bigger jeans'...regular jeans in sz 11 & 13. I LOVE wearing them more than the maternity pants. I really *don't* like those...or maybe it's just *not* the same as your *own* jeans...kwim? Even though they are bigger...they just feel more like *mine* & I am so much more comfortable in them. Go figure...& maybe it's the lack of *lint*!!!! (did i write about that?)

Baby Bump

22 WEEKS

(we got to skip 21 weeks)

Another new due date....

So every time I go to the ob...or I should say each time I've had an ultrasound they've bumped up my due date....interesting.

Funny thing whenever anyone asks me, I've just been saying: sometime in April...& my vote is April 7th! lol

Well @ my monthly appointment today, my CNM verified that I have a new due date!!!

Let's just say it's no longer 'mid-April'...early April is more appropriate. So my next update pic..well it will be one week AHEAD! lol

And CNM says I've only gained about 10 lbs! *I* thought I was pushing 20lbs already. So either I was in denial about my pre-pg weight, cause I kept saying it was 125, but @ the initial apppointment I weighed in @ 130, or I *really* did gain 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks of pg! lol

So to *me* I've gained about 15 lbs...but according to the chart, I've only gained 10.

And if I do the math, according to my LMP, this new due date & baby's current size, baby was conceived right before my P or during it!!!

Crazy!

This is important to me because it only confirms that this was really a God thing. I think all conceptions are but....the idea was that I was just being irresponsible & maybe if I had been extra diligent...ya know?

But *who* imagines they are fertile & ovulating *during* thier P?

God is *crazy*.
LOL

Seriously...I don't know what He was possibly thinking but I'm excited to see how this all plays out.

Choices...

Today was Thanksgiving...biggest feast of the year. Except I'm pregnant which means I can *not* fit that much food into my stomach @ one time thanks to Baby boy. He's got priority. So I finally realized I have to have way smaller portions, more often.

It basically comes down to choices. I have 2 choices: breathing or eating. lol

Seriously though. So while everyone else was pigging out & over stuffing themselves I was nicely enjoying a bit of everything. I was pacing myself. It's not so hard.

I just serve small spoonfuls of everything, on my plate. It works perfectly. ;-)

Another thing is; regular foods I normally enjoy, seem to taste a little off. For example, my sil makes veggie lasagna every Thanksgiving & I love it. This year...not so much. I'm not a huge fan of turkey but I'll have a little...again, it was just yuck!

It's disappointing & some days nothing sounds remotely good. It's so extreme when you are pregnant. 2 mos ago I couldn't get enough to eat, I would even wake up in the middle of the night hungry. Now, just about nothing sounds good except what isn't good for me...like french fries, hamburgers & cold cereal...& my kiddos eat the cold cereal up before I can even get some. lol

sigh.

Baby Bump

20 WEEKS!

I can't believe it.

Today was the long awaited day....the ultrasound that would hopefully tell us if I was carrying a boy or a girl. I really hoped for a girl.

The tech was actually very nice. I remember previous experiences where the tech sat there in stone silence while my mind frantically wondered if my baby was missing a head or something. The tech would click, click, click away taking all these measurements while never saying a word nor looking in my direction.

This guy though was so friendly. He pointed out every pic, a different body part, all of which he said looked good & healthy. He asked me if he could tell if I wanted to know or wait until the rest of the family was in w/ me. I said No way! Tell me!!! I think I deserve some perks for being the mom, don't you? lol

There was *no* doubt about it. It was clearly a BOY!!! A boy! I laughed, I could not believe it.

I explained I had wanted a girl but really, all that matters is that baby is healthy. We already have 2 boys & a girl.

Finally the rest of the family came in & I teased them that I knew what we were having.
The tech teased them it was twins! I wish!!!

When he pointed it out, we all laughed. I said, it's a boy! & then Berty just stood there. She asked: is it a boy or a girl? I repeated: it's a boy! She suddenly burst into tears! & we all burst out laughing.

She was better after a chocolate dipped ice-cream cone. We're comfort eaters, what can I say? Plus encouraging words of how much she is going to love this little brother & her heart will melt & she'll most certainly have another playmate.

It seems her main concern was that she wanted someone to play w/. :-( I reminded her what a great playmate her closest brother is.

I still can't believe we are going to have 3 boys!!!!!
Now I can't stop wondering *what* he will look like & *what* his personality will be.

OH! & i almost forgot. THe tech asked me if this was my 2nd ultrasound. No....he said I was getting it so late. TO him, it looked like baby & I were almost 21 weeks along...but according to my due date, we are only 19 weeks along...everytime I've had an ultrasound, my due date changes...so I don't know???

Guess we'll see what the midwife says 2 the next appointment. But then he did say the ultrasound can be off, give or take, 3 weeks!!! How's that for accuracy?

Baby Bump

19 weeks!

Baby Bump

17 weeks!