These are from March 17th. Izaak was 2lbs, 11oz already!! And more to come! But time for me to pry myself away from the computer for now.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
28 Weeks + 4 Days and Fred Flintstone Feet!
It's so baffling for me to consider that I'm hosting a new human right now. Totally mind-boggling. Somehow, the fact that I will be "Mom" to someone is still a bit surreal to me. This experience is so amazing and impossible to describe. I mean, obviously SOMETHING is going on other than indigestion in my belly!! and seeing the sonogram pictures (by the way, I will post the new ones as soon as I get the new printer/scanner figured out) and hearing the heartbeat has made a difference but I don't think the full gravity of the situation is going to sink in until he's actually here, in person, in our lives. And as time draws closer to his arrival, I realize more and more how unprepared we are! I am trying to keep anxiety to a minimum by reminding myself that there is no handbook, we are better informed than a good deal of the world's population, and don't forget about good intentions!! I've been arming myself with information via reading anything I can get my hands on and gathering advice from those who've gone down this path before me.
Let's see, what's new in baby-land... I didn't hear anything back from the lab at the doctor's office about my glucose test and no news is seemingly good news - as long as they didn't forget to cal!! Other than that, things are largely the same. I'm a tired, clumsy, and forgetful human furnace and my feet resemble Fred Flintstone's. I definitely look pregnant rather than just flabby, which is at least somewhat comforting. I am sometimes tempted to be mischievous when strangers asks me when I'm due - I've thought about acting really offended, proclaim: "What do you mean?!", and storm off as if I were just in possession of a nice, round belly. I suppose it's good that I haven't been quite that cruel... yet ;) I'm getting more used to Izaak's squirms and punch/kicks. I hear that as he gets bigger and has less space in which to do his acrobatics - the punches will have less oomph behind them. The doctor asked me to mentally record at least 10 fetal movements in an hour, every day. Usually takes less than 5 minutes! Izaak was 2 lbs, 11 oz already at last week's sonogram, and he's positioned head-down, which I gather is a good thing? Still so in the dark with how everything is supposed to be!
As far what "stuff" we still need to pick up... how much stuff does such a tiny thing really need?! The short answer: A lot. I've been picking up a box or two of diapers here and there but have held off on buying any wipes and bathing products until we figure out if he has allergies and/or sensitive skin (like his mother tends to have). It would be nice to have 1 oz samples of a bunch of different shampoos, soaps, lotions, etc and sample packs of every diaper out there so we can figure out what works for him. I'm starting to understand why people have baby showers too, all this stuff adds up! We don't have one planned - Joe and I each have about 3 friends down here so it wouldn't make for much of a party anyhow. One of the top items on my list right now is picking up a diaper pail, I think we're going with one made by Arm & Hammer but there's a couple other ones that look like they could work too. I also need to get on the ball and pick out at least one diaper bag. I know we'll need two eventually, one for daycare and one for schlepping stuff around otherwise. And I need to start thinking about what I'm going to pack in my hospital bag. I have been provided with a very helpful and organized spreadsheet from my dear friend, Lori, who's adorable little girl is about 9 months old already! Other soon-to-dos: find a dresser/changing table, pick out our munchkin's pediatrician, and a find a daycare for when I have to go back to work.
J.O.B. (we all know it stands for "just over broke", right?)
I've been pretty much working on the same project, a gigantically huge tech manual, since I started my job last October. It's becoming an issue of "can't see the forrest for all the trees"! There's not much that I can give for particulars other than it's already at 670 pages, it's set in Arial 12 pt type, and probably will be larger still - upon completion. The manual is due on April 8th but we know there will be revisions in the future so it's the project that will never end.... it goes on and on, my friends! I feel very fortunate to be employed and to have benefits and such but some days, I just don't want to go in!! The weather has been so beautiful and can't… stop… yawning….
Let's see, what's new in baby-land... I didn't hear anything back from the lab at the doctor's office about my glucose test and no news is seemingly good news - as long as they didn't forget to cal!! Other than that, things are largely the same. I'm a tired, clumsy, and forgetful human furnace and my feet resemble Fred Flintstone's. I definitely look pregnant rather than just flabby, which is at least somewhat comforting. I am sometimes tempted to be mischievous when strangers asks me when I'm due - I've thought about acting really offended, proclaim: "What do you mean?!", and storm off as if I were just in possession of a nice, round belly. I suppose it's good that I haven't been quite that cruel... yet ;) I'm getting more used to Izaak's squirms and punch/kicks. I hear that as he gets bigger and has less space in which to do his acrobatics - the punches will have less oomph behind them. The doctor asked me to mentally record at least 10 fetal movements in an hour, every day. Usually takes less than 5 minutes! Izaak was 2 lbs, 11 oz already at last week's sonogram, and he's positioned head-down, which I gather is a good thing? Still so in the dark with how everything is supposed to be!
As far what "stuff" we still need to pick up... how much stuff does such a tiny thing really need?! The short answer: A lot. I've been picking up a box or two of diapers here and there but have held off on buying any wipes and bathing products until we figure out if he has allergies and/or sensitive skin (like his mother tends to have). It would be nice to have 1 oz samples of a bunch of different shampoos, soaps, lotions, etc and sample packs of every diaper out there so we can figure out what works for him. I'm starting to understand why people have baby showers too, all this stuff adds up! We don't have one planned - Joe and I each have about 3 friends down here so it wouldn't make for much of a party anyhow. One of the top items on my list right now is picking up a diaper pail, I think we're going with one made by Arm & Hammer but there's a couple other ones that look like they could work too. I also need to get on the ball and pick out at least one diaper bag. I know we'll need two eventually, one for daycare and one for schlepping stuff around otherwise. And I need to start thinking about what I'm going to pack in my hospital bag. I have been provided with a very helpful and organized spreadsheet from my dear friend, Lori, who's adorable little girl is about 9 months old already! Other soon-to-dos: find a dresser/changing table, pick out our munchkin's pediatrician, and a find a daycare for when I have to go back to work.
J.O.B. (we all know it stands for "just over broke", right?)
I've been pretty much working on the same project, a gigantically huge tech manual, since I started my job last October. It's becoming an issue of "can't see the forrest for all the trees"! There's not much that I can give for particulars other than it's already at 670 pages, it's set in Arial 12 pt type, and probably will be larger still - upon completion. The manual is due on April 8th but we know there will be revisions in the future so it's the project that will never end.... it goes on and on, my friends! I feel very fortunate to be employed and to have benefits and such but some days, I just don't want to go in!! The weather has been so beautiful and can't… stop… yawning….
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Accomplishments!
Not only did I score an 82-point Scrabble word today ("EXILE", the "X" was on a triple-letter-score and the word itself also resided on a triple-word-score) and enjoyed fresh strawberries over french vanilla ice cream for breakfast, I feel like we're getting a lot accomplished! I'm please to report that I finally got my stuff together and conquered the mess that was my office; I organized, cleaned, put stuff away and moved my computer station, in turn allowing space for the futon to join the party. So now, my little office/studio also doubles (triples??) as our guest room. I'm trying to look at it as a positive change, I mean how convenient will it be for me when I'm painting or doing freelance work and suddenly need a nap... I don't even have to leave the room and I now have a comfy space to rest my head! More importantly, with the futon out of the nursery, crib construction could finally commence:
Joe had the many pieces and cryptic instruction booklet dominated in no time and we even figured out how to put the breatheable bumper/sheet set that we picked up yesterday on the crib! I also want to note that even though I don't have any photo-proof this time, our fuzzy friend, Zeke, was quite *helpful* during the process and immediately tried out the mattress for comfort and sleep-ability once everything was assembled. I'm pretty sure he gave it two furry thumbs up. The crib is really nice; a sturdy and handsome piece of furniture that should last for quite some time as it grows with our little guy and converts to a toddler bed, a day bed, and finally a full-sized bed. While doing some online shopping for a dresser/changing table, I also noticed that it's "out of stock" at the website we purchased it at - I'm so glad we ordered it when we did!!
Other accomplishments: Joe finished tiling the bathroom and it looks fantastic! I can't wait for the kitchen to get the same royal treatment. We've got some tomatoes and a couple other things growing in a little garden, we'll see how my brown thumb does for plant growth this year. I've got two paintings in the mental-works for the baby's room and another planned out for the living room. I tend to suffer from having too many ideas and not being able to focus on one long enough to see the idea to fruition but I think all three of these are winners - now just the tiny matter of getting the paint applied to the canvas...
Yesterday, I was convinced that Izaak was secretly plotting to slowly kill me. He had (what I assume were) his toes shoved up in my ribs for most of the day which makes things like breathing, sitting, standing, walking, existing, etc pretty painful. Torturing me in preparation for the future perhaps?? Fortunately, he was better behaved today and allowed me to get the above mentioned stuff done.
Tomorrow morning, I go in for a routine glucose test at the doctor's office to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. From what I understand, it involves me not having any sugar this evening or tomorrow morning (so everything that I'm craving right now contains sugar and is therefore off-limits) and drinking a bunch of some gross stuff when I get to the doctor's office tomorrow followed by waiting for an hour and having some blood drawn. Sweet (pun intended).
Joe and I signed up for a birthing awareness class for next Saturday, hopefully we'll pick up some good tips on pain management and such. By the way, my doctor's appointment last Thursday went very well, Izaak's kidneys look fine, everything looks normal, and we got a bunch more adorable (yet I must admit, they are a little bit creepy to me still!) sonogram pictures of which I will have to post in the next installment as it's getting late and I'm about ready for Mr Sandman to bring me a dream.
Joe had the many pieces and cryptic instruction booklet dominated in no time and we even figured out how to put the breatheable bumper/sheet set that we picked up yesterday on the crib! I also want to note that even though I don't have any photo-proof this time, our fuzzy friend, Zeke, was quite *helpful* during the process and immediately tried out the mattress for comfort and sleep-ability once everything was assembled. I'm pretty sure he gave it two furry thumbs up. The crib is really nice; a sturdy and handsome piece of furniture that should last for quite some time as it grows with our little guy and converts to a toddler bed, a day bed, and finally a full-sized bed. While doing some online shopping for a dresser/changing table, I also noticed that it's "out of stock" at the website we purchased it at - I'm so glad we ordered it when we did!!
Other accomplishments: Joe finished tiling the bathroom and it looks fantastic! I can't wait for the kitchen to get the same royal treatment. We've got some tomatoes and a couple other things growing in a little garden, we'll see how my brown thumb does for plant growth this year. I've got two paintings in the mental-works for the baby's room and another planned out for the living room. I tend to suffer from having too many ideas and not being able to focus on one long enough to see the idea to fruition but I think all three of these are winners - now just the tiny matter of getting the paint applied to the canvas...
Yesterday, I was convinced that Izaak was secretly plotting to slowly kill me. He had (what I assume were) his toes shoved up in my ribs for most of the day which makes things like breathing, sitting, standing, walking, existing, etc pretty painful. Torturing me in preparation for the future perhaps?? Fortunately, he was better behaved today and allowed me to get the above mentioned stuff done.
Tomorrow morning, I go in for a routine glucose test at the doctor's office to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. From what I understand, it involves me not having any sugar this evening or tomorrow morning (so everything that I'm craving right now contains sugar and is therefore off-limits) and drinking a bunch of some gross stuff when I get to the doctor's office tomorrow followed by waiting for an hour and having some blood drawn. Sweet (pun intended).
Joe and I signed up for a birthing awareness class for next Saturday, hopefully we'll pick up some good tips on pain management and such. By the way, my doctor's appointment last Thursday went very well, Izaak's kidneys look fine, everything looks normal, and we got a bunch more adorable (yet I must admit, they are a little bit creepy to me still!) sonogram pictures of which I will have to post in the next installment as it's getting late and I'm about ready for Mr Sandman to bring me a dream.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Cry About It, Whydontcha?
"Who are these women who say that they ENJOYED being pregnant?!"
That's the somewhat edited-for-adult-content thought which crossed my mind at 4am when I was jabbed awake from within by my little kung-fu panda and realized that even though I'm an exhausted, aching mess; I'd need to take yet another trip to the bathroom. I know I still have a couple months to go but I sincerely hope that nobody expects me to produce more offspring after Izaak’s arrival. I suppose I could change my mind later on and currently things could be much worse but this hasn’t exactly been a walk in the proverbial park!
I didn't have a whole lot of preconceived notions about what pregnancy would be like other than gaining a couple lbs and craving ice cream and pickles all the time. Not that I really thought it would be, but it’s not like the movies/TV at all! I'm glad that I didn’t have morning sickness per se, I only threw up once in the first trimester (due to a poorly timed vitamin intake) but I spent pretty much every waking moment feeling like I was going to spew, Exorcist-style, everywhere. Luckily, that feeling has mostly passed, seemingly replaced by a burning inside – a fire creeping up my esophagus. Heartburn is such a treat. Tums are this girl's best friend.
“Oh my gosh, you’re glowing!” Really? Who glows?! Clearly not me! I’m extra pasty, if that’s even possible, which really helps to accentuate the dark circles and bags under my eyes. I’m used to back pain but surely didn’t anticipate the intense headaches, crazy fatigue, itchy skin, carpal tunnel syndrome, swollen legs and feet, bleeding gums, stabbing pains near my ribs, easily offended sense of smell, and overall feeling that I’m not fun. The fact that I’ve turned into a human furnace and am no longer cold all the time is pretty strange too.
And I hate (yes, I said it) the pregnant girls who don’t gain an ounce save for their cute little basketball bellies. I regret to report that my adorably round belly has been paired, or should I say “pear-ed” with some thicker thighs and a more expansive backside. My feet and ankles are swollen enough that I’m concerned that “cankles” will be in my near future. The top half of me has been trying to even out the score however, and if I get much larger, Victoria won’t offer me anymore of her Secrets.
I make an effort to maintain a well-balanced diet but I figure that if I’m craving a banana pudding milkshake from Chick-fil-A, it must mean that I should have one and not feel too guilty about it. I’m not naive enough to be unaware of the correlation between amount of calories consumed, current number on the evil weighing device that plagues me at my dr visits, and puffy body shape. Everyone asks if I have any weird food cravings. I don't think mine are too strange; I do enjoy pickles (Claussen brand please!), Edy's Fruit Bars -Lemon or Lime flavors, pudding and fruit cups. An oddity: beer smells TERRIBLE. I don't think I could take a sip, even if I wanted to and I used to love beer!
On the upside of all of this, I haven’t changed the litterbox (thank you, Joe) or had a hangover in ages! I also haven’t (yet) morphed into a super-sappy, cry-at-Hallmark-commercials broad either, no offense meant to those of you who are – it’s just not me. I've had plenty of couch time to catch up on movies and TV shows and planning the nursery has been quite enjoyable thus far too.
Despite the poor-me rant I just assaulted you with, I assure you that I am truly excited about the outcome of this experience!! I’m also glad that I waited to have some life experiences and a little maturity under my belt before attempting to try on the parenting hat (again, not judging anyone else, just saying that for spastic-little-me it was probably a good choice) and I feel very fortunate to be able to share this ride with someone supportive, loveable, intelligent, and my favorite partner-in-crime. It sure doesn’t hurt that he’s handy around the house as well!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Crib Has Arrived!
The crib arrived yesterday! We haven’t put it together yet but very excited that it’s finally here!! Joe and I have been considering putting the crib in our room for the first couple of months after the baby’s arrival but I think we’ve ultimately decided to use the Pack ‘N Play’s bassinet for that purpose instead. We'll see what actually happens when Izaak has joined us :)
Now that the crib is here, I feel like I need to focus on getting it decked out. I’ve purchased a couple of fitted sheets and currently am on the hunt for a crib skirt- have not been lucky in this realm. It really only needs to have two qualities:
1. I must like it.
2. It needs to not cost a small fortune.
It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for but from what I’ve seen so far, I may have to resort to making one! I stumbled across a how-to video on YouTube on crib skirt construction (sans sewing machine!) and it turned out fairly decent. I consider myself to be crafty, so I may decide to go that route if something better doesn’t come along. Also still looking for a cushion for the rocking chair with the same requirements as the crib skirt. No luck there either. I need more hours in the day (and some energy) so I can work on these fun tasks!
My next dr’s appointment is on the 17th. At that point, I will be at 27 weeks and 3 days. They will be doing another ultrasound as there was a bit of fluid on the baby’s kidneys last time and though it wasn’t substantial and is not uncommon, they want to keep an eye on it. After this, I’ll be going to appointments every other week instead of once a month like I’ve been doing. The dr’s office has been great about scheduling my appts late in the day so I don’t have to miss work for them.
In other news, I actually slept pretty solid last night and don’t recall waking up once! This is a bonus considering I’ve been having some pain on one side near my ribs and usually have to get up at least once for a trip to the bathroom anyhow. I didn’t hear any neighbors yelling, didn’t feel any kitties dancing, don’t even remember dreaming. Fabulous!!
Now that the crib is here, I feel like I need to focus on getting it decked out. I’ve purchased a couple of fitted sheets and currently am on the hunt for a crib skirt- have not been lucky in this realm. It really only needs to have two qualities:
1. I must like it.
2. It needs to not cost a small fortune.
It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for but from what I’ve seen so far, I may have to resort to making one! I stumbled across a how-to video on YouTube on crib skirt construction (sans sewing machine!) and it turned out fairly decent. I consider myself to be crafty, so I may decide to go that route if something better doesn’t come along. Also still looking for a cushion for the rocking chair with the same requirements as the crib skirt. No luck there either. I need more hours in the day (and some energy) so I can work on these fun tasks!
My next dr’s appointment is on the 17th. At that point, I will be at 27 weeks and 3 days. They will be doing another ultrasound as there was a bit of fluid on the baby’s kidneys last time and though it wasn’t substantial and is not uncommon, they want to keep an eye on it. After this, I’ll be going to appointments every other week instead of once a month like I’ve been doing. The dr’s office has been great about scheduling my appts late in the day so I don’t have to miss work for them.
In other news, I actually slept pretty solid last night and don’t recall waking up once! This is a bonus considering I’ve been having some pain on one side near my ribs and usually have to get up at least once for a trip to the bathroom anyhow. I didn’t hear any neighbors yelling, didn’t feel any kitties dancing, don’t even remember dreaming. Fabulous!!
Friday, March 4, 2011
New Stuff!
According to a gadget on my iGoogle page, I have 100 days of pregnancy left - still sounds to me like a long time but I’m sure it will fly by. Today, I felt what I think were Izaak’s hiccups for the first time! According to the internet, this is a normal, common occurrence that starts around 7 months. By the way, what did moms-to-be do before the wonders of the internet? I have a couple books to peruse (thanks, Lori!) but I don’t know that I’d find all the info I want from just books. I am very spoiled by the ease of access to the internet’s wealth of knowledge (even though sifting through the abundant misinformation is a pain). And shopping! It is so much more convenient to shop online and read reviews prior to picking something out. I may ultimately buy most things in a store but I like knowing where I can get the best deal and that I’ve made a good decision on a product.
Last night, while enjoying some quality couch-lounging/tv-watching, I was leaning to the side a bit and had my arm draped over my belly. I’m used to feeling quite a bit of baby wiggles and jabs so I don’t always pay attention to all of them but out of the blue, my elbow started moving up and down because it was getting karate-chopped from within! Between the baby's aerobics and one of our cats (Hudson), I haven’t been getting very solid sleep. Hudsy decides way too often that he needs to acquire some affection from me, usually around 3 or 4am, and stomps on me with his 16-lb body and head-butts me until I wake up. We may need to relocate the litter box somewhere other than our bathroom and lock the cats out of our room at night. I'd hate to punish my sweet snuggler, Zeke, for Hudsy the Headbutt-er's bad behavior but I need every bit of sleep I can get!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Baby Gear
Little Hoot!
We ordered the Stroller/Carseat combo and the Pack ‘n Play (both with adorable owl pattern, of course!) online from Target on Sunday afternoon, using the gift cards we collected at Christmastime. They were on sale and who can argue with free shipping to boot? Upon our arrival home after work yesterday, we were delighted to find that the Stroller/Carseat was already delivered to our door! The kitties were very interested in the packing material as they are big fans of plastic bags and corrugated cardboard. Joe put the stroller together and pushed it around the house a bit while I was making dinner. I think this baby-on-the-way thing is starting to sink in a bit!
Nesting.
My office is still a mess but I’ve been a busy bee with purging my closet of the clothes I haven’t worn in some time. The biggest challenge with the office is tackling the boxes of random stuff that I’m simply not sure what to do with. We have a similar area in the garage – boxes with assorted junk that hasn’t been utilized in years but is seemingly too good to just throw away. I’m toying with the idea of having a garage sale. It may be less of a hassle to just bag/box up the stuff we haven’t used lately and donate it rather than trying to sort, price, and haggle with garage salers and then bagging up the rest and donating anyhow. It would be nice to raise a couple bucks to go towards diapers or something though!
In other news, we are starting to get ready to tile the kitchen. We’ve picked out the tile (two lovely tones of beige and tan, a.k.a. Almond and Walnut) and though I wish I could be more helpful with the actual installation, the rest of the job realistically resides on Joe’s shoulders. I’m so lucky to have a capable dude around the house!
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