January 2007 Mommies - Part II

[Winter Biscuit]

I think we're done after Peanut comes, God willing everything goes all right and Peanut is healthy, etc. Two is enough for us, I think. So I am thinking one of us is getting snipped, and I'm thinking it's gonna be DH. I had the kids, he can get snipped, right? ;)

I could have written this -- just substitute Nugget for Peanut! DH is so getting snipped, that's all I have to say. After 2 pregnancies (including the never-ending morning sickness of this one - and yes, I am STILL getting sick at 30 weeks) and 2 c-sections, not to mention nursing DD for 1+ year (and hoping to nurse Nugget just as long), I think it's only fair that he be the one who goes to the snip doctor!!

I remember my doctor really wanted to talk about BC at my 6-week postpartum checkup after I had DD. He was determined not to let me leave his office unless/until I had some type of BC. Since I had a c-section, he didnt' want me to get pregnant too soon; he said he wanted to ensure that my incisions (especially the internal one) had time to heal completely before going through pregnancy again. I think he said he didn't recommend getting pg again for 12-18 months, but I can't remember exactly. He wanted me to get the Depo Provera shot that very day, but I said no. I have 2 friends that experienced bad side effects on Depo (namely, significant weight gain - we're talking 50 pounds!) so I declined. So then he started pushing the mini-pill, but I opted not to do anything. Being familiar with my cycle/body was all I needed. I didn't start charting until we TTC Nugget, but I was familiar enough with my cycles that I had a pretty good idea of what was going on....so I made it 2+ years without BC. Fooey on my doctor who said I "needed" BC :p :rolleyes:

jmvan74 - you look fabulous!!

Alegna -- sounds like you had a great shower! :D

wagsgirl -- woo hoo for the date! You're up to bat one day before me! :)

magdesilver -- I really need to get my butt in gear, too! We ordered window treatment for Nugget's bedroom yesterday, but that's the only thing we've done lately. We have so much to do that I can't even allow myself to think about it anymore! Hope you get to order your van soon. IIRC, you were going to get a Honda Odyssey, right? We got ours a few months ago and I LOVE it!

My doctor called me this morning to confirm that my surgery is scheduled for 10am on 1/23. Up until now, I only had the date. It feels a lot more "real" to have the time scheduled. Gulp. They also gave me my pre-op appointment date/time, my 2-week incision check appointment date/time, AND my 6-week postpartum checkup date/time. It sure is weird to have all those future appointments scheduled. Only 9 more weeks! :eek:

[Alegna]

I forgot to tell you about my awesome bowling games on Friday. This baby must have done something to me, because I've never been this good of a bowler.

I bowled a 131, 150 and 168! My average is only 128. :)

Of course my team is still in last place, but I'm having fun and that's all that matters.

[Alegna]

I think I might be jealous of you ladies with dates set. I hate surprises and not knowing when this baby is going to be born is kind of nerve racking.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

I think my birth control after this baby will be abstinence...:p Ha ha - just kidding of course! I will probably end up on some kind of pill. Honestly, it took us so long to get pregnant int he first place, that I could probably not be on any kinf of bc and still be ok. I have PCOS and just don't ovulate on my own.

My SIL is in the hospital right now supposedly in labor. She was induced starting yesterday at like 5am, but it's just not happening. After over 24 hours of drugs and whatnot, she is STILL only like 2cm dialated. The hospital was going to send her home, but she said no. Accodring to my brother, they have her on a "full dose" of pitocin for the next 6 hours. If nothing happens, it will either be time to head home or I bet she will just ask for a c-section. I hope to God I go into labor on my own. This whole induction thing sounds like a nightmare.

[NYLACHI]

I'm scared of induction for sure. Have you guys seen this?

http://www.childbirth.org/interactive/induction.html

This is a quiz that computes your "Bishop's score" to see if induction has a good chance of being successful...

[jmvan74]

Thanks Jen and Winter Biscuit.:)

BC: I won't be using anything hormonal. Just a barrier method if any. As for future children. We're pretty sure this will be it, but we don't want to take any medical steps, yet. A few years from now DH can go get snipped. ;)


Great game, Angela!

Ginger: sounds like your SIL was not a prime candidate for induction. What a shame, she can't be comfortable.

NYLACHI: I did that quiz w/ my stats from DS#1 and I scored a 9. Glad to know I was ready for induction. :p My induction actually went really well....unfortunately, delivery was not as speedy! :)

[Lucy Van Pelt]

I heard back from my brother and SIL's water finally broke and her labor is progressing. I amhoping for news of my nephew's arrival sometime in the next few hours. :)

[wine_o_girlie]

Hey y'all, sounds like everyone is doing well. The nurseries are looking so great! I cannot believe some of you guys already know when your baby will be delivered! That is too cool. Time is really, really flying in my world.

We had our 3rd shower yesterday. :eek: I'm a little bit embarassed to have had so many but my family lives in another state so that was 1 shower, our friends/my husband's family where we live now was the 2nd shower, and then yesterday was a (small) surprise shower with MIL's friends for our 3rd shower. I was so shocked and have NEVER been surprised with a party like that in my life, I have always had suspicions. ;) My husband told me earlier in the week he was going to take me out for a fancy brunch and to get dressed up because he has been working so much. I walked into the restaurant and the hostess said "Oh, you must be the guest of honor for the baby shower". Big shock. It was wonderful and everyone went in together and bought us the Phil & Ted's E3 stroller! I knew it had been purchased off the registry (I am a bad peeker) a while ago but no idea who had bought it.

Getting stuff done - the story of my life these days and very much needed!

Stuff - We are pretty much all done with the nursery and 99% of the registry has been purchased. We have 2 car seats, the stroller, the Medela breast pump, a million clothes/wash clothes/towels, Bumbo seat, swing, bouncy seat, gymini, swaddling blankets, baby monitors, Diaper Champ, etc., etc., etc. Man, these babies require a lot of stuff! We are almost done washing everything and have actually putting things in drawers - craziness! We are trying to pick a name but have it narrowed down to a few contenders but no #1 choice.

Pediatrician - I interviewed a great pediatrician and am 99% sure I am going to go with her group. She is so nice, the practice seems great, and she was open to delaying some vaccinations which is important to me. I plan to vax but do not want the kiddo's immune system being overwhelmed. The plan is to limit shots to no more than 2-3 per visit. Did y'all know that the current "schedule" most offices have is for the baby to get 5 vaccinations at their 2 month appointment? 4 shots and 1 oral. That just seems a bit overwhelming IMO so we are going to go a bit slower. Also, the babe will be kept in our home by family members for 8 months or so, so that factors into my thinking. Anyway, this doctor was great about that plan. Whew, huge load off my mind to have that settled.

Daycare - One of my MIL's has agreed to keep the baby at our house for the 5-6 weeks after I return to work but before my husband gets out for summer vacation (he's a teacher). HUGE relief. I have my maternity leave worked out to take 14 weeks off and then will return hopefully for 4 days a week in the office/1 day a week working from home until August. She will keep the baby for 4 days a week until summer vacation starts. Then, over the summer, I will keep the baby 1 day a week, my husband will keep him 2 days a week (we own a business so he needs some time to work at that too), and each MIL will take 1 day a week - all at our house. So, we have until the end of August to figure out a "formal" arrangement for baby's daycare needs. I feel a lot better since we got that worked out and he will be 8ish months before possibly going to daycare. I also plan to look at hiring a nanny. Anyone have a nanny? Care to share your experiences?

Pregnancy stuff - Still feeling great. I actually walked over 2 miles in a charity event for a local hospital (our business was a sponsor) last night and other than having to pee the whole time (:mad:), it felt great. I am not allowed to exercise because of my weight gain issues but am allowed to walk. I really wish I did that more often but I am lazy. My husband and I were talking the whole walk about how next year we will be out there with the baby in the stroller. Aww, it's getting so cute to think about how things will be so different next year...

No issues to report from my last appointment except I am now measuring 2 weeks "behind" but the midwives aren't too concerned and are just monitoring me and will re-measure at my next appointment (December 5th). The weirdest part is that I FINALLY gained some weight (5 pounds) at my last visit but am now measuring small when I haven't before. :confused: I'm up a total of 6 pounds for the pregnancy and everything seems to be going great. I was soooooooo relieved to hear the baby is head down and according to my midwife, the odds are in my favor that he won't flip to breech. I so hope she is right. They give me my paperwork for the hospital to fill out and scheduled all of my remaining appointments. :eek:

I hired a doula/childbirth educator to do a private class in our home this past Saturday and I was really looking forward to it. Because of our jobs and owning our own buisness, it wasn't feasible for us to take 6 weeks of evening classes at the hospital. So, I went the in-house route. Plus, this lady has worked with my midwife group and focuses her instruction on a low intervention birth which is my goal and not the focus of the hospital classes. Unfortunately though, she was at a birth all night on Friday and couldn't come. :mad: I didn't find out until the time she was supposed to come so that sucked. She is re-scheduled for next Saturday and I really hope to get that done and over with.

Anyway, this is a massive post. I hope y'all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat lots - I plan to! We have an excuse, right?

QOTD: Have you gotten more emotional?

I was acting so stupid on Saturday and I could not get control of myself. I started crying when the doula had to re-schedule, I started crying in the car when we couldn't find this awesome wine warehouse that I wanted to go to, I started tearing up when my SIL was singing in a play that night, etc. I haven't felt much different or bitchy or anything but I am definitely quicker to tears than normal. Luckily, after the first minute or so I realize I am being a goober and try to stop it but sometimes it takes a while to stop the flow. Anyone else?

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Well, I am *finally* an aunt! After 46 hours of labor, my SIL finally gave birth at 3:38 this morning. After all that labor, it only took her TWO pushes to get him out! My nephew is Gavin Conrad (after my grandfather) Lastname. He is 8 pounds, 8 ounces and 21 inches long. :) Since my SIL is diabetic, she might not get out of the hospital until Thursday, but they are hoping to be released sometime tomorrow.

We start our childbirth prep classes tonight!

[NYLACHI]

Wine o girlie-- you make me feel very, very behind. I need to get a move on!

[ButterflyJen]

wine_o - re: measuring small. I'm right there with you on that one. My dr. isn't concerned either, and honestly I'm not concerned this time. I just have a feeling things are going better with Peanut than they did with DD (mainly because I have feet in my ribs all the time, LOL). He still wants an u/s at my next appt. just to check growth. Gee, darn, right? ;) You've been busy!!

[zhannushka]

WB - Wow, I can't believe that you already have the date and the TIME scheduled! :)

wine_o_girlie - I am definitely much more emotional then normal lately. I've been crying for TV shows and certain stories I hear. I've also noticed that I can get frustrated and annoyed with things much easier then normal. I normally NEVER snap at my almost 90-year-old grandma, no matter what she says or does, but lately - I haven't been able to control myself and have snapped at her a few times... :o

Ginger - Congratulations on becoming an aunt!!! :D

Well, we have all of our prenatal classes scheduled now:

November 27th - Newborn Care class
December 5th - 26th (every Tuesday) - Prepared Childbirth class
December 13 - Breastfeeding Basics class

Also, today we are doing the tour of the Center for Childbirth at the hospital! We are very excited but also kind of scared at the same time - all of a sudden the whole thing just seems very real... :eek:

[jmvan74]

wine_o: Glad you found a ped that's willing to work w/ you.

Ginger: Congrats on being an Aunt!

Zhanna: Have fun on the tour. I found the tour put me more at ease. It was kind of like "okay, this is where I'll be...I know where to go now.";)

QOTD:Emotional: Unfortunately, yes. Not just the tears, but my temper. Not good. I'm afraid to see what my blood pressure will be today. DS has been a total brat and I'm doing my best to stay calm. Aaarrgghh.

[magdesilver]

Well, just got a call from the m/w office that she will be out of town next week so since I'm having no problems thus far I am skipping that appt. and won't go in again until Dec. 14. Oh well!
I finally started ordering stuff for the baby's room. I ordered the dresser and bookcase last night (DH's parents are paying for them, it's so nice to keep our $800). I actually found a crib I like today at Baby Depot but they are out of stock. The other location in town has it in stock so we will go get it later this week, and best of all it's on sale! Score!
Went today to test drive the minivans we are looking at (Honday Odyssey and Toyota Sienna) and liked the Honda much better. Hopefully within the week I'll have my new car and be a minivan momma!
And I've also been measuring on the small side- consistently 2 cm smaller than the # of weeks I am. M/w isn't concerned so I don't think I'm having another u/s or anything.

[ButterflyJen]

Not just the tears, but my temper. Not good. DS has been a total brat and I'm doing my best to stay calm.
Ohhhh yes, going on over here, too....if DD would just sleep a little bit longer...nap a little bit longer....it wouldn't be so bad, but she is consistently getting up BEFORE the sun and napping for 40-45 minutes tops. Yeah, leads to a VERY cranky toddler. Oh fun!

Ginger, sorry I missed this before: congrats on becoming an auntie!

Zhanna, the tour is great. I loved knowing where I'd be in a few weeks/couple of months. (My tour isn't until December 19th this time though!)

[Alegna]

Ginger - 46 hours! :eek: That does not sound like fun at all. Congrats on being a new aunt.

Emotional : I've been crying at stupid emails and tv shows. But I've always been overly emotional. So people are used to me crying for no reason :D I have been a little snippy at work. These people are just annoying me. I can only take so much incompentance before I explode.

Week 3 of our birthing class tonight. We get the tour and I'm not sure what else we are covering. Then I've got to go grocery shopping. I was informed on Sunday that I'm hosting Thanksgiving for my FIL, SIL and her family. Not a huge deal. It's just 6 people. But still, a little warning would have been nice.

Maybe I can put them all to work on the babies room after we eat ;)

[Winter Biscuit]

QOTD re: emotions: Yep, count me in. In fact, I know I've been more snippy lately because every time I raise my voice at my DD, she says "Mommy, stop screaming at me!" :o :p If she thinks raising my voice = screaming, then she probably won't ever want to get on my REALLY bad side!!

I'm excited for those of you who have tours scheduled. I would love to go on a tour since I had my DD at a different hospital in a different city. I called our hospital because I would really like to tour the birthing center, but I don't want to waste my time going through the tour that is designed for mothers who intend to have a vaginal birth. I don't need to see the rooms and resources for laboring mothers, etc. Since I know I'm having a c-section, I just want a quick tour of the OR, my recovery room, the nursery, and a run-down of the services available to postpartum moms (esp. those who had a c-section). The nurse who coordinates the tours said that she agrees that I won't benefit from their regular tour so she just suggested that I have my doctor's office call them after one of my regular visits and "if we're not too busy, we can give you a quick tour." I guess I should appreciate the fact that they are even willing to do that, but I still wish they had a mini-tour specifically for c-section mommies. What if they're too busy to give me a tour when I'm available for a quick walk-through? Plus, my DD comes to many of my doctor appts with me, and children are not allowed to go on the regular tours so I don't want anyone to raise eyebrows at me if I bring DD along for the impromptu tour. Oh well, what can I do, right?

Lucy - congrats on becoming an auntie :) I forgot to mention earlier, but I am sorry about everything you are dealing with re: your grandmother, etc. Hang in there!

Alegna - congrats on the great bowling scores!

Oh, I forgot to mention something that I am really excited about. I just recently found out that the hospital where I am delivering is one of 11 breastmilk banks in the country where nursing moms can donate breastmilk for other babies :) I thought that was so cool. Although I fully intend to use any EBM that I pump, it's nice to know that my hospital has that service available and that it is just one of 11 in the entire USA. (I know it can make some people a little uneasy to think about their baby drinking someone else's breast milk. However, one study shows that shows that another woman's EBM is still preferable over formula and has more health benefits than formula. And obviously, they check the milk first to make sure it is "clean" before they give it to the babies.)

[January2007Mommies]

UPDATED TO HERE

[jmvan74]

Jen: Poor napping is definitely the issue here, too. If this child would take a decent nap we'd have it made. ;)

Margaret: Have fun getting the nursery together.

Angela: Have fun hosting t-day dinner!

WB: That's cool that your hospital has a milk bank. Personally, I'd feel wierd, but I'm just neurotic. I think it's a great idea and am thankful that so far, nursing has not been an issue for me. :) I hope you get your mini-tour!

Had an appt. yesterday and except for sugar in my urine :rolleyes: , all was fine. BP was fine, measuring right on, and Brady's HB was in the 150's. I only gained 1lb this time, so I'm up a total of 20lbs so far. I also got the flu shot while I was there. The DR told me to keep coming there as well as my specialist visits! :eek: Man, I'm going to be at the DR every freaking week. My next two appt there are Dec. 4th & 19th.

Happy Thanksgiving Ladies!

[GardenGirl]

Congrats Aunt Ginger!

WB – my hospital is also one of the few that does milk banking. I thought that was impressive.

Recent Appt – had my appt yesterday and all went well as usual. Heart rate was 147. BP was great and I’d only gained a pound which is good since so has the baby! So far I’m up 18 pounds. She says the baby is “measuring beautifully.” So I’m quite thankful. I had my Group B strep test – that was a piece of cake. Since I was on the table, she also did an internal check and said my cervix was nice and closed. So that’s great. I go back on Dec 5 and at that point I think I start weekly visits since I’ll be 35 ½ weeks. Crazy huh. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that in 2 weeks I’ll be 35 ½ weeks. That’s insane!!! I told her I want a 2007 baby and don’t care about the tax break, so lets keep this baby nice and happy in my belly – she agreed.

Shower – I too had my third shower. Brian’s office threw us one yesterday and gave us our P3 stroller in mint green. It was such a debacle for them. They ended up not receiving the babydealz one in time but found a local store in town (Right Start) that had it in stock so they went out yesterday morning and picked it up. They had it all assembled for us – it’s so pretty!!! Then they each gave us some books, onesies and lots of diapers. We got around 350 dipes and 700 wipes. I’ve written 65 thank you notes in the last 2 weeks. 25 for my family/friends, 40 for my office and now I have another 8 or so for Brian’s office. My stationery budget has gone way up.

Hospital Tour/Classes – we had class two on Monday and did the hospital tour. It was kinda freaky knowing I’ll be in one of those rooms in 6 ½ weeks. I was really impressed with the facilities. We also watched the first birth video. DH was so intrigued. He wasn’t scared/disgusted at all. A friend of his was telling him that birth is like a crime scene when it’s done. And Brian saw that it wasn’t – so that really put his mind at ease. I’m so glad he is taking these classes with me – he is learning so much and feeling involved in the pregnancy. I was a little shocked at how big the head looks compared to my “you-know-what.” But I’ll get over it. I have to get over it!

I’m slowly but surely trying to pass off things at work. I’m showing my boss and others around the office how I “do my job.” Basically I’m writing memos/instructions on everything I do and putting it in a binder called “Tera’s Job Duties.” That way they won’t have to call me as often (because let’s face it – they will call).

The only thing I have left to purchase now is the mattress and breast pump. MIL called last night and asked if we had everything. I mentioned those two things. She doesn’t get why I’d need a breast pump. I told her, “so I can leave food for the baby if/when I want to leave the house for more than 2-3 hours” and because I want Brian to be able to feed the little one too. I know he really wants too, so when it’s okay to introduce a bottle I want to have the means to do it. She told me to just give it formula. Well, I don’t want to. I quickly changed the subject because we’ve gone down this road before and she just doesn’t get it. It’s none of her business how we feed our child. It’s a parents/mothers decision on whether to BF or FF – I’m not going to discuss the benefits of either with her. I just put a stop to the conversation, that’s the only way we can avoid a touchy discussion.

I’m ready for the holidays – mentally at least. I’m going to start my Christmas shopping list this weekend – that’s the hardest part. Once I know what I’m going to get everyone, I can knock the purchasing out in a weekend.

Okay back to chronicling my work load ...

[Winter Biscuit]

A friend of his was telling him that birth is like a crime scene when it’s done.

This cracked me up :D

She told me to just give it formula.

Typical MIL response :rolleyes: I heard similar comments from people/IL's who just didn't "get" why BFing was so important to me. I'd often have to end the conversations too, as it was the only way to prevent things from getting touchy. I just want to say - good for you for standing on your ground and not letting MIL get to you! Your post reminded me that I need to order new tubing for my breastpump. Just one more thing that I need to do but haven't gotten around to yet....

QOTD: Does anyone have a gut feeling that they are going to deliver early? Or any predictions on which baby might arrive first? I just saw that another December mommy has had her baby (:eek: ) and I know I am going to have a sheer panic attack when I hear that the first January 2007 mommy is in labor. I'm so curious to know who it will be!! ;) Don't get me wrong, I want all of our babies to cook as long as possible so that they are all nice and healthy and full-term when they are born. But I know that once the first baby arrives, it's going to be totally surreal and exciting for the rest of us!!

[jmvan74]

QOTD: Does anyone have a gut feeling that they are going to deliver early? Or any predictions on which baby might arrive first? I just saw that another December mommy has had her baby (:eek: ) and I know I am going to have a sheer panic attack when I hear that the first January 2007 mommy is in labor. I'm so curious to know who it will be!! ;) Don't get me wrong, I want all of our babies to cook as long as possible so that they are all nice and healthy and full-term when they are born. But I know that once the first baby arrives, it's going to be totally surreal and exciting for the rest of us!!

Yikes. I keep having dreams that this baby comes the last week of December!:eek: That would be a bit early for my liking. I really don't know who will go first. I feel like RO's are more likely to go early, but then again...who knows. The earliest due dates are TheChick and Tera...so my guess is one of them. ;)

[Alegna]

I keep expecting to go early. My mom had both me and my sister over 4 weeks early. I'm not sure how much of that sort of this runs in families. She also had really fast labors so I'm hoping for that too. :)

[fms]

Decemeber Mom here to crash the party...do not try to guess who will be first and don't count yourself out if you have a late due date! Our first two babies have arrived and none of us would have guessed that they'd be the first ones to arrive. IRL, a friend who was due this week had her baby the first week of November (3 weeks early.) In time, they will come...that time may be sooner than you think :eek:

Good luck to you all!!!

[Winter Biscuit]

Decemeber Mom here to crash the party...do not try to guess who will be first and don't count yourself out if you have a late due date! Our first two babies have arrived and none of us would have guessed that they'd be the first ones to arrive. IRL, a friend who was due this week had her baby the first week of November (3 weeks early.) In time, they will come...that time may be sooner than you think :eek:

Good luck to you all!!!

Oh, don't get me wrong - I meant it tongue-in-cheek, all in good fun. I was thinking of the response that Alegna posted about how she wonders if she'll deliver early (and have a fast labor ;)) based on the fact that her mom delivered early. FWIW, I fully expected DD to come early - I don't know why I thought so, I just figured she'd be there by a certain point - and of course she was 11 days "late" (based on my EDD which is just that - ONLY an estimate). That was probably my punishment for allowing myself to entertain the thought that she might arrive early. :)

[jmvan74]

Early arrivals: Realistically... I think someone will deliver in December or at least early. I don't think I've ever been in/lurked in a thread where all of the babies came in the month they were supposed to.:p

[ButterflyJen]

Early arrivals: Oh yeah, we'll have a December baby somewhere in here. Who, though? Hmmm....I'd want to say a RO as well, but most of us are due at the end of the month (and have repeat C's going on, too). And I'm terrible at guessing stuff like that, anyway! ;) I've never seen a group of due dates NOT have an early baby, either...so it's gonna happen. To someone.

And I'll probably have this kid in February, so yeah, I'll be PAST January! :p Though I really hope not....I'd love a Jan baby. LATE January.

Alegna - not sure how much that runs in families either....I was late, my brother was early, and DH was early. DD was early but induced early, so I don't have a clue when she would have come along on her own!

Tera, I agree, good for you standing your ground re: BF/FF. It's your decision, and no one else's. I don't know why people think they need to tell a mom what to do when it comes to feeding a child. Ugh. We didn't have too many battles with family WRT BFing DD, but BOY did I feel uncomfortable a few times nursing DD. So much so that I'd just go in another room, alone, and nurse her. It sucked, but well, that was my choice, I guess. DH usually came with me so I wouldn't be all by myself (until I'd kick him out and say "go have fun, I'll be fine"). Anyway - good for you!

WB, I'm gonna freak out right along with you. How is it nearly December....I still need a crib mattress, crib pad, etc etc etc...ACK!

Julie - the nap stuff sucks! Though DD woke after 40 minutes today, I *think* she may actually have gone back to sleep. :eek: That hasn't happened in DAYS!!

Anyway, I'd better get upstairs and check on my pumpkin pie, so Happy Thanksgiving all! :) Enjoy your turkey or whatever you're having!

[wagsgirl]

Early babies- My DD's due date was 11/22. She was born on 10/28. Never during my whole pregnancy would I have imagined I'd have an October baby, but I did. With my son, his EDD was 2/26. I fully expected to go into labor during the first 10 days of Feb. But, I didn't and ended up with a scheduled c-section on the 18th. Now, with this one, my c-section is scheduled for the 22nd, but for some reason, I think I'm going to go earlier. I guess we'll see. You never know what your body is going to do...

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!!!

[January2007Mommies]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/zhannushka/ht.gif

[GardenGirl]

I know I'm one of the earlier due dates, but don't put your money on me for a December birthday. I'm planning on a 2007 baby. I myself am a Christmas baby (12/23) so I want this baby to come after the holidays so it can have it's own celebration. Besides, I really enjoying being pregnant (so far). Everything has been uneventful so that helps. We'll see ...

[jmvan74]

I know I'm one of the earlier due dates, but don't put your money on me for a December birthday. I'm planning on a 2007 baby. I myself am a Christmas baby (12/23) so I want this baby to come after the holidays so it can have it's own celebration. Besides, I really enjoying being pregnant (so far). Everything has been uneventful so that helps. We'll see ...

LOL! Wouldn't it be nice if we had some say over this! :D


I must have lost my mind b/c I woke up at 5am this morning and since I had an appt at 8am, I figured I'd get up and hit the stores!:eek: What a joke! I drove right past Kohls...the parking lot was obscene! I drove right past Walmart. Again. unbelievable! 5:45 in the morning...people are crazy. The line to get in to Target was insane! Finally I went to the mall and it was busy, but not ridiculous. Didn't really fiind any spectacular sales. I did buy some things for Brady at Gymboree since they had 30% and gymbucks.:o I'd already finished clothes shopping for Collin.

Nutritionist: She was great. I really don't need to change too much of my diet. Just giving up Soda and candy has already made a huge difference in my sugar levels. Testing my blood is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I still shut my eyes when I do it. hehe. Plus, she gave me a glucose meter and a RX to get the strips, etc. That worked out.

[Alegna]

I'm one of those crazy people at the stores this morning. Well, only one store since the line was rediculious when I got there. Circuit City opened at 5am. I was there at 4:45 and there was already 500 people in line to get in the store. I figured what the heck, I'm already awake. So I got in the store and had to wait in line for a digital camera. Stood there for over 2 hours. And they wouldn't even give me the camera! I've got to come back after noon to pick it up. They were sold out of the memory cards I wanted by the time I got to the checkout so it was a half wasted trip. Oh well. Got some Krispy Kremes on the way home and then went back to sleep for a few hours.

DH called and wanted me to go to Sears but I said no. After waiting for over 2 hours at CC I was done. But I called my mom and she happened to be at the mall. I asked her to swing by Sears and if it wasn't too crazy to pick up the items for DH. She said it wasn't bad. Since they had opened at 5am and she didn't get there untill after 7, the crowds had gone down.

And now she's upstairs using Oops on the woodwork to get the paint slops off in the baby room. That's some stinky stuff. I'm not even going to stay in the hallway and chat with her.

Lunch went well yesterday. Used the crockpot and a Showtime Rotissere Oven "Just Set It and Forget It!" ;) to make 2 turkey breasts. Saved room in the oven for the side dishes. It's all about the side dishes for me. Yum. Everybody was stuffed and we still have a ton of leftovers. I even sent some home with people. Oh well. Guess I won't have to worry about lunch/dinner all weekend.

Hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving!

[jmvan74]

Angela: Glad your Thanksgiving went well. Sorry your early morning trip was only half successful.

Stretch Marks; I'm so sad. I made the mistake of looking in the mirror today and saw that I had numerous new marks. I only had a few, small marks from Collin and they didn't appear until 38 weeks. I know I'm supposed to suck it up and except it as part of whole experience, but it still sucks.

[mommydearest]

I hope everyone had a nice calm uneventful Thanksgiving!

I had my shower yesterday, which was really fun. I have more clothes and blankets than I know what to do with, quite literally. My aunt who hosted bought toys and receiving blankets to use as decorations, and put the vases of flowers in cute shoes. They played the "cost of necessities" Price is Right game where people had to guess the prices of things like a dishwasher nipple rack, hangers, diapers, pacifiers, and then I got to keep them all. She also chucked different pacifiers everywhere so we would have lots to try later. My good friend who has a 3 month old put together two bags with all of the little things you really need...tylenol, mylicon, socks, body wash, etc. So, between the favors and the gifts, the only things left to buy are another big car seat, diaper pail, and breast pump. I think I might rent one for the first month just to see how I like it. I don't want to spent $300 on something that won't work for me.

Alegna: Girl, you are seriously crazy! I ventured to the mall about 3:00 and even then it was nuts. We went to one store that my grandma wanted to visit (they don't have Coldwater Creek near her) and left. I love my "Set it and forget it" oven too! It makes good porkchops.

jmvan Hooray for a good appointment. I'm glad it is working out ok for you. Compared to a healthy baby, soda and candy is a small price! Good luck!

Early babies I know I'm not til the end of the month, but I was born 5 weeks early and DH was born 4, so maybe we'll have a 2006 baby. No complaints from me IF the baby is healthy and is ready to come then... A lady at church was trying to scare me today because her daughter was 9 days late. Ugh!

[NYLACHI]

Hey everybody!

So when we were finishing the tree I figured now would be a good time to take a few belly shots. I am astounded at how FAT my face has gotten! I'm not dealing well with being pregnant lately. I feel so unattractive. Oh well. Here I am in all my holiday glory:


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/cdistasio/IMG_1449.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/cdistasio/IMG_1450.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/cdistasio/IMG_1451.jpg

...and here is a few wedding shots for comparison's sake-- this was only a year ago...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/cdistasio/Stash00296.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/cdistasio/Stash00485.jpg

[Lucy Van Pelt]

We had a decent Thanksgiving! I got to meet my little nephew. He seemed so tiny but at over 8 pounds, I hope Katie will be smaller...;)

Ok - this is the dumbest question ever, but I am doing my Christmas cards and I started to sign them and wondered if I should include Katie's name on them? It feels weird to write "from Katie" when she's not here yet...

[Alegna]

I'm jealous of all of your belly shots. I've still got this wierd waist thing happening. No cute round belly for me. And my strech marks are in the wierdest place. It's almost like a half moon right at my waistline. I was expecting them more low or high. Not right in the middle.

My belly button has been irritated lately too. I wonder if it's getting ready to make a change.

I have no idea what's going on with my body! Oh well, keeps things interesting.

[jmvan74]

kristen: Glad to hear your shower was a success!

NYLACHI: You look fantastic as a mom to be! The pictures of you and the tree are adorable. As for the wedding photos...STUNNING! I felt the same unattractiveness when I was pg w/ Collin. The second time it's easier b/c you know what what your getting out of it.;)

Ginger: I'm not signing our cards from Brady, but I don't think it'd be a big deal if you did. If you want to include her, but are feeling awkward about using her name...you cold always sign it from Ginger and Brad +1. :D

Angela; My belly button has been pretty sensitive. I just chalk it up to the fact that my once innie is now surface level!

[quest]

Sorry I've been MIA lately, things are fine over here but honestly, I.Am.Exhausted. Not the kind of exhausted where you need to sleep, but the kind where I can't go up a flight of steps without getting out of breath. I don't remember this the first time. My attitude kind of sucks, too. DH brought up some of the Xmas bins this weekend so DD and I could start decorating, but I didn't even crack them open until this morning. And already I'm only putting about 1/2 (if that) of the decorations up compared to last year, which upsets me because DD is so aware of the holiday this year. But I remind myself that what goes up must come down, and that will be really near the baby's due date, so I have to be realistic.

I really love feeling the baby move, and he is quite the active one, but I must be honest, other than that, I'm a bit of a grinch right now. I'm trying to get into the holiday spirit but instead I'm aware of how tired I am, how much I still have to do (entire baby's room, Xmas shopping, decorating, Xmas cards, normal, everyday stuff, etc., etc.) and I just want to curl up on the couch. Well, scratch that, what I REALLY want to do is just sit and play with my DD all day, but the other stuff can't be completely ignored.

My hormones must be all over the place, too, because one day I'll have this great perspective on everything, and then the next day it's the opposite. When the heck does nesting set in? I keep hoping it's soon because I really need a surge of energy.

Of course, everyone helps out as much as they can, but there are some things that I just have to do and other things I want to do my way ;) and so in the end I'm going to have to get over myself, get off the couch, and get moving! I was so worried about handling 2 babies, but now, I keep thinking that will be a piece of cake because once I'm back to being 'me' (with an energy level greater than a slug), I'll be able to handle anything!

Don't mean to be a downer...glad to see everyone else is doing good and having 'uneventful' (in a good way) pregnancies. I have an appt. this week, and then I believe I start having them every 2 weeks. Maybe that will jump start my body into realizing it's getting close and the nesting needs to kick in! I don't want to be scroogey this holiday season!

Belly Buttons: I've noticed mine feels 'hot' sometimes. I figured it was because it's under so much pressure :eek:

[Alegna]

quest ~ I can totally relate on the holiday decorating. I've still got Holloween stuff up. :) Last year I put up 3 trees, garland and my lighted village. I totally suck at taking the stuff back down though. DH gets mad and we usually end up in some big fight about it. I'm still trying to decide how crazy I want to go this year. The idea of being so close to my due date and trying to put it all away just doesn't sound like fun.

[Winter Biscuit]

NYLACHI - you look great! :) Gorgeous wedding pics, too.

Lucy VanPelt - I am personally not going to mention Nugget's name on our Christmas card. I wouldn't think anything of it if I received a card from someone that did that, though. However, if you use Katie's actually name, I wonder if some people might think that she has already arrived and you might get some calls :) I remember one of my girlfriends sent out Christmas cards that said "Love, John, Sarah, Danny, and Our New Baby. I like jmvan's suggestion, too.

quest - I hear you on the exhaustion. The only Christmas decorations I've put up so far are our stockings and our mistletoe. I honestly have no idea when we are going to go get our tree - we are booked solid every weekend from now through New Years. Plus, my DD's birthday is 12/17 so I have a birthday party to plan too. I need a live-in cook and housekeeper to take care of all the domestic stuff just so I can have a few minutes to focus on "other" stuff! I think I'm going to try to do a little decorating every night this week and see how far I get.

I admire those of you who dared to venture out on Black Friday. I probably would have gone too except I am done with most of my shopping for DD and my 6 nieces and/or there was nothing advertised that I needed/wanted. I was up at the crack of dawn myself (it's hard to sleep when there are tiny little feet stabbing you in the ribs) and watched in amusement as my MIL ran out to grab some bargains. Maybe next year I'll make it out ;)

belly button - mine is long gone :( Seriously, I used to have a nice, taut little innie. That all changed when I was pregnant with my DD. It never went back to "normal" after I had my DD, even after I lost all the pregnancy weight. And now with this pregnancy, it looks quite frightening again. It is completely flat, stretched out, surface level. I miss my innie :( It does feel weird and has definitely been sensitive(especially when DD pokes at it when she's talking to my belly :p )

[GardenGirl]

Hey all! We had a nice Thanksgiving, and hope you all did as well. The only issue we had was everyone kept telling me to sit down. We did Turkey Day at my house this year, though my mom and I split everything. She did half the shopping/cooking and so did I. And Dad fried the turkey (golly that was good). So it really was an easy Thanksgiving. But everyone (mostly my mom) kept hovering over me and telling me to sit down. It was driving me crazy. I finally told everyone to leave me alone - I said "I'm an adult and will sit down when I'm tired." For crying out loud, pregnancy is not a disability. Good grief!!

Nylachi - great belly shot. I hesitate taking any of me as I look heavier than I feel. It's weird. My belly is all over, not straight out or anything. I'm tall so I guess that hides it. Anyhow, maybe I'll take one if front my Christmas tree this week. Which leads me to my next comment ...

Christmas Decorations - I'm planning on doing Christmas the way I always do it - over the top. I just love Christmas time. I started wrapping several gifts this weekend and DH pulled all the decorations out of the attic. I figure since I'm done with all the baby stuff (except the furniture hasn't been delivered), I can focus on Christmas. My goal is that everything will be up by this weekend and I will have finished all the shopping by the following weekend. That way I can relax the rest of the month until the baby arrives.

Strech marks/belly button - my strech marks look like sun bursts around my belly button. That's the only place I found them (that I can see at least):) . And my belly button is hot too. Plus it feels like someone is stretching it - it is the only thing that really hurts so far.

Ginger - not sure about the Christmas card thing. I received a wedding invitation from a friend who is expecting that put the unborn child's name on it, but that seemed weird to me. I don't have that issue because we don't know the sex, but I am considering signing it "Tera, Brian and Baby Shelton" - we'll see. I might just wait for the announcements since it won't be but a few weeks later!!

Question - I was in a tiny tiny tiny fender bender on Saturday. I was shopping with my parents and my Dad got backed into in a parking lot (in Mom's brand new Avalon). There was a little damage - the bumper is all scratched. But I'm perfectly fine. I've felt the baby move like normal yesterday and today. Should I call my doctor and let her know? I hate to be an alarmist, as I'm sure everything is fine. What would you do?

[Alegna]

For crying out loud, pregnancy is not a disability. Good grief!!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one feeling that way. My FIL wouldn't let me push the shopping cart at Walmart because I'm pregnant. And then he got in a tisy when I went to take the pan of potatos and water from the sink to the stove. It's not like I'm lifting a 50 pound bag of potatos here. That man stresses me out. I sent him outside to hang out with DH in the garage. I'm busy trying to cook dinner for 10 people. I don't have time to deal with your misconceptions of what pregnant people should or shouldn't do.

SIL did something similar a few weeks ago. Wouldn't let me carry what was left of our 12 pk of soda back to the car. And she's had 3 kids herself! Her husband got a little miffed when I carried the crib mattress to the car. Serioulsy, how much could that possibly weigh?

People are silly. And to tell you the truth I don't even know why we aren't supposed to lift things. Is there some old wives tale or something?

[jmvan74]

Quest: I'm sorry you are feeling rather grinch like. I can relate. I usually love, love , love Christmas, but this year seems so stressful. I put up our tree w/ half the ornaments and put a few decorations on our entertainment center, but that's all I'm doing. It will be too much to take down. I know I won't be up to it.

WB: You didn't miss anything Friday morning! LOL!

Tera: I would let your OB know about the "accident". It's probably NOT a big deal, but I know my OB said to let her know if I was involved in any kind of car accident.

[NYLACHI]

Tera, I think it's worth a call. Couldn't hurt. I'm sure everything is fine though. Fender benders are so annoying!

belly button-- mmmm...mine is still deep and hollow. Probably because I had a pot belly to begin with. I did however find a stretch mark on my lower tummy and I was depressed for an entire day. Did I think I was going to avoid them? I don't know. But now that they're here it's just so upsetting!

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Tera - I would at least call the doc and let them know so they can decide if they want you to come in or not.

Belly button - Mine is still definitely an innie, but it's not as deep as usual. I will be surprised if it goes to an outtie, but I am growing every dang day so I might be surprised!

This is my fav time of year. I am feeling pretty holiday-ish, but sad because I don't get a tree this year. We will be celebrating Christmas at my brother's house so Brad doesn't think we need a tree. Whatever...

I got a call from my brother and SIL. Their baby, Gavin, is janudiced so he had to be admitted to the hospital for that light treatment. He will probably have to be there for 2-3 days. They will test his blood again at 10pm tonight and if the bilirubin levels are still high, they may have to hook him up to an IV. My poor nephew!

[Alegna]

I think I might move my alarm clock to the living room and just start sleeping on the couch. I keep falling asleep watching tv. I'll wake up and go to bed but all I do is toss and turn. DH thinks I'm nuts when I tell him I haven't been sleeping well. He says every time he sees me I'm sawing logs. :) I might be but I'm sure not feeling well rested when I get up in the morning. I can distinctly remember waking up at least 4 times last night. Even if it was just to turn over.

[GardenGirl]

Angela - I've not been sleeping either. Normally I can go right back to sleep after I get up to go to the bathroom (every 2 hours). But the past few nights have been horrible. Last night was ridiculous. My back is real sore. I think it's from our class last night. The instructor was showing our "partners" how to massage our backs to relax and distract us. Well poor DH is a horrible masseuse. He was trying, but he just squeezes with short strokes and it hurts. And now I'm in pain. We are going to have to figure out how to get him to learn massage because I didn't want him touching me anymore last night - so you can imagine how I'll feel when I'm in labor!!

I'm going to call the doc today about the fender bender - I got too busy yesterday. Plus the baby is kicking up a storm the last few days which makes me think everything is fine. I think it's definitely in head down position now. Everything I feel is up high now and you can see my stomach move - it's crazy!

[jmvan74]

People are silly. And to tell you the truth I don't even know why we aren't supposed to lift things. Is there some old wives tale or something?

It's actually b/c our joints loosen during pregnancy putting us at risk for back injuries and such. As long as your careful, you should be fine.

Ginger: your poor nephew. My son was jaundice and I just sat there and cried while he was under the lights. Luckily, it is easily treated and rarely has side affects.


Sleep: What's that? I am so exhausted. I wake up at least 2X's to use the bathroom and several other times just to get comfortable.

[NYLACHI]

Yep, I'm up all night too. Plus the cats are all over me lately and wake me up at least once or twice. I'm ready to sell them to the glue factory.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/cdistasio/IMG_1448.jpg

[zhannushka]

Hello ladies, sorry to have been MIA lately - I've been SO tired and lazy - it's disgusting! :o

NYLACHI - You really do look great! Those pictures are so cute!

belly button - mine used to be a very deep innie and it's becoming not as deep as it used to be, although it's definitely not an outie (yet).

Christmas decorations - we are Jewish, so - all I need to do is light the menorah for 8 days. :)

sleep - nights have been horrible. A few times I've woken up in the morning feeling like someone's been beating me up all night long... :eek: My dog insists on sleeping next to my belly every night, which is cute and all (we think he's trying to protect the baby), but - it gets very annoying to bump into him all night, every time I try to turn... I also tend to get hot half-way through the night and throw my side of the blanket over at DH, who of course wakes up and gets annoyed as well... :(

We did our Center for Childbirth tour last week. Since noone else booked the same time as us, we ended up having a private tour, which was very nice! They walked us through the pre-op rooms, the L&D rooms and the post-partum rooms. This hospital is "famous" b/c Katherine Zeta-Jones gave birth to one of her babies there a few years ago, and there's a big chance that I may be laboring in the same room she was - it's just a regular room like all the others, but I thought that was kind of cool... :)

Last night was our Newborn Care class. We now know how to change a diaper as well as burp and bathe a baby! ;)

[GardenGirl]

Newborn care class - we still have one more class left next week where we'll mostly be discussing c-sections and post partum care. The instructor didn't say anything about newborn care. I've heard several friends/family members say that their nurse showed them how to burp, bath and diaper their babies. Do you think we should sign up for a newborn care class as well, or do you think we'll probably get that info in the hospital?

I hate to drag DH to another class (he's behaved so well so far, but we have a 2 night BF class to go to as well starting next week ...).

Ginger - sorry to hear about your nephew. That must be so frustrating for your sister to give up her child to the hospital for a few days. That would make me so sad. I'm glad it's nothing too serious though - I hear that treatment is very effective. GL.

Still haven't called the doc. I don't think I'm going to - everything feels just fine. I have an appointment in a few days, I'll just mention it then.

I did call the furniture store though - they should be calling back today or tomorrow with the status on the furniture. It's been 10 weeks and they said up to 12, but to call at 10 for a status report. Here's to hoping it's on the truck - it's coming from Canada ...

[zhannushka]

Tera, I found the newborn care class to be very helpful. But that's considering the fact that both DH and I were completely cluless about anything baby-related. We don't have any other babies around us (family or friends) and neither one of us even knew how to hold a baby prior to last night! I knew that nurses at the hospital will show you basic things, but my fear was that I'll probably be too overwhelmed at that point to remember anything... Last night I was able to take notes, so - even if I don't remember things once the baby is here, I can always go back to those notes and look it up...

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Newborn care class - we still have one more class left next week where we'll mostly be discussing c-sections and post partum care. The instructor didn't say anything about newborn care. I've heard several friends/family members say that their nurse showed them how to burp, bath and diaper their babies. Do you think we should sign up for a newborn care class as well, or do you think we'll probably get that info in the hospital?

I hate to drag DH to another class (he's behaved so well so far, but we have a 2 night BF class to go to as well starting next week ...).

Ginger - sorry to hear about your nephew. That must be so frustrating for your sister to give up her child to the hospital for a few days. That would make me so sad. I'm glad it's nothing too serious though - I hear that treatment is very effective. GL.


We took a 2 hour newborn care class a couple of weeks ago and we have an all day newborn care class next weekend. We are both totally baby illiterate so I am taking all the classes I can so I can feel better prepared.

I haven't heard an update from my SIl since last night so I am going to give her a call to see how thinsg are going. She is able to stay in the hospital with Gavin so she can breastfeed and all that, but she was totally unprpared last night. All she had was what was in her diaper bag. She didn't have any overnight stuff for herself - no contact lens solution, no toothbrush, etc. My brother went home last night and then brought her a bag this morning. Unfortunately, the hospital they would normally have taken Gavin too didn't have any available beds so they are at a hospital that is probably 40 miles or so away from home.

[jmvan74]

newborn care class; Honestly, I found ours to be a waste of time. I showed DH how to change a diaper and hold a baby on a doll at home. I do have a large family and have been around babies all of my life, though.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Ok - here's a question for everyone...

Anyone having a lot of pain whenever they sneeze?? I have been sneezing a few times a day and it HURTS. Most of the pain is right around my sternum and right below it. I don't know if I managed to pull a muscle or what, but OUCH. It hurts to even touch the area. :confused:

[Winter Biscuit]

I personally found our newborn care class to be a waste of time, too. However, ours wasn't a separate class; it was part of one of our regular childbirth classes. At the hospital where I delivered DD, they would not approve a new mother for discharge until she has completed a bunch of things on a checklist, one of which included basic newborn care. I have no idea what the policies and procedures are like at other hospitals, but I thought it was nice that they took that extra step to make sure new moms and dads knew what they needed to do once they were at home.

In the hospital, a nurse showed me how to bathe my DD (we gave her an actual bath so it was very hands-on), how to change her diaper, how to hold her, how to burp, etc. They also had a special channel on the TV's in the recovery rooms that was devoted entirely to newborn care stuff so we could watch that anytime we wanted although I don't think I ever had the TV on at all the entire 4 days I was there!

[robyn]

Anyone having a lot of pain whenever they sneeze?? I have been sneezing a few times a day and it HURTS. Most of the pain is right around my sternum and right below it. I don't know if I managed to pull a muscle or what, but OUCH. It hurts to even touch the area.

Not necessarily when I sneeze, but I do have some pain right below my sternum. Glad to hear I'm not the only one. I'm thinking it's just because they baby is up high right now and it's pushing my ribs around a little bit - at least that's what it feels like! I know a girl who got two cracked ribs when she was pregnant from the uterus/baby squishing so far up into her ribcage!

[BumbleB]

Yep, I'm up all night too. Plus the cats are all over me lately and wake me up at least once or twice. I'm ready to sell them to the glue factory.


I was lurking and saw this - ROTFL!!! Too funny. I'm sure it's not funny to you, darn cats. :D

Good luck to all you January ladies!

[ButterflyJen]

I've been MIA as well! Glad everyone had a good Thanksgiving. :)

NYLACHI - you look FANTASTIC. The second picture is so cute! And your kitties...love 'em!

Belly button - my bee-bo (as DD calls it, thanks Sandra Boynton) hasn't been bad. Yet. It's still semi-innie, but flattening out quickly. I HOPE it doesn't pop, I understand that's awfully uncomfortable and sensitive.

Stretch marks - none yet. I stress YET. ;) Just give me some time! I have some on my thighs for whatever reason (have had them forever) so I'm sure I'll wind up with some on my belly too.

Ginger - We signed our Xmas cards "Love Jen, DH, DD, and Baby" We send out photo cards, and this year it's the entire family. One of the pictures shows me in a side view, so it's hard to miss. :) Haven't had that issue when sneezing....just round ligament pain every so often when I sneeze. I hope it goes away fast for you!

Christmas - we're decked. :D This is my FAVORITE time of year, hands down, and it really didn't take that long to do (we live in a smallish townhouse). DH and I put up/lighted the tree Saturday night and I put out the rest of the decorations that night as well. On Sunday, DD "helped" us put ornaments on the tree. She can't stop talking about "her" Christmas tree!

Sleep - I miss sleep. I miss a good night of sleep, where I'm not up to pee and then take an hour to fall back to sleep. I stay up way too late as it is, trying to get stuff done, and then....DD's up early. She's been sick with a cold, so we have coughing fits every night too. Fun. Getting me prepared for the late-night nursing sessions, I guess!

Newborn care class - I agree. We got basically nothing out of that class that we wouldn't have learned in the hospital with the baby. They had us come in the nursery for DD's first bath anyway, so we kind of learned that right there. I'd skip it!

Hi to everyone else! I think I'm caught up now....

Here's a question. Anyone else congested? Like you've got a cold, but it just keeps going on and on and on? I know right now I'm battling the same cold DD has, but I've been congested at night for weeks. Yeah, that's helping the "can't sleep" stuff.

Beyond that, nothing really new here...looking forward to my doctor's appt. and ultrasound on Monday. :D

[Alegna]

Well last night was our last Prepared Childbirth class. Pretty uneventfull. Played bingo for prizes. And she gave out some free samples of things. But the kicker was the coupon for a family pleaser from Monicals Pizza. (That's pizza, salad, and pitcher of soda.) That's probably over a $30 value and the class only cost $40 to take. :)

Our Baby Basics class is not until Dec 20th. I asked DH if he wanted to cancel or if he felt like we needed it. He figures why not take it? We might learn something. It's only a few hours 1 night. And I figure maybe we'll get some more free samples ;)

Other than the lack of restfull sleep I've been feeling pretty good over here. DH is still working on kiddos room. I'd like to hope that we'll have it done before kiddo arrives. But who knows.

My bosses boss is questioning my FMLA plans. I wanted to come back afternoons only and use FMLA for my morning hours. My boss was cool with it but his boss doesn't understand why I should come back half days. I personally think half days is better than not at all, but I guess I'm not in charge so it doesn't really matter. I crunched the numbers and decided if they don't let me come back part time I'll just take the entire 12 weeks off at once. Between our tax return and my savings we should be able to cover my salary. Good thing I don't make much money huh? Wonder how my bosses boss will like the idea of me being gone for 6 months instead of 3? (I've got 6 weeks sick leave and then 6 weeks vacation before I start the unpaid FMLA)

Figuring all that out yesterday raised my spirits considerably. I can't wait to leave in Jan and say "see ya in July!" HAHA!

I brought my thank yous for my shower in to work today. Hopefully I can get them all done and in the mail. I'm so bad about writting thank yous. Spending all my time online isn't helping......

[GardenGirl]

Angela - be aware that your bosses' boss (or HR or whoever) might make you take your FMLA time concurrent with your paid time off. My office does. The law allows for that. That's so employers aren't faced with people being gone for 6 months and having to pay for temporary help at a (possible) premium for an extended period of time.

ETA - but some employers either don't care about running concurrently or don't know that they can. So you may work for a gracious company ...

[jmvan74]

Angela - be aware that your bosses' boss (or HR or whoever) might make you take your FMLA time concurrent with your paid time off. My office does. The law allows for that. That's so employers aren't faced with people being gone for 6 months and having to pay for temporary help at a (possible) premium for an extended period of time.

ETA - but some employers either don't care about running concurrently or don't know that they can. So you may work for a gracious company ...

I was going to mention this as well. When I was working, my vacation and sick time ran simultaneous to FMLA.

Congested: Yup! I can't wait until this little guy is born, so I can breathe again.

[Alegna]

might make you take your FMLA time concurrent with your paid time off

That's not the way it was explained to me in my Mangenement of Maternity class here at work. I'll check again, but everything I've read says you CAN use your FMLA to protect your paid time off, but there really isn't a reason to.

I've accumulated enough sick time and vacation time to cover my first 12 weeks off. They can't deny that time to me. And since it's my time there really isn't a reason to use my FMLA to protect it. I don't have any performance problems and I'm the senior most person here in my department. My boss is freaking out at the idea of me being gone 3 months. Six months might put him over the edge. :)

I guess it's just one of the benefits of working for such a large company.

[Winter Biscuit]

Anyone else congested?

Yep, add me to the club. Part of it is that the air in our house has gotten so dry since we have turned the furnace on. Turning the humidifer on helps somewhat, but being pregnant certainly isn't working in my favor. I still wake up congested almost every morning and have had a few bloody noses as well.

Surprisingly, I can sleep all night without waking up to go to the bathroom. I'm trying to appreciate this while I can, as I distinctly remember having to get up at least 2-3 times each night when I was pregnant with DD. And earlier in this pregnancy, I did have to wake up 1-2 times a night to empty my bladder. So it's great that I can make it a full night without going pee BUT lately I've had to wake up just to blow my nose because I can't breathe :(

Pain in sternum area while sneezing - yep, I've got that too, only it hurts quite often, not just while sneezing. I remember feeling this same pain when I was pregnant with DD too. I feel like my whole chest area hurts. Aside from that pain in the sternum area, I swear this kid's feet are constantly stuck in my ribcage and he/she is trying to kick him/herself free. Every so often I get a sharp pinching jolt in my ribs and it KILLS!

I feel so huge and awkward. I'm sitting here at my laptop right now and my belly is so big that it is actually resting on my thighs. Such a strange feeling!
I've even tripped over a few things because I couldn't see them since my belly blocks my view :o

[Alegna]

So, I really have no idea which way kiddo is facing. Are you more likely to feel feet kicking or arms punching? I'm mostly feeling movement down low. I haven't had the kicked in the ribs feeling everybody is talking about. I wonder if kiddo is still head up. Oh well, I guess I won't worry about it too much. Still plenty of time for a flip flop.

[GardenGirl]

Baby Position - until the last 5 or 6 days, everything I was feeling was low (and mostly left). Now I get turning movements or something like it up high. Not so much the kicking. I can watch my stomach move from left to right, so I assume it's the baby rolling over or something. Every no wand then I'll get a kick or punch up high or down low, but I can't tell the difference between hands and feet.

FMLA - I wasn't saying you should take FMLA to protect your job, I was saying that some employers (like mine) have systems in place that require you to take it concurrently with your paid time off. Obviously, if your company doesn't require you to do that, I certainly wouldn't. My "FMLA time" will actually "run out" before my vacation/sick leave/disability/paid maternity leave the company gives me runs out, but my job would still be there (if I still wanted it:) ) because that is accrued/paid time off - not unpaid leave.

Congestion - not too bad for me. I have to blow my nose once in the mornings when I get up just to clear a little congestion out, but I've always had a little allergy thing. But nothing like a cold or sinus infection type thing. I must say - I'm so thankful I really don't have any ailments (knock on wood).

[magdesilver]

Hi all! Well WB add me to the minivan club! We picked up our new Honda Odyssey yesterday. I love it! It's just so...functional. And so much easier to get DD in and out of!

Not much else happening here, just growing and feeling heartburn-y most of the time. My m/w went on vacation this week and rather than figure out a reschedule on short notice, she said it was okay for me to skip my appt. tomorrow so I go back on the 14th for my next appt. (34 weeks). Fine by me! The weather here is majorly turning cold. Yesterday the high was 75, tomorrow it will be 30 :eek: and snowy! Good thing my new ride has seat heaters! Dh left this morning for a 3 week work trip but once he gets home he is staying put until baby is at least 4-6 weeks old. Then he will possibly have to leave for 2 months :( but we are not sure yet. I'm hoping he can postpone that trip until May so that I can go home to Florida for a few weeks (my in-laws are teachers and will be out of work by then) and then they can come here with me for a week or 2 so I'm not all alone with 2 kiddos. We'll see what happens, though.
newborncare There was some of this info mixed into my Bradley class when I had DD, but most of it was with the nurses in the hospital, like how to bath and whatever. Most we just winged and learned as we go, and it's been fine :) .
sneezing no pain, but I do have some pee-pee leakage if I'm not careful. I'm going to the bathroom nonstop, so I hold it sometimes if I don't feel like going yet again for the 5th time that hour. Such is life :o .
stretch marks I got some w/dd at 36 weeks! I thought I was home free by then, but they still got me. Just a few on each side on the bottom of my belly. They had faded, but are more noticeable again now that the skin has re-stretched. I am sure they'll get worse or I'll get more this time, I'm carrying so much lower than with DD. She was all up in my ribs, this one is all down in my crotch!
I cannot tell the position of this baby by movement at all. It just feels like an octopus moving all over the place. M/w said she can feel the head but I'm hoping she will do a quick u/s sometime soon so we can get a peek and be sure. Definitely head down/vertical, but I can't tell what's an arm, leg, etc. whatsoever.

[quest]

More Belly Button Drama - Well, it was completely flat yesterday. Today, it popped out a bit. Kind of an eeewww factor since I'm normally not an outie at all. Doesn't hurt or anything, though. I just can't understand how it's possible for my stomach skin to stretch anymore. Seriously, this baby just needs to grow in the space he's got, because I can't believe I've got anymore to spare!

Congestion - I do blow my nose a lot more lately but mostly I notice I'm constantly clearing my throat. And I know how annoying that is when I hear someone doing it so I can imagine I'm driving everyone up the wall!

My friend was telling me that she just got a bikini wax. It cracked me up because first, I'm not brave enough to get one of those, and second, I couldn't see my bikini line even if I wanted to!

We have our hospital tour this weekend (it's a different hospital from where I delivered DD), so that should be fun. I'm hoping that when we get there the staff expands on the official visitor's hours, though....technically DH isn't supposed to be able to spend the night (according to the hospital's website), but I know many times nurses tell you it's fine if you're in a private room. I just don't want to be in the hospital by myself! :o

QOTD: Will/can your DH spend the nights with you while you're in the hospital?

[ButterflyJen]

Baby movements - Right now, I've got feet in my ribs (but not as badly as WB, ouch!). The weirdest thing about baby movements, though? Peanut is all balled up on my left side (back/butt/etc over there) and limbs are all on the right. And they go FAR to the right. I never experienced this with DD; it feels like Peanut is reaching halfway around my body!

DH in hospital - he stayed with me when DD was born, and I was in from 8/13 till discharge on 8/18. Those hospital fold-out beds are not at all comfortable. :( Not sure this time; my mom has said she'll take DD, but we're mainly playing all that by ear. So far, anyway!

[Lucy Van Pelt]

I am having major congestion issues. I have had them throughout the whole pregnancy. Nothing seems to be working. I usually wake up about 4 times a night to pee and just to roll over because I can't breathe.

Strangely enough, I have yet to see any stretchmarks! I just went and inspected myself again to be sure. :rolleyes:

I have no idea what position the baby is in. Sometimes I feel a hard lump and I assume it's her head, but I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between her head or her butt...LOL

We had our second childbirth class last night. It went decently. We had to stick clothespins on our ears to simulate the "uncomfortableness" of contractions while we practiced our breathing exercises.

Not sure if we discussed this previously or not, but is anyone else here planning on going pain med free during labor and delivery? I think I will be an epidural kind of gal. I had a couple of miscarriages and the contractions from them were excruciating and I am sure labor pains are much worse. I can't see myself getting through it without pain meds.

[jmvan74]

DH and Hospital: He can and will stay with me. He will probably go home briefly each day to check on my mom and DS, but will be spending nights w/ me and baby.

Baby movement; At my past few appts. he's been head down. I'm pretty sure I see/feel his butt pushing up toward my ribs.

meds; SInce I'm having a c/s I'll probably have a spinal

[magdesilver]

I don't know if DH will stay with me once the baby arrives (overnight I mean). Honestly, probably not. I'd rather he go home, take care of the dogs and DD and come back in the morning well-rested. There's not much he can really do (since I'm going to be nursing) for me, and I remember that first night DD was very calm and quiet and mostly slept (but she was born at 9:30 p.m. too, that was probably part of it!). We'll see how fast my IL's can make it here once we call them when I am in labor. Last time they got to us (in small-town Oklahoma from Ft. Lauderdale) within 12 hours of us calling them, before DD was even born! I'm hoping this labor goes a bit faster so they might not make it in time. We have friends taking DD and after the baby is born (depending on what time it is), DH will probably go get her and bring her to the hospital to see us or take her home until the in-laws arrive. But DH will obviously be with me until the baby arrives! I'm just hoping it doesn't take as long as it did with DD.

[Alegna]

congestion - I've had trouble since the beginning. I'm always clearing my throat. And I've got to blow my nose after every meal. It fills up while I'm eating for some reason. The drainage is mostly why get sick when I wake up and brush my teeth.

DH in hospital - I was just thinking about that today. I don't know what we are going to do. I'd like to make him stay. (He made me stay when he was admitted 2 years ago) But at the same time I don't want him to be completely uncomfortable on the fold out chair/couch. At least one of us should be well rested. :) I can probably get my mom to take care of the dog. So there really wouldn't be a need for DH to go home. I guess we'll play it by ear.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

I'm not sure if DH will spend the night in the hospital with me or not. We only live maybe 5 minutes away from the hospital so it will probably be easier for him to just go home and sleep in our comfy bed versus a hospital couch or whatever. My mom is planning on heading down (2 hour drive) along with my best friend when I go into active labor. Best friend is staying til I have the baby and maybe a day after, but mom is staying for a week or so depending on when the birth actually happens. We are taking Lucy (our cocker spaniel) to a friends house who own Lucy's best friend, Lexi, and she will stay there til i get home from the hospital. I can bear to leave her at home by herself. She is such a social dog!

[zhannushka]

Baby Position - He still seems to be pretty high up, since most of the movement I feel is right below my ribcage. Most of it is on my left side and the last few days it's been less of kicking and more of turning/rolling over. I definitely couldn't tell which body parts I'm feeling though...

Congestion - I've had some, but it's been pretty bearable so far. I hope it doesn't get worse...

Meds - I plan on getting an epidural if I'm in excruciating pain. I would rather not, but at the same time - if the pain is too much to handle, I am not opposed to the meds.

DH in the Hospital - We live about 1 hour away from the hospital, so - DH will either stay with me or spend the night at my parents, who live about 10 min away. I don't mind spending the night alone, while he's sleeping comfortably at my parents' house, but - at this point he doesn't even want to hear it. I guess we'll just play it by ear when the time comes.

[Winter Biscuit]

I had my latest appointment today and I can add another 2 pounds to my total weight gain. Everything is looking good - blood pressure is fine, Nugget's heartbeat was 144 bpm. I saw a doctor from the practice that I hadn't seen/met before. He was grabbing my belly in various places to determine the baby's position and - ouch - that sure was uncomfortable! I don't think Nugget liked it either - he/she was squirming like mad! The doctor did confirm that Nugget was head-down today, but positioned sideways (back is over on the right side) and those are indeed feet that I am feeling in my rib cage. Go figure, this kid is already a little trouble maker ;)

My OB's office is inside the hospital building and they have a breastfeeding store there that sells breast pumps, nursing apparel, books, etc. I swung in there after my appointment and picked up some new tubing for my breast pump, so I can FINALLY check one more thing off my to-do list!

Congrats on the new minivan, magdesilver! I hear you loud and clear on the functionality. I never thought I'd say this, but I LOVE my van!

Meds - since I'm having a c/s I will be getting a spinal epidural. That's what I had last time, too.

DH in the hospital - nope. At least, I'm not planning on that. When I had DD, we lived 10 minutes from the hospital so he went home at night. I honestly didn't care that he didn't stay. He was there most of the day, and there wasn't much he would have been able to do at night. I needed/wanted my sleep, and since I BF, there wasn't much he could do in that department, either! I had DD sleep in the nursery each night and the nurses brought her to me every 3 hours so I could feed her. Then DH came back in the morning to spend the day with us. It worked out really well for us last time, and he got to sleep comfortably in our own bed instead of on an uncomfortable fold-out chair. I'm planning on us doing the same this time around, especially considering that we have DD to think about too. This time we live about 20 minutes from the hospital, so it's not far at all. We'll probably drop DD off at preschool before we head to the hospital, and then DH can pick her up later that day and bring her to the hospital to meet her new sibling, or one of the grandparents will take care of her until DH comes home.

[ButterflyJen]

The doctor did confirm that Nugget was head-down today, but positioned sideways (back is over on the right side) and those are indeed feet that I am feeling in my rib cage. Go figure, this kid is already a little trouble maker ;)
LOL, WB, just flip the position (left side instead of right) and that sounds exactly like Peanut. :D Not confirmed, but that's what I'm feeling for sure!

Meds - well, I need to discuss this with my OB. If I'm trying for a VBAC, I'm not sure how much they'll let me have, because if I do wind up having a rupture I'm sure they don't want that pain to be masked and missed. I'd looooove a walking epi...one that allows me to get up and move around, if possible, and not be confined to the bed. But we'll just have to see what's available. I'd also like the epi to wear off somewhat when it's time to push, so I can feel when I need to be pushing (the body's natural reaction). That said - I tried to go med-free last time and was SO FREAKING HAPPY to get my spinal epi. ;) But those were induced contrax, and they were one on top of the other with no break in between. Not fun at all.

[NYLACHI]

We've gone through the Bradley Method classes so we're going to try for a low-intervention birth. People keep asking me if I like Bradley but I can't really answer that yet-- I have no idea how the techniques will work when the time comes. What I'm working on now is turning my head around so that I won't be disappointed if I do have to get an epidural (from exhaustion) or a c-section.

The reason why I was attracted to the Bradley Method was because episotomies, epidurals and c-sections terrify me. I really can't tell you why, but labor pains seem like a cake walk compared to being poked and prodded by an OB. I have a real fear of doctors.

[quest]

Meds - Last time my water broke but I wasn't going into labor (contractions) on my own, so I got pitocin. I wasn't opposed to an epi, but didn't agree to it until the pain was so bad I literally wanted to cry. It felt like someone was stabbing me in my lower back...nothing like cramps at all. Is that what back labor feels like, does anyone know?

Anyway, by the time I got it and was feeling comfortable, I was 10 cm, so I think I had the epi a total of maybe an hour before DD was born. I felt no pain whatsoever when she was born, and I'd love that again. So even though I know each time is different, it would be great if I could have a similar experience because it was really great.

[robyn]

Meds - I am taking a hypnobirthing course and hoping to go w/o the epidural. Trying to keep an open mind in case a situation arises that will prevent a natural birth, but at the same time I'm trying to not be too open minded so that I don't just give into the meds when the going gets a little tough. It's a difficult balance to strike! :)

Two Questions About Weird Pains:

Hoping someone else has felt this so I don't have to feel like I'm alone ...

Stiff/sore fingers - when I first wake up the the morning I almost feel like I have arthritis. My fingers are so stiff and sore that I can barely make a fist. It goes away after a short period of time and they feel just barely sore during the day. It's just such a weird sensation and seems odd to be a part of pregnancy.

Pubic bone pain - ever since yesterday I have been feeling definite pain in my pubic bone area. (I think that's where it is.) Feels almost like someone kicked me really hard in the crotch (from the outside) and now there is a bruise. I'm wondering if this is just my pubic bone shifting a bit and preparing for labor. Either way it HURTS when I walk. Hopefully this won't last for the rest of the pregnancy!

[zhannushka]

robyn - I may be wrong, but I think that pubic bone pain (crotch pain) means that the baby has dropped or is dropping...

I just got back from my 2-week appointment and the baby is measuring 2 weeks early. They did a quick u/s just to make sure that there's enough fluid and there is. The u/s confirmed that baby is head down with his legs on my left hand side, right underneath my ribs, which is exactly what I thought. The weird thing is that even though the baby is measuring 2 weeks early, they refuse to change my due date... Does that make sense? :confused:

[jmvan74]

Robyn: I know it's not uncommon for pg women to develop carpal tunnel (spelling?), could that be what you are experiencing?
I have pubic area pain constantly, but I wouldn't be able to see if there was bruising if I tried. :o That part sounds normal to me.

Quest: I hope your L&D is just as great as your first experience.


NYLACHI: Wishing you a med-free experience. :)

Jen: I'll be rooting for you to have a successful VBAC. Evereything I've read has said that it's safest to go w/ out meds so it's easier to identify and complications.

WB: I should really get some new tubing for my pump, too. I know my hospital has what i need, so I'll probably just ask them to bring it to me while I'm recovering.

Well, the DR called me again yesterday to tell me my iron is low. Blahh! I've been horrible about my prenatal, so she just told me to make sure I start taking it again. :o My insurance covered my diabetic testing supplies and my numbers looked so good at my appt. on Tuesday that they said they'd release me back to my reg OB if they looked that way on next Tuesday.

[jmvan74]

Zhanna: 3rd trimester u/s are not as accurate as the ones done in the first trimester. DS measured 2-3 weeks ahead my whole 1st pg and they kept telling me he was going to be 9lbs. He was 6lbs even! Don't fret. I'm sure your little guy is just where he should be.:)

[NYLACHI]

Jmvan74 that's great news about your levels and going back to your regular OB!

Zhanna-- my best friend was told that her baby would be more than 10 lbs and they refused to let her labor at all-- went right to a c-section. Riley was 8 lbs 6 oz and my friend is more than 6 feet tall! She hasn't admited it but I think she's sort of pissed that she didn't get to labor.

Robyn-- I hope you feel better.

We are expecting a blizzard here in Chicago and my mom and sister are flying in for my shower tomorrow night. GRRRRR. I'll be so upset if they dont make it!

[wine_o_girlie]

Whoa, lots of good questions lately! Here's my answers:

Baby Position - I am sooo happy y'all are posting about how you can't tell which body part is which on the baby. I thought I was the only "bad mommy" who can't tell what from what. :confused: At my last appointment the midwife told me that the baby is head down and where his butt was and all that stuff but it's hard for me to tell. I am so happy he is head down - she said that statistically if the baby is head down by now they will remain that way. It's not impossible for them to flip breech at this point but the odds are on my side. Whew! This baby looooovvveeess my left side and spends most of his time with his body over there. Too cute all of our babies are in different positions.

Meds - No epidural here, at least that's the plan but we all know how "plans" go sometimes. ;) My plan is for a low-intervention, natural labor. I hope the baby and my body cooperate! I'm with NYLACHI, the poking/prodding for an epidural, Pitocin, catheters and all that other stuff scare me so much more than a med-free labor. I don't know why but I just have a "feeling" that a natural labor is what is right for me.

We hired a doula to do a private childbirth class for us last Saturday in our house and it was a fabulous experience. She asked me to tell her my gut feeling on how I will want to handle labor or what I envision, and all that I can see myself wanting to do is a lot of walking and squatting and sitting on the birth ball. For some reason, I cannot envision having any desire to lay down. Getting an epidural would mean I was tied to the bed. Plus, my midwives are known for their experience with waterbirths and I will have a birthing tub in my room so I want the opportunity to use that. Who knows, maybe I am smoking crack and will be screaming for an epidural by Week 39. :p

DH at the hospital - We live about 30 minutes from the hospital. I really cannot imagine that I could talk my husband out of leaving the hospital. He is seriously over the moon and I doubt he will want to leave. I can see the benefit of him getting some rest at home but will leave the decision up to him.

Congestion and/or other weird pains - No congestion problems here. And knock on wood, no carpal tunnel problems (my friend had that bad and it sounded so painful) and no kicked in the crotch feeling yet. I can tell this baby is still high so he definitely hasn't dropped yet. I guess I know to expect that KITC feeling after he drops. Fun times.

************************************************** *****

Update on me: Not too much to report. Just feeling the baby getting bigger. His movements are not quite painful but they are getting really, really close to painful sometimes. No swelling, no weird pains, the heartburn has been conquered by a nightly Zantac. OMG, one time I forgot to take the Zantac and I had that lovely "wake up from a dead sleep puking up hot fire acid" experience again. NEVER AGAIN will I forget to take the trusty Zantac. :eek:

For those of you who can't sleep, ask your doctor/midwife about taking a Tylenol PM. Or even half of one. I take a half of one a few times a week and it is the best.thing.ever. See what your doctor says about it, because you really aren't going to feel well if you aren't getting sleep. I notice a huge difference in my body if I don't get enough sleep.

We are having our 4th shower in a few weeks. I am so embarrassed but how do you turn someone down who wants to do something nice for you? My husband is a teacher and his work is throwing it as a surprise for him. There is literally 2 things left on both of our huge registries so I tried to tactfully tell the organizer to try to encourage either gift cards or clothes in sizes 12 month+. We have soooooooo much stuff already my house has been taken over and we won't have to buy any clothes for a good 6 months. It's so cute seeing all of the little clothes in the drawer. I get teary sometimes just looking at his room and his clothes.

Y'all we are getting so close! The December babies are starting to come and then we are next!!!!! Can you believe that as of tomorrow, when someone asks when the baby is coming we can say "next month". :eek: Unbelievable.

QOTD, Part 1: How's your holiday shopping going? I am highly motivated to be done soon! I went to the mall yesterday and it was so crowded so I have been cyber shopping like a mofo today. I think I am about 80% done but it's always that last 20% that is killer and some people are just so hard to buy for. I am so not looking forward to wrapping stuff and taking it to the post office to ship it to my family - that's always my least favorite task. Hope y'all are further along than I am.

QOTD, Part 2: How's your holiday decorating going? Hubby is trying to put the ixnay on a tree this year and using the baby as an excuse. I really, really want to go get a tree. We cut down our own last year and it was so much fun. Hubby is Jewish so he's trying to play that card. It's never bothered him in the past to have Christmas decorations so I think he is just trying to be lazy. Poor guy, he is super busy with his job and our business. But dammit, I want a nicely decorated house. :o Anyone else fighting this battle?

[ButterflyJen]

wine_o - my dr. suggested a Tylenol PM; I did forget to mention that. My issue is - if DD wakes up, am I going to wake up too? Though 99% of the time DH is there at night (he works 2nd shift, sometimes gets called for 3rd shift overtime) and he could get up...I just hate to do that to him. :o

No KITC feeling here...yet. Nor do I have carpal tunnel, but I do have a friend who had that badly and it did sound awful. :(

Zhanna, ditto on the 3rd trimester u/s measurements being a lot less accurate. (though that's why I'm going in on Monday - for measuring, LOL!!)
Can you believe that as of tomorrow, when someone asks when the baby is coming we can say "next month".
Oh my Lord, I have too much crap to get done before this baby comes!! Hello, freak-out mode! :eek:

Holiday Shopping - I'm probably 50% done. Need to get moving on DD's list (though I first need to freaking decide what else to get for her!), and otherwise we're just waiting on the ILs requests. That'll still be a while before they come in. ;)

Holiday decorating - is DONE. :D Tree and everything else went up on Saturday night, because DH was off work and we had the time. DD was so thrilled to come downstairs on Sunday morning and see a Christmas tree in her living room. She says it's her tree. :D

[jmvan74]

Wine_o: Glad the Zantac is doing the trick! I so wish I could take Tylenol PM. Even w/ just half I'm pretty much useless the whole night and most of the next day...it gives me a "hang over". Definitely can't have that and care for DS. :( Glad you are feeling well.

Holiday shopping: Just have to buy for my dad and the hubby!:D DH doesn't want anything except a new peice of memory for our laptop. He means it, too. I'll probably pick him up a pair of slippers b/c he's always stealing mine to take the trash out! LOL! I'm getting my dad an itunes gift card and a Harley T-shirt and i'll be done!!!!!! I'm getting excited for the holidays.. I'll be baking cookies this weekend! Yippee!

Holiday decorating: Generally, I like to go all out,but this year it is quite minimal. The tree and stockings are up. I put a few Santa's and my nativity on the entertainment center and this weekend I'm putting wreaths and "candles" in the front window and that will be that. I just can't imagine taking it all down in another few weeks. Blahhh.

[quest]

Okay, this totally made me LOL:

"wake up from a dead sleep puking up hot fire acid"

Because that is EXACTLY what it's like! Fortunately ::knock on wood:: I've only had that happen once early on this time, but with DD it was a regular occurrence. Glad the Zantac helps, though!

Holiday Decorating - I'm done except for the tree. Ditto on only putting up a fraction of what I normally do...for the same reason as jmvan74...thinking about taking it down a couple weeks before my due date. We usually get a real tree but to be honest, this year I would have been happy with an artificial if we had one. Because then at least I could have it up by now! I think I'm going to have to scope out after-Christmas deals on one for next year.

Shopping - DH and I aren't getting each other anything because we just bought a new computer and armoire, so that's our gift to each other. :rolleyes: I need to find a few more things for DD, and then actually, I still have my familiy and DH's to do. I guess it feels like I'm done because I know what I want to get, just have to get around to buying it. Yikes.

Baby Position - Doc said the baby is head down, and he is very active, that's for sure. Latest thing is some part of him is very specifically pushing on my bladder. I swear it's on purpose. It's that tickly feeling that's pretty much uncomfortable, so even if I have a teaspoon of water in me I have to go. I'm always trying to shift him around to stop it!

My doc originally said she was going to be out the entire month of December because she visits her kids. I was kind of freaked out about that but didn't want to consider the baby coming that early so I pushed it to the back of my mind. (Plus, another doc delivered DD, and I ended up liking her just as much, so it was not a huge deal.) Well, now she's only going to be out for 2 weeks in late December, and I feel much better. In fact, I won't even have to skip an appt. with her because we're scheduling it right before/after she gets back. So that's good news. And I'm counting on a January baby because I'm a Capricorn, too. :)

[Winter Biscuit]

Shopping - almost done, just need to get a few things for DH, my parents and MIL. I'm done shopping for DD and my 6 nieces...girls are fun to shop for :)

Decorating - well, I told myself I'd try to do a little bit each night and see how far I got. HA! I haven't done a darn thing since hanging up the stockings and mistletoe last weekend. In my defense, I have been busy planning my DD's 3rd birthday party which is on 12/17. :)

I'm going to throw a few new QOTD out there:

What are you going to miss most about being pregnant?

What are you looking forward to doing once you're NOT pregnant anymore?

For me - I am going to miss feeling this baby kick. Although I have been complaining alot about the beatings my ribcage is getting, I do love feeling the baby move around in there. I felt Nugget's hiccups for the first time in week 30 and now they are quite frequent. When they wake me up at 3am, I try not to complain and just "take time to smell the roses" (easier said than done!!!) This will most likely be my last pregnancy so I am trying to make a concerted effort to cherish every kick and thump while I can.

Having said all that, I am really looking forward to having a nice glass of wine :D I doubt it will be right away but I am still looking forward to that first glass, whenever it is! I'm also excited about being able to wear regular clothes again. And being able to reach my feet (and SEE my feet) again. And being able to sleep on my back without feeling guilty. And I can't wait until people won't have an excuse to tell me how HUGE I am.

[ButterflyJen]

oooh, quest, I'd have been nervous about that too! But DD was delivered by someone other than my original OB, too. At that point, you just don't really care who is down there, as long as they can catch (or cut, in my case!). ;)

Julie, that's totally why I'd like to see how I can do with as low a dose of meds as possible. If I can just get an epidural LITE that would be good. ;) you know, enough of one to take the edge off and allow me to "let" my body do what it needs to do. I guess I'll find out that stuff on Monday, or at my CB class!

New QOTDs:
What am I going to miss most? Feeling the baby move. It may be uncomfortable at times, but as far as I know, this is the last time I'll ever be pregnant so I am cherishing every single movement. It's the most amazing thing I know of in life and I will so miss it when it's over.

What am I looking forward to? Wine. Yum, wine. I told DH he'd better bring a bottle to the hospital. :D And I'd love a nice glass of beer...listen to me, I sound like an alcoholic! I can't wait to sleep on my back, either! I'd love to sleep on my stomach, I miss that so much, but I get plugged ducts so easily while nursing that I'm not going to encourage them like that! So no stomach sleeping for me for another year or so, bummer!

[Alegna]

Talk about a winter storm.... Things got nasty here in central Illionis last night. A few hours of freezing rain which turned to snow sometime early this morning. 30mph winds are now breaking tree limbs and arcing power lines.

I made the mistake of not turning on the radio until we were already half way to work. Come to find out my company is closed today! But my department still needs at least two people here and I figured since I was already on my way I might as well go in. The roads weren't really that bad. The wind is causing some white out conditions. But nothing driving carefully can't handle.

So I'm sitting in my nice warm office, with power and internet access. More than I can say for staying at home. The power went out just as we were leaving. And since we have a well, no power = no water. You have to limit your bathroom breaks. And that is not something easily done by a pregnant woman ;)

DH just called and said his boss told him to go home. He's going to go home and get the generator going. At least that way we can keep the essientials going. He'll have to come back and get me this afternoon. Maybe by then the wind will have died down.

[DansGirl]

I'm not very active in here, but just wanted to post a quick update. Things are well. Just had my 32 week appt. - I've gained 23 lbs and baby GIRL (don't know if I had come in here to announce that) is 60% for size. She's head down & very active on my right side. Everythings going perfect.

Continue to be well, all of you fellow mommies-to-be...:)

[jmvan74]

What will I miss: With my first pg I would have said absolutely nothing. I was miserable. This time, though, I will miss feeling the movment. I've felt so much better this time around that if I wasn't starting to get so uncomfortable, I wouldn't mind being pg again! LOL!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing what this little guy looks like! I can't stop wondering if he will look like Collin. I also can't wait to wear my old jeans, breathe, and have drink...wine, mixed whatever!

Angela: Be safe out there girl!

[zhannushka]

What are you going to miss most about being pregnant?
This is going to sound selfish, but - I will miss having an excuse for everything (when it comes to cleaing, cooking, doing laundry etc.) - DH has taken on doing pretty much everything, while I just lay there and complain... :p

What are you looking forward to doing once you're NOT pregnant anymore?
1. Definitely looking forward to meeting this baby! - I can't wait to see what he looks like! I also can't wait to see DH playing with his son! :)
2. As bad as this is going to sound - I'm looking forward to smoking a cigarette and having a drink. I've promised myself that I won't start smoking regularly again, but I will still have a cigarette here and there once I'm done breastfeeding...

[Alegna]

What I'm going to miss - I think I'm going to miss the movement too. I sat there for over an hour yesterday just watching my tummy move around. DH could see it from across the room. It freaks him out :)

I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to the most. Meeting kiddo is probably it. That and being able to eat tomato sauce again. And lets not forget being able to eat sushi without getting dirty looks from the other customers. ;)

[Alegna]

DH called from home. The power is back on. Apparently all those power lines we saw down on the road don't feed our house. Who knew? It's still windy but the sun has come out and is starting to melt some of the ice.

My coworkers girlfriend is going to bring us some take out for lunch. Since the company is closed so is the cafeteria. All we have available is vending machine food. Yum.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Hey girls...just checking in. I am up in Sacramento at my parents' house for my shower tomorrow. Unfortunately, we got a call at 4 this morning that my grandmother passed away. It kinda puts a damper on the mood to say the least, but it is also a relief to know she isn't suffering anymore. The funeral is on Tuesday so I get to go try to find maternity funeral wear. :(

[zhannushka]

So sorry to hear about your grandmother, Ginger! :(
You and your family will be in my thoughts...

[quest]

Lucy Van Pelt - Sorry to hear about your grandmother. :(

Miss About Being Pregnant - At first I was going to say 'nothing', because even though I'm having an "easy" pregnancy, I am stupidly uncomfortable, especially when trying to take care of DD. But, I have to admit that feeling the baby and watching your belly move is pretty darned cool. :)

Looking Forward To - 4 cups of coffee in the morning; wine, beer, and martinis ;); skipping meals; having a wardrobe that consists of more than 10 items; basically just returning back to "me" and not being out of breath constantly. I'm pretty independent about most stuff and it's hard for me to depend on others for certain things.

The wind here is insane, it sounds like every tree is going to come crashing through the windows. And DD woke up with the sniffles. And I woke up exhausted (DD decided 5 a.m. is a nice time to start the day ;)). Therefore, I decided working from home was a great idea. Thank goodness I can do that (I wish it was every day!), so now I'm CCing, working, DD is napping, and the Chronicles of Narnia is on in the background. Life is good. :D

[jmvan74]

Ginger: Sorry about your grandmother.:(

[mommydearest]

Lucy - Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

Miss About Being Pregnant - Not cleaning the cat box! That and not having to vacuum the whole house. I can handle a room, but DH has to do it when we need to do the whole upstairs or whole downstairs at once.

Looking Forward To - An Amaretto sour! Getting to wear my pre-preggo clothes. Sleeping more comfortably. And...finally meeting this big lump that kicks the crud out of me.

Weather Here in Indianapolis it is sooooo windy. The power is out a lot of places and some schools got sent home early because of it. Unfortunately, ours wasn't one of them. :( We are only expecting an inch of snow tonight, though.

I went to the doctor today and have gained 3 pounds, which brings me to 20 total. They took blood for another hemoglobin test, but I won't find out the results until Monday. I am measuring right at 32 weeks, which is good because I was a week behind last time. They had a hard time finding the heartbeat because the baby was moving so much, but eventually she got it. I scheduled another appointment for Dec. 29. After that, I go to weeklies, which scares me!

[jmvan74]

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Kristen: I hope your #'s come back normal. ;)

How's evereyone feeling?
Some of you are getting really close! Very exciting. I can't keep myself out of the December thread...it's fun to hear about the babies arriving and the birth stories make me cry. :o

I'm starting to feel very uncomfortable and tired. I am ready for this adventure to be over. I keep telling myself 6 1/2 more weeks....I just have to hold on until then.

[quest]

I'm so relieved to hear you say this, jmvan74:

I am ready for this adventure to be over.

I'm always afraid to voice that out loud because I don't want it to seem like I'm putting my comfort over the baby's health...obviously the baby's health is most important. And I don't want to seem like I don't realize being pregnant is the greatest thing, because that's not it. I'm just feeling so "done" right about now. When I say I have 6 weeks left, people exclaim "Oh, wow, that's it?!?" and inside I'm thinking "OMG, I have that much longer??" I still have so much to do to get "ready" for this baby and yet my body is so exhausted I have no idea how it will all get done.

Phew, okay, vent over. Thanks :)

We had our hospital tour yesterday. Found out that yes, DH CAN stay in the hospital overnight. Phew, big relief for me. Of course, now, actually seeing the room has me concerned about how DD will react to visiting then leaving me there. I hope it will be a bigger issue for me than it is for her. And I'm hoping my stay is as short as it was with DD (fingers crossed)...I was admitted Friday evening and checked out Sunday morning.

One thing I forgot to ask during the tour, though, was the 'typical' timeframe for circumcisions (if you're having it done at the hospital). I have no idea how soon after birth they'll do it, then how long the baby needs to stay after the procedure, etc. I'm sure there's a thread on this here somewhere, but thought I'd see if any of you knew as well.

It's absolutely FREEZING here today. But thank goodness still no snow in my local area. Which reminds me...I have to start researching those "cover the whole baby while they're in the carrier" things...(can't think of what they're called) to see if there's any sort of difference or if pretty much any one is fine. That's definitely something I can see using.

Hope everyone's having a great Monday!

[jmvan74]

One thing I forgot to ask during the tour, though, was the 'typical' timeframe for circumcisions (if you're having it done at the hospital). I have no idea how soon after birth they'll do it, then how long the baby needs to stay after the procedure, etc. I'm sure there's a thread on this here somewhere, but thought I'd see if any of you knew as well.



I'm not sure about every hospital, but in our hospital DS was 2 days old and he didn't have to stay for any additional time (we stayed 2 more days b/c he was jaundiced, but not for the circ.) There are a few threads about circumcision, but they seem to always turn in to cat fights over wrong and right. I try to avoid them.

[zhannushka]

Kristen - I hope your hemoglobin numbers come back good!

Julie and quest - I totally hear you on being "ready for this adventure to be over"! It's getting so hard to manage my day-to-day life while feeling tired, achy, etc. all the time... I know that it's even tougher for those who already have toddlers to take care of on top of everything else! My 1-hour drive to work (and back) has become torturous - I have to pull over on the hig