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Bumpday – 31 Weeks

Feb 1st, 2012
by gazelle.
6 comments

I’m now into the single digit countdown.  The next ~9 weeks are going to go so fast!  EEEEEEE!

Baby size:16-ish inches long; 3.3-ish lbs (about the size of a pineapple)

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I’m feeling: Ehn. I’ve felt better. This is my last week of intense writing for my capstone, and I’ll be glad to put that behind me. I am going to concentrate on swimming & yoga for the next month & try to keep my pelvis happy.

Physical changes: The belly button is still an innie!  I am still humongous! I run into things with my belly a lot. I’ve started to wake up with calf cramps on occasion, which has been a little annoying. I’m trying really hard to stay super-hydrated, because I know that helps w/ the leg cramps and the Braxton Hicks, although it does mean more waking up to pee. Sleeping is getting really difficult, although I’ve slept semi-propped up on the couch the last two nights, and have slept really well; only waking up 2-3 times to pee. I hate the thought of couch sleeping for the next two months, but not as much as I hate being exhausted!

Baby stuff: I think someone gave Alvie Bean a little pick-axe so he could try to dig his way out through my right rib cage. I don’t necessarily appreciate that!  As of this week, all of his 1-2-3-4-5 senses [are] working overtime! (ha ha ha – I kill me!).

Body Image: Comes & goes – I am obsessed with training plans for post-baby, and keep looking for post-partum exercise plans. However, on almost every website I’ve looked at, in the first couple paragraphs, it mentions that exercise won’t get rid of stretch marks. I am not worried about that! I want fitness, strength & endurance!

Food stuff: I finally got my chicken & dumplings, and so am okay there.  Nothing else, really, although my sugar cravings are getting crazy! I want something sweet after every meal, which is ridiculous. I’m trying to resist as much as possible, and only do sweet desserts a couple of times/week.

Things I miss: Running. Walking without pain. Being able to tie my shoes without a plan. Taking rolling over for granted.

Prep Work (Things to do between now & Alvie Bean Day)

January: Find a pediatrician, lock down a daycare (two more tours scheduled!), recycle all the old electronics in the office, get the carpet cleaning appointment made, find a maid service for quarterly deep cleans, finalize shower list for shower giver! Find a new doula!

February: Attend childbirth class, take babymoon, make sure all essentials are purchased (diapers and carseat at this point!), pack hospital bag

March: Attend breastfeeding & newborn care class; finish getting less essential essentials (rocking chair, crib, changing table, other random stuff), make a plan for freezer meals, finish getting nursery ready, sign up for FMLA

In conclusion:

Right now, Alvie is practicing his kung fu moves, and I am so excited to meet him. Last night when he was trying to dig to China, I grounded him until he was 24. The closer we get, the more excited I am to meet this little man who is going to be such a huge, important piece of my life.  Watching the architect talk about all the things he wants to do with our son makes me mist up. Contemplating introducing my baby to his grandparents is just so emotional. I am so happy/scared/excited/terrified of all the changes that are coming our way. Learning to balance something completely new will be quite an adventure.

 

PICTURES!

Belly pic montage!

 

Bumpday – Week 30

Jan 25th, 2012
by gazelle.
7 comments

I do have pictures this week! The Ambitious One took photos of me last night at the pool. My hair looks kinda crappy (as it’s prepping for being in a swim cap), but there I am in all my maternity suit glory!

The water was pretty cold, which is why I look so surprised in the second picture. Also, holy cleavage, Batman!  I had no idea that was happening in that suit.  CRAZY!

 

And now – on to the updates!

Baby size:15.7 inches-ish; 3-ish lbs (about the size of a cabbage)

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I’m feeling: Not too bad; better than I have the last few weeks. My pelvic region is feeling much better; very little pain with walking. ALSO, I went swimming last night and it was A-mazing.

Physical changes: The belly button is still an innie!  It’s pretty shallow, and I keep expecting it to just pop out with a little cartoon popping noise. Less round ligament pain & cramping this week, which is great. Now that I’m just big, I can’t tell if I’m getting bigger each week, or just staying at the same level of bigness. No stretch marks, or varicose veins, or any of the other stuff I’ve been told to expect. Just the itchy skin!

Baby stuff: Alvie Bean is a little less kicky this week, although still very active. It turns out that when I’m less stressed, he is, too. Weird!

Body Image: I felt pretty cute in my maternity suit (and the clothes I wore to work yesterday), so as long as I don’t think of things in terms of weight, I am okay. It’s kinda fun having a big round belly!

Food stuff: No real cravings this week. I would still kill someone for chicken & dumplings (didn’t get it done last weekend), but other than that, just my go-to foods: carrots & bananas. I have been eating a LOT of dairy recently. A glass of milk a day – haven’t done that since high school probably. Alvie Bean is stealing all my calcium reserves!

Things I miss: Belts. Beer. Sleeping on my stomach. Not having to pee every 90 minutes.

Prep Work (Things to do between now & Alvie Bean Day)

January: Find a pediatrician, lock down a daycare, recycle all the old electronics in the office, get the carpet cleaning appointment made, find a maid service for quarterly deep cleans, finalize shower list for shower giver! And now, find a new doula, since mine quit last Monday – interviewing one tomorrow!

February: Attend childbirth & breastfeeding classes, take babymoon, make sure all essentials are purchased (diapers and carseat at this point!), pack hospital bag

March: Finish getting less essential essentials (rocking chair, crib, changing table, other random stuff), make a plan for freezer meals, finish getting nursery ready, sign up for FMLA

 

In conclusion:

Much better than last week. I can see lights at the end of my work-stress and school-stress tunnels.

I am so glad that I have the architect, even if he is the one who got me into this whole mess! He is totally my anchor and I don’t know what I’d do without him. I love that he’s getting so excited to meet our bean & loves to feel him shift around inside me.

Less than 10 weeks to go!  It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Working on my weekend

Jan 6th, 2012
by gazelle.
5 comments

Today is my day off (I have every Friday off; it’s my favorite part about my job). However, after taking all of last week off PLUS having Monday as a holiday, today is more of a working day off. I am still at home, but did an hour or so of work this morning & will do another hour of work this afternoon.

It was, fortunately, broken up by PANCAKES! with my neighbor Alisha. (YAY! Pancakes!)

I know that I left you all hanging in regards to my glucose tolerance test yesterday, but no need to wait with bated breath anymore! I passed! WOO! No gestational diabetes for me! (Also, everything else looks good. Everything is just exactly as it should be! YAY Alvie!)

However, now that I am firmly in the very beginning of my third trimester, I’ve noticed a few…odd…things.

I have an overwhelming urge to organize things. Like the office. And the kitchen. And the pantry. THINGS NEED TO BE ORGANIZED! Unfortunately, I am currently operating under a restriction of how much activity I can currently do and how much I am allowed to lift. I tend to err on the side of too much, and am trying to NOT get too ambitious and completely destroy my pelvic joint (which I have apparently unwittingly damaged).

So – I am making lists, instead, and resisting giving them to the architect.

I have a list for all the stuff we need to own by March 1.

I have a list for all the stuff that needs to be packed in my hospital bag (also by March 1)

I have a list of all the things that need to be done around the house (again – March 1!), including the pantry, kitchen, office, goodwill trips, etc.

I am starting a list of all the foodstuffs I want in the freezer by April 1 so that I don’t have to worry about dinner prep for a month (any suggestions of good, healthy food that freezes well WELCOME).

I also have work related lists.

Fortunately, I will not have to worry about school! YAY! 6 weeks left of grad school! In fact, I just filled out my application for an advanced degree. My commencement ceremony will be ~August 11 (not set in stone! Don’t book your tickets just yet!) of 2012, and I’m thinking of having a little celebratory reception at my home the next day, so that I can eat graduation cake, and drink graduation punch, and walk around in my robe feeling masterful. You are all invited.  It will be beautiful, so we’ll have it on the deck, and then maybe a fire in the firepit that evening.

 

Yeah – a lot of crazy here….