Homestretch!

November 14th - I am a little over 38 weeks along. I went to my doctor on Thursday and she said that she can feel that the baby has dropped, but that I am not dilated at all. That is perfectly fine with me because I'm enjoying the extra time to get things done before she gets here. I am due on Thanksgiving but if she is not here by November 30th then I will be admitted and induced. Thus for those of you taking bets, the likelyhood is that if she doesn't come on her own, she will be here by December 1st. I start maternity leave on Monday November 23rd and plan to take 12 weeks off , returning to work on Monday, February 15th. I think it will be one of the best times of my life. Both mom's will be down to help and we will have many visitors during that time. I can't wait to meet her!!!

Many Blessings

October 25, 2009 - This weekend my friends in Houston threw me a baby shower. We have been so blessed with all of the gifts that we have gotten from people. In fact, if you check out the picture on the right you will see all of the loot. It looks like chaos but believe it or not, i have it organized in some manner. Thankfully I have a friend who is coming over next weekend to help me get everything from the downstairs to the upstairs nursery. I've realized that in talking to other moms that even with all this stuff, we are still missing alot of things (thermometer, clothes hamper, etc). The nursery is coming together and by the time she gets here , all of the future grandparents will have contributed to the decorating and functionality of the room. Many blessings indeed.

Gettin closer

October 11, 2009 - Well good news, this Wednesday i will be 34 weeks officially. Now instead of wishing the time away I am wishing that time moves slower. I am trying to relish the time that me and the little one have left together. You start to get that feeling that this might be the only time, especially when you are this late in the fertility game, and so I feel like I should be remembering every moment.
On a less somber note, this kid has so much stuff waiting for her when she gets here. Everyone around me has been so generous! Our dining room is piled high with things thanks to friends and family. This week, my coworkers had a luncheon for me and gave use two cute outfits and a gift certificate to Target. Then this weekend, John's family in San Antonio threw a "sprinkle" which was a ladies lunch. We had a great meal at a cute restaurant in San Antonio and then they blessed us with really nice baby monitors and a swing. One of the best gifts has been the book "Baby 411' which John's cousin's wife gave me. It has alot of good information that will be a good reference. I read it on the drive home but had to admit , it was a little overwhelming so I put it away for now. I'm starting to get nervous about all of the information that comes with taking care of a child. I hope I can remember it all!

How to Give Birth 101

Saturday John and I "couple bonded" over a 6 hour class on childbirth. There were a total of about 10 couples, all getting ready to have their first child. The woman who taught it was this large loud nurse who definetely kept it interesting. She had over 20 years of experience delivering babies so nothing was really off limits. The first hour was a repeat of sex ed from the fifth grade. Her exact quote "before i tell you how to get this baby out, I'm going to tell you how it got there in the first place". It was a good review but John said he would of been fine with about 5 minutes worth of info vs. 60. Then onto all the joyous components of labor, breathing, and exercises to do to help get ready for the big day. She had all of the ladies sit around in a circle and put their legs together butterfly. Most of the perky 20 something's were able to pull them in tight. Lets just say this 36 year old mother to be wasn't near as limber. I guess i have 9 weeks to practice. There was woman in our class who is probably going to give her OB a run for the money. She didn't seem to be satisfied with the status quo asking about if they had to do this, could they refuse that, could they bring in their own diapers if they wanted a certain kind. Lady, what my kid has on her butt after I get done squeezing a watermelon out is the least of my worries.
The highlight of the day was the birth video. Notice the word "video". That tells you how old it was. And the only couple they could get to be part of the video was this woman with salt and pepper hair (yes salt and pepper hair) and her husband who looked like Captain from Captain and Tenille. And let me tell ya, this woman held nothing back. In fact at one point she got so hot that she had no clothes on. Yep...giving birth naked.

The rest of the day got a little better and we concluded by going on a nice tour of the hospital. It is just what you would expect for being in a nice, above average income, suburb of Houston with mostly people who have insurance. Private rooms, room service, very cozy, comfortable. Not like giving birth at county I'm sure. I shouldn't be so sarcastic though. We are lucky to have good insurance and convenient access to our physicians and good medical care. All and all it was a good experience and I feel like we truly are better prepared for the birth. I just plan on doing it with clothes on...

Baby Musings

September 13th - Happy Birthday to me. This is a particularly special birthday knowing that I will be a mom sometime during my 36th year. I have to admit, this wasn't my plan when I set out on my adult life, but this is the way God planned it so you can't argue.
I've been quiet on the blog due to "swine flu". Not because I have it, but because it has been keeping me super busy at work. Almost too busy at times. Some days have been a little stressful and I certainly don't have the reserve I used to . I will be 30 weeks this Wednesday. Some days i feel like "i still have 10 weeks left" and other days it is "omg , i only have 10 weeks left". The belly is pretty big and it makes it more difficult to get out of bed, pick things up, or do anything but walk or lie flat. My back is feeling alot of the effects so I am hoping to get into a massage soon. The little munchkin is moving every day know and getting some good kicks in. In fact, John was laying next to me the other night and thought I jerked , but in fact it was the baby kicking. He thought that was pretty funny. She seems like she is most active in the afternoon and early evenings , especially if I have had a long day at work or just eaten dinner. I thought i had her pegged in terms of position, but now I'm starting to wonder as it seems that I can feel her kick or punch in just about any location....almost like she has four arms or something. Regardless, i'm happy for whatever I feel because it reminds me that she is doing okay.

"She's going to be a turkey"

That's what the ultrasound tech said on Thursday when we went in. Evidently, baby girl Williams was not cooperating very well and it took the US tech about 20 minutes to get a good view of her heart, because she kept moving around and covering her heart with her hands. When the tech asked us when she was due and we told her it was Thanksgiving, she said that this made sense because she was being a little turkey! She has moved from being breach to head down and all the while when i thought i was feeling kicks , it was actually her punching me.

As of Wednesday, i am starting my third trimester. They are still putting my due date at November 26th. The doctor has me coming in every 2 weeks but mostly the check ups are benign. I did find out my iron was a little low so she started me on iron pills. i don't know how well i am going to tolerate them. I took one today and it did not go well (lots of stomach pain) so I am going to wait until tomorrow night and try to take them in the evening.

I went home to Council Bluffs last weekend for a shower. It was so much fun. All of my closest friends from pharmacy school came so it was like a mini reunion. I also had several other family and friends there. I got a lot of really cute clothes and we made customized onesies. I got so much stuff that my mom and her husband are having to bring it down to Dallas next weekend via car. She and John's mom are planning a shower for us in Dallas which should be alot of fun.

I don't have any really great US pictures this go around , except of her face because of her positioning. She is moving alot now. In fact i laid on the couch tonight and watched my belly move up and down. i'm sure over the next few weeks it will get even more pronounced. What a miracle!

Good news

Two pieces of good news - we found a daycare center today and I figured out how to change the settings so that anyone can post (and you don't have to sign in).

Orange Drink, Prunes, and Daycare

August 15, 2009

I went in on Thursday for my glucose challenge test. I followed Megan's advice and only ate protein and no carbs before I went in. I actually ran into a coworker in the elevator at the hospital who is about 2 weeks ahead of me and she was going in for the same test. She said she had pizza for breakfast so I was sure I was going to be much better off. I had to drink about 75 cc of a cold orange drink which really was more like Diet Sunkist without the carbonation. I had heard of so many people talking about how gross it was but it wasn't bad at all too me. I guess I will know in a week or two if I passed the 1 hour test or if I have to move onto the 3 hour test. Who knows though...my Obstetrician is less than communicative and she never tells me anything unless I ask about it. Don't get me wrong. She seems competent but is the world's worst communicator and of course, i'm the world's best patient :) so therein lies the issue.

I had a prune, actually two prunes for the first time in my life today. If you think long (or maybe not) you will quickly come to the conclusion of why this fruit has entered my diet. Carbs and cheese continue to be my mainstay though which is just fine with me. I have put on a little weight though (okay like 30 pounds) but I keep envisioning it will all fall off after the first of the year when I go back to a normal diet and am doing P90-X fitness DVDs with the little bambino strapped to my back.

I spent some time on Friday looking at daycares in the area and then sending reports back to John who is offshore. Most of them are the same. Pretty clean, organized, good security, and expensive. But that is what you get for living in surburbia. One place I toured was bragging about how their curriculum starts, even at 6 weeks. Seriously people, what kind of curriculum does my kid need at 6 weeks?? We probably won't put her into daycare until about 10 weeks so maybe by then instead of tummy time, she will move straight into lessons on cold fusion or thermodynamics. Most of the daycares that I called were between $800 and $900 a month. But yesterday, i did find a place that was $270 a week (they tell you in price per week so it doesn't sound so bad) which means $1080 a month. So for that price, I'm not only expecting physics lessons, but also that my kid will be able to speak a second language by her 1st birthday. Gaelic anyone??

Water, water everywhere

I am envious of my friend Amanda who we call the camel, because she drinks more water than anyone I know. This has been one of my biggest challenges, especially in the dry unrelenting heat of South Texas. I drink water in the morning and all day at work but it doesn't seem to be enough. So I try to make up for it by drinking twice as much in the evening which I thought was smart until I have to get up 3 times at night to go to the bathroom. Amanda said that her doctor told her to imagine that your baby is like a goldfish in a bowl. The more water you circulate through there, the cleaner it becomes. So all the while I'm thinking that my poor little munchkin is like that goldfish in the murky water because her momma couldn't get enough fluid in her to clean the tank out.

I'm feeling really great now. About a week and a half ago , I had some mild discomfort along with a couple of other symptoms that are a little to private to mention here. So I called the doctor, and they said "Drink more water" and take it easy. Great..thanks. That's brilliant , I wish I would of thought of that. But sadly they were right. I just needed to drink more water and I did, and everything is back to normal.

John is hanging in there okay despit the fact that I evidently have become "more opinionated" since being pregnant to which I remind him that "I have an opinion too". I guess on occassion I've been a little snippy as well. But he is being a super trooper and is very engaged with how I am feeling and how the baby is doing.

I go in this week for my oral glucose challenge test which is a prescreen for gestational diabetes. My friend Megan gave me a couple of tips to help sway the test in my direction (Don't worry - just so i don't go over a few points and then have to endure the 3 hr test, not to screw the system). Lets just hope my new mini Snickers habit didn't predispose me to have to do carb counts now for the rest of my pregnancy. Keep your fingers crossed!

A watched belly never kicks

July 27, 2009

Well she is kicking pretty good every day. It is a reassuring feeling when you have a little boxer in your belly because it is a good reminder that she is doing well in there. According to the 50 million baby websites, she should be a little over one pound and 12 inches from tip to toe. I can't really figure out where she is in my belly. It seems like I feel it all over, almost like she has two sets of feet and hands (good news though, the ultrasound revealed that there was only one set of each). She is really moving around tonight as I was sitting here checking my email but only when I turned my head away. it seems like when I watched my belly there wasn't any movement. Sort of like standing around waiting for Old Faithful to erupt and then realizing you are not at Yellowstone.

We painted the nursery last weekend when John's mom and uncle Hank came to visit. At first it was on tap to be lavendar and beige but John made the suggestion of yellow so literally split the difference down the middle. Now the bottom half of the wall is lavender and the top is a light yellow with chair rail to be hung in the middle (one of these days).

Its a ....

GIRL!! I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure it was a boy. In the fact the ultrasound technician said "It's definetely a girl". John's mom and I stopped at Target on the way home and we now have two brand new outfits for her. Her...not getting used to saying that right now.

She was a little uncooperative so we couldn't get all the pictures we needed. The ultrasound tech said I will probably have to come back and get 1 or 2 more. So we will have more pics.

Here is a pretty head shot.

Center of Gravity

One thing I was unprepared for was the change in my center of gravity. At about 13 weeks I squatted down to clean up some water that I had spilled and rolled backwards. Last night, I was getting out of a friend's pool and misjudged the step. I was almost a goner at that point. Not only do i have about a good 15 extra pounds resting on the front of my body, i also found out that i have no muscle mass in my legs. So whatever muscles I thought I had are now gone.

We have to start crib shopping again soon because the crib that we ordered has now been recalled. No one from Babys R Us really bothered to tell us. I figured out when I called them to find out where the thing was. It is a big pain because I thought I was being so meticulous in my research and even picked a brand that received an "A" . I told John that all of the other cribs were "death cribs" and that we should stay away because they were all recalled. So much for that.

Have a good weekend everyone. We are heading out to the park for a work picnic. I think i'll probably last about 1 hour in this heat.

Soccer Player

July 5th - the little 'guy" is moving around pretty good tonight. It feels kind of strange, like a bunch of little soft punches or kicks. This is proably about the 4th time I felt it kicking in the last 3 weeks.

Finally!

Hello everyone,

July 3, 2009 (week 19) Welcome to our blog. We finally got it up and running. Some would say "geez your almost halfway done with your pregnancy". But look at this way, we still have 20 weeks to go. We are very excited about the changes that are ahead.

I've been feeling great lately with the exception of heartburn and occassional moody-ness. Although I am a pharmacist i found myself having to look up the maximum dose of Tums the other day because I am eating them like candy. At least they are good for you.

My feet and hands have also started to swell a bit. I can't wear my wedding rings and some of my shoes become tight by the end of the day. The baby has been starting to move. I felt the first little punches on June 25th. This morning "he" was moving around which was kind of fun to feel. We go in for our next ultrasound on July 16th and we should know the gender by then. My mother's intuition is that it is a boy but we shall see.

More to follow. Thanks for checking in!
Kristi and John