Kim

10 Weeks to Go!

Holy moly - it sounds crazy when I put it like that, doesn't it?  10 weeks to go?!  In some ways that seems like so long, and yet it also seems so close.  Sounds colloquial, but it's the truth.  Each week brings more and more anticipation for the babe's arrival.  I am not ready for him to come quite yet (he's got some more "cooking" to do in there), but I am so ready to meet him and find out who he is and what he's going to be like.  We finally got our dresser for the nursery, so now it is starting to look more like an actual room rather than just an empty space with a crib in it.  No decorations yet, but as soon as I get the bedding, I will begin the accessorizing process.  The dresser looks great and was worth all the hassle it took to get it.  Here's a photo I took with my phone.  The wall color is off in this one, but you can get the general idea of the furniture at least...
The dresser is going to double as our changing table too.  It is nice and big and sturdy, so I think that is going to work well.  The only other major piece of furniture left to get is our rocking chair.  I'm on the lookout, but I know we have some time, so I am trying not to rush.  Some good friends of ours who just had their first babe last March suggested that I save some things to do in the last month to keep me busy.  I know it is good advice, but I can't make any promises.  What if he comes early or something?  I need to make sure everything is ready, right?  :)  I promise I will do my best to save some things though.  I know come mid-January, I will be glad I did. 

In other non-nursery news, I have my first baby shower this weekend!  It is at my sister's house, and I am so excited.  There will be many family members and good friends there, and I can't wait to see everyone!  I know it is going to be a great time.  Plus, of course it will be fun to get some things for the babe!  Also, in an effort to help my nieces give up their pacis, my sister has been telling them that they have to give them to baby Henry so that he can use them since they are "big girls" now.  Well, this weekend is supposed to be the momentous gift-giving, so we'll see how that goes.  I think she got them a box to put them in and everything.  I know we will all make a big deal about it, let's just hope they're feeling generous!  You never know with 2.5 year olds. 

Also, it is hard to believe, but Thanksgiving has come and gone.  We had a great weekend at Bald Head with Matt's family. The weather could not have been any prettier, and we had a delicious Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings.  You can bet that as soon as we got home, I got out the Christmas decorations and our tree is up and looks beautiful!  Christmas decorations just make the house feel so warm and cheerful.  I love them, and I love having them up as long as possible.  I might start listening to Christmas music in July, but I am pretty firm in my belief that the house shouldn't be decorated until after Thanksgiving.  Once that passes though...game on!  I've started my Christmas shopping as well - but have only accomplished a little bit of it.  Technically, tomorrow is the first day of December, but with all the things we have going on this month, I just know Christmas will be here before we know it.  I am trying to stay ahead of the curve. 

Isn't she lovely? Oh, and apparently I took this photo before I put the tree skirt on...don't worry, she's not so naked in real life!
As for the babe, he is definitely still growing.  Some days he is super active and other days he's not.  I always feel him some during the day, but his dance parties definitely come in spurts.  And he's moved on from kickboxing to doing the wave and lots of swim moves.  Instead of little jabs, it now feels like he is moonwalking across my insides.  Still nothing painful - his movements are just much more fluid and pronounced.  I know the more he grows, the less room he'll have in there.  And I still love feeling him move.  That is by far my favorite part of pregnancy.  It so reassuring to feel him and encouraging to know that he is getting stronger with each passing day. 

And here's this week's obligatory belly shot.  Matt and I both agreed that my stomach has gotten more "pointy" in this 30th week.  What do you think?

Kim

Taking a Shower...

One more thing I forgot to add last night that definitely deserves mention on the ol' blog...

Over dinner the other night, my sister, aunt and uncle were talking about my upcoming baby shower that they are hosting at my sister's house.  My sweet neice, Audrey, piped in and said, "Kimmie's baby is coming to take a shower at my house!"

How funny is that?!  I love the literal interpretations of 2.5-year-olds!
Kim

Nursery Progress

Just one short note about the nursery - we are making progress!  We have a crib that is put together and a crib mattress in the crib.  The dresser should be in any time in the next week, and this past weekend my dad came and painted!  It looks so great.  I can't wait to get the bedding and see how it all looks together.  I took this picture with my phone so it isn't great, but the color is an aqua blue color.  It is bright, but Matt even said he likes it, so I know it is not too bright. :) Thanks, dad for all the help.  It was so awesome to come home to a painted room!

Currently, the crib is just sitting in the middle of the room. 
I haven't decided which wall it will go on yet.  So pretty though, right?
Kim

We See You!

Today we got to see our babe again!  It was so fun, and I am so glad that we got that opportunity.  The reason we got to have another ultrasound was because I was measuring a little small from the outside.  Well, it turns out our babe is actually a little bigger than normal!  He is in the 63rd percentile for his weight/size at this point, which the doctor said is perfect.  He's just above average, but not so big that we should be worried (or think about moving my due date).  He is currently head down, but he's scrunched up, laying almost in an L-shape, with his legs over under my right ribs.  I believe it, because that is where I have felt most all of his kicks lately.  He had both of his hands up by his head and his feet kept moving as she was moving the ultrasound wand over them.  Maybe he is ticklish? :)  Oh and speaking of those feet - they are big!  Wonder if that means he's going to be tall?  He definitely has the genes for it. And his head is a bit bigger than average - which is no surprise to us either!  Matt doesn't exactly have a little head and that is something we have joked about all along.  I'm sure he'll grow into it, just like his daddy, but it was funny to hear her say that.  Because he was so scrunched up the sonograms are kind of hard to make out, but here are two of the pictures.  In the first you are looking at his face on the right - he still looks slightly alien-ish (but super cute, of course).  The second is a picture of one of his big feet!  Go Heels!


Everything looks perfect, which is exactly what we wanted to hear.  It is just so amazing to see him. Matt and I both agreed that this was the best appointment so far. 

They also estimate that he weighs about 3 pounds now.  I'm 29 weeks (well, tomorrow, technically), so we are into the third trimester and moving along. Things are getting more and more exciting with each passing week.  He will be here before we know it!


29 weeks!

Kim

3rd Trimester

It is hard to believe it, but we have made it to 28 weeks and the start of the third trimester!  According to my weekly email, the babe is probably 2 1/4 pounds and measures almost 15 inches.  Also, he can blink his eyes and might be able to sense light that filters in through the womb.  Pretty crazy stuff.  But very, very cool.  Time is starting to move much more quickly now.  Honestly, I felt like most of the second trimester crawled by.   It seems like forever ago that we started the second trimester and started telling everyone that we were pregnant.  Also, it took me until at least halfway into the second trimester to really look pregnant.  Now there is definitely no hiding it, which is kinda fun because people notice and I get to be "proud" to be pregnant.  Not that I wasn't before...it's just that when no one can really tell, it isn't as much fun.  Time is already moving faster.  I have a feeling that November and December are going to fly by and then January is going to drag, but we shall see.  I literally have something going on every weekend between now and mid-December (including 2 baby showers!), so that is a lot of fun, and a lot of things to look forward to.  Christmas is going to be here before we know it.

We're starting to make some real progress on the nursery - sort of.  Dad is coming to paint it this weekend, and we have the crib (we just haven't put it together yet.)  The dresser (which is a whole different story itself because it arrived broken, then our second online order got cancelled and now we are waiting and hoping that the third works out - all signs point to yes so far) should come in the 7-14 days.  I know I want a rocker and of course we need to get the bedding and such, but I am going to wait to get the crib and dresser up to see how much space is left for anything else furniture-wise (I am thinking maybe a bookshelf of some sort if space allows).  It is all very exciting and very real.  I am getting to the point now where I am just ready to meet the babe!  I know he needs to "cook" a little longer and definitely don't want him to actually come yet, but Matt and I talk all the time wondering who he is going to be.  He is still moving around a lot, and I still love feeling all his movements in there.  Needless to say, this week has been a much better week than last week. 

We're still going to our birth classes.  We actually only have one more.  Next week we get to tour the hospital, which is something I am really looking forward to.  It will be nice to know where we'll be.  Classes haven't been too bad.  We really have learned a lot.  The videos have been interesting...I think they all were filmed in 1990...those babies are probably in their 20s now...but they haven't been too bad.  I was expecting a lot worse, honestly.  And we've learned a lot about the signs of labor and what to expect and methods to deal with the contractions and the ways they generally do things at our hospital - so all-in-all I'd say it has been time well spent.

Anyways, I think the babe has had a growth spurt this week.  Oh, and my belly button has definitely popped out.  I sort of miss my "innie."  Haha. 

Here's to the third trimester!!
Kim

Oh, What a Week this Was

Oh, what a week this was.  No worries, nothing bad really happened, but it has been a week of emotional ups and downs, and I am glad it is coming to a close!  I started out the week on Monday with a doctor's appointment.  This was a check-up and then I had to do the glucose screening test.  The check-up went well - the babe's heartbeat is good and everything looked fine.  The doctor did note that I am measuring a little bit small, but she said that with my size, and this being my first pregnancy, and with the fact that I had such strong ab muscles to begin with (oh yeah!), my insides just probably aren't expanding as quickly.  Nothing to worry about - so I wasn't worried.  She did schedule an ultrasound for my November 21st appointment just to make sure, but she kept reassuring me that I really shouldn't be worried.  I am a small person and it isn't out of the ordinary for people my size to measure a little small.  Great, no problem.  Mostly, I am just excited that we get to see the babe again in just over a week!  Matt will come with me for that appointment, so it will be really fun.  Plus, we get to confirm that the babe is really a boy.  Even though there was no doubt the first time, it will be nice to see him again and make sure!


Now, on to the glucose screening.  For this test you drink a big cup of really sweet, syrupy orange soda (or at least that is the flavor mine was).  Then you wait an hour and they prick your finger and test your blood sugar. At my doctor's you have to have a blood sugar of 134 or lower to pass.  If you fail, you have to come back for a 3-hour, more comprehensive, version of the test.  It is checking to see if you've developed gestational diabetes, something that some women develop around this time in their pregnancy.  Now, really, if you have gestational diabetes, it isn't a huge deal - you meet with a dietitian, learn to manage your diet and have to check your blood sugar regularly, basically just like if you have regular diabetes.  And usually, it goes away once you deliver.  However, of course nobody wants to have gestational diabetes. 


So on with the test.  I'm feeling fine - not really that worried.  I mean, I am healthy and my weight is good and one of the problems you have if you have gestational diabetes is an overly large baby. Well, I had just been told that I am actually measuring small, so surely there was no way I'd fail, right?  Mmmhmm. One hour later - BAM - blood sugar of 177.  FAIL.  In case you weren't aware, I generally don't do well with failure.  I know it is a fault of mine and that some things are simply out of your control (like this test), but still, that was not what I wanted to see at all.  Then you combine that fact with pregnancy hormones...oh boy...I actually started to tear up right there with the nurse who pricked my finger.  I knew it didn't mean much at this point except that I had to come back for the three-hour, but wow, did I feel like a failure.  Even though it is totally irrational, all I kept thinking was how badly I had failed our babe at that appointment - he was too small, my blood sugar was too high...etc. etc. Oh, I was not in a happy place when I left there. 


My poor sweet husband was great in trying to console me over the phone and deserves a medal for having to deal with me that morning, but even after talking to him, I sat in the parking lot and cried for probably 30 minutes.  I needed to go get some lunch before going back to work, but I literally felt paralyzed - I knew I needed to eat (the babe was too small - he needed nutrients!), but I was also now scared to eat (what is going to keep my blood sugar from going sky high?).  I sat and I sat.  I drove to one restaurant, pulled into the drive thru, and then pulled out again without ordering and sat in their parking lot and cried a little bit more.  I was just so upset.  I do not want to do anything to harm our babe, and I knew that I would do whatever I needed to to deal with gestational diabetes if I had it, but right then I just needed to be upset over it.  I had failed.  This pregnancy has gone so smoothly, and now suddenly here was this hiccup (which I recognize, in the grand scheme of things, is hardly even worth noting, but it is all relative - and inflated by hormones).  After another phone call to Matt, I finally decided on something to eat, got myself together and made it to work. 


Again, I really couldn't ask for a better partner and side-kick in all of this - later that afternoon these arrived at my office, with the sweetest card from my husband (in fact, the card is still sitting on my desk at work, just as a reminder of what it's all about).  I think they might be the prettiest flowers I have ever received.  Even today, four days later, they are still just as beautiful.
Anyways, my 3-hour test was scheduled for Thursday (today), and because this is a more comprehensive test, you actually can't eat anything 12 hours before the test.  Also, after talking with some friends who had been through this a few months before, they suggested I try to stay away from lots of sugar/carbs over the next few days just to ensure that I didn't start out with an extra high blood sugar before I had to drink the sugar solution.  So that's what I did.  And it was a long three days. 


Today arrived and my appointment was first thing in the morning at 8am.  I was much better prepared to fail this time.  Of course, I was still hoping for a good outcome (because a lot of women who fail the one-hour test go on to pass the three-hour one), but I had convinced myself not to be so upset if I failed this one too.  In the end it is better to know what we're dealing with so that the babe can get here safely and be healthy.  And I knew that.  I knew that I would deal with the outcome if it was bad, learn how to manage it and we'd make it through the next three months just fine.  But let's be honest, Thanksgiving and Christmas would be a lot more fun if I didn't have to watch what I was eating all the time!


So they take your "fasting" blood sugar first thing.  Mine was 69 - which is low, but I hadn't eaten anything since the night before, so that isn't abnormal.  Then you drink an even bigger cup of the super sweet orange soda concoction and wait an hour.  I was calm. I was collected during that hour.  I was feeling pretty good.  One hour passes, she pricks my finger, tests my blood sugar - BAM - it had skyrocketed to 217.  Dang it.  I don't remember what the threshold was to pass that test, but I can assure you I failed it.  The good thing with the long test is that you are tested 2 more times, so all was not lost yet.  I was disappointed and figured that meant I probably had gestational diabetes, but I did not get upset.  I texted both Matt and my sister to let them know that things weren't looking good, and both were so loving and encouraging. I said a little prayer and hoped for the best at the 2 hour mark. 


Well lo and behold, two hours rolled around and there was my blood sugar at a nice 144!  That is actually the threshold it had to reach by the third test, so that was awesome.  I was really not prepared to see anything good pop up and it was such a great surprise.  The nurse told me that it was a good sign, and we'd still have to see how the third one did, but I might not have to worry after all.  Another hour later and my blood sugar had dropped back to 70, almost to the point of my fasting blood sugar from early in the morning.  This was such great news - I PASSED!  The doctor said that because of my small size, it is likely that the sugar solution shocked my system at first (hence the super high first number), but then once my body got going, it took care of it just fine (hence, the much, much better numbers in the 2nd and 3rd hours).  I was released to go and enjoy whatever I wished, and now I do not have to worry about this anymore in this pregnancy!  What a fantastic feeling.  You can bet that I went out and enjoyed a great lunch.  I was starving at that point! 


Anyways, I know I overreacted on Monday, and if I had failed the test again today and been diagnosed with gestational diabetes we certainly would have dealt with it and done whatever needed to be done to keep the babe safe and healthy, but it is really nice not to have to worry about it anymore.  Oh, and I had to get my rhogam shot today too (because of my blood type) - that really wasn't that bad, but they give it to you in your bottom.  I honestly don't remember the last time I received a shot there!


Whew, so glad all that is over.  Looking forward to seeing our babe on the 21st at our ultrasound.  And in the meantime, here's a picture at 27 weeks.  Hard to believe that the third trimester starts Tuesday!!

We are growing!

Kim

First Class

So after experiencing our first childbirth class Tuesday night I can say (a bit anti-climatically) that it wasn't really that bad.  In fact, we are glad we signed up now.  I am well aware that some of the stranger moments are still likely to come, but it's nice to have one class under your belt.  The lady who is teaching the class is relatively normal, all things considered, and there are only 6 couples in the class, so it is big enough to not feel singled out, but not so large that you get lost in the crowd.  We just went over the basics last night - the stages of labor, how to know when you're in labor - those sorts of things.  I felt like I learned a lot and I wasn't scared off :)  Not that there's any turning back now! 

The only really awkward/comical part was when, after explaining the benefits of kegel exercises for both men and women, she had the entire class close their eyes and do 3 rounds of kegels together.  Matt's quote of the night to me was, "Well, I've never done kegel exercises with a group of people before."  Oh my. Me either. 

But like I said, we both left feeling really glad that we were taking the class.  And now we only have 3 classes left - the last of which includes a tour of the hospital, which I am anxious to see since I've never set foot in the hospital here before (not complaining about that!).  Good stuff. 

Things are continuing to move along.  I am still feeling good, although I get really tired by the evenings now.  It isn't quite as bad as the first trimester, but usually I come home from work feeling like I could take a long nap, and by 10pm, I am falling asleep.  It's not like I'm doing much at work all day except sitting at my desk and working on my computer!  But I know that I am also growing a babe, and just have to remind myself that that is the reason I feel so tired.  Otherwise, things are good.  This is actually our last weekend without plans for a while, so I know time is really going to start to fly.  I think we've decided on a crib so now I just need to find a dresser to match and order it all.  I really don't know how it is already November.  I'm not even sure October happened!

Here's our 26 week picture.  I can definitely tell he's changing almost daily.  I know that some of it has to do with what position he is in, but I could have sworn that my belly grew over the course of the day today!  Just one more week in the second trimester.  Crazy!

26 weeks!  Yipee!
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