More baby orders

I feel like I'm blogging a lot these days. I guess because Derek is spending a lot of time on homework and assignments and I'm between my grading in PHI 103. I decided to take a couple more pictures to demonstrate the sheer size of my belly these days.

This is me just after work today. As you can see, I look like I have a torpedo belly or maybe I'm smuggling a soccer ball. I thought I should add another picture just because of how awful and tired I looked yesterday. I'll be honest, it was probably that I didn't take my iron over the weekend (yes, I know) and I hadn't had a lot of water from being so busy. 

Today, I managed to get down 100 fl oz, or 4 helpings of my stay-at-work water bottle. I think drinking more water helps with the tiredness and with the Braxton-Hicks contractions. I didn't have any today, and I really feel pretty good. I had been considering visiting the gym if I wake up feeling this well. 

Here's another shot: 

Here, you can see my tummy a little better without the sweater. I thought, too, that wearing something tighter would help demonstrate my girth. :)

Enough about me - this is Stella's blog. I ordered her a few things today - namely some gDiapers. My former coworker and friend Jessica (who is now in the hospital, nearly ready to deliver her twins) sent me a coupon for Diapers.com. I ordered Stella two in this color and one in this color . I also ordered some of the biodegradable inserts. I figure they'll come in handy at first when she's going through a lot of diapers and we aren't ready for doing laundry 2-3 times a day.  

I also ordered some things for myself today. I always feel bad about doing that, but I know I need some clothes to make it through these final weeks. I ordered this dress:

I really liked it and I ordered another pair of black pants and a shirt for work. I thought maybe the dress could be a good option for our maternity photos since we're currently planning to take half of the pictures at Hilton Head beach and the other half at our house. I'm really excited about doing it, and I know Liza will do a great job. Let's just hope I don't get any more puffy or swollen looking over the next 3 weeks!

Anyway, I figured I needed to balance a really negative post with a much more positive one today. I slept well last night and I feel really good today. Stella has been really active, and earlier, we were watching a movie and we both got distracted for a minute because she was kicking like crazy. It's so funny to watch Derek with his hand on my tummy. He'll poke and she'll kick back. He thinks it's "scary" how she can kick back. Of course, he means like startling, and his face always lights up and gets this goofy look on it. :) 

Enough! I'll post again on Monday after my appointment! :)

30 weeks

In some ways, it seems like I shouldn't already be at 30 weeks, and in others, it seems like I should already be full-term by now. I think it depends on how I feel that particular day. Today, I did NOT feel so spunky.


Yesterday, we spent nearly the entire day painting our office. Back in October, we painted Stella's room, and I felt well enough to paint quite a bit and really help. Yesterday, I spent most of the time sitting on the floor, painting along the molding. I even stopped a couple times to take short rests. I'm feeling pretty darn huge these days, and I think I'm starting to look absurdly pregnant. Here's my latest belly shot - please forgive the pajama look. I couldn't stand wear real clothes any longer this evening:

Yes, I know. I look tired. I look bloated and puffy, and I feel exhausted. It's not good to feel this way. We have maternity photos at the end of the month on the 26th, and I'm scared I'll hate them because of how revoltingly large I am.


Okay, okay. Enough complaining. It's hard to not complain, though, and yes, I feel like a terrible person for just wishing this was over already. Today, I was looking at ModCloth, and I kept remembering the wonderful feeling of having a waist and being able to run and just looking generally better than I do right now. Okay, I said enough complaining. :(


On to more positive things: Stella has been quite active lately. She moves so much, and it's shocking what she can actually do now. She's very strong. I added a new ticker (in case you didn't notice) to the top of our blog since the fruit/veggie thing is no longer amusing. Okay, a squash. Then, we've got a cantaloupe and then a watermelon. Not a lot to expect from that in the coming weeks. I figured the updates on her development might be more interesting. :)


I definitely believe that she's strong enough to grip a finger because some days it feels like she's trying to bust out of my belly. She'll kick really hard or just starting moving like crazy. Her movements really wake me up now, and on Sunday, I woke up at 4:30 am. I managed to wake Derek up with all of my shifting, and I looked at him and said, "Are you awake?" He said, "Uh... kinda." I said, "Well, your daughter is keeping me awake." We laid there for about another thirty minutes before he got up and made me chocolate chip pancakes and started getting ready for the early Mass. I have a wonderful husband :)


Lately, I've been having a few Braxton-Hicks contractions. At first, I was a little confused by them, but now, I'm just like, "Eh, another one of those." When we were picking out paint at Home Depot on Saturday, I just started having one right there. I was like, "Welp - okay." They're more annoying than anything. They happen at work a lot. I've been having more stretching-type cramps. Go ahead - say it: "How could you possibly get any larger?" Well, I'm not sure, but I guess we'll see. I'm sleeping okay, save the occasional wake up calls from Stella's feet. 


I check in with the doctor on Monday, and I'll be in there a lot more often now. I don't think I can say this enough: she can come as early as possible. I am so ready to be on the road to getting this weight off - I can't wait to finally run again! - and just to have her here. I've spent a good amount of time complaining in this blog post, but I can't say enough just how excited I am to finally meet our little girl and to finally see what she looks like. I just sit and look at her stuff in her room and imagine what it will really be like. I can't wait :) 


So to end on a positive note: I am so ready to for this to be over not only because I'm uncomfortable but also so I can get to the real business of getting to know Stella and just loving her and being the best mom I can possibly be. And, I cannot wait to finally see Derek with her. I think he's going to be an amazing dad. :) Is that the mushiest thing I've said in this blog to date? Probably. I've been getting really emotional lately. :) 

This really feels like the third trimester...

So the past couple days have been pretty rough to say the least. My feet are swelling again, and I honestly don't know why - well, other than just being pregnant. My desk is so low that it could be used by a "little person," and I'm drinking plenty of water every day. Still, they swell and swell. It sucks. I ran out of my Protonix, and I need to get a refill. With that said, I've had some horrible heartburn. I've also had so much pain my tailbone that it feels like it may snap in two. In other words, this is really feeling like the third trimester. 


Okay, I got all of my complaining out in one paragraph! It's just been rough lately, and I keep thinking, "I have up to 12 more weeks of this?!" Moving on to positive things, I have been feeling much more energetic - thank you, crazy iron supplement! - so I was even able to make it to the gym and walk our dogs a couple times this week! It's nice when I can workout and feel better in general. Also good news, Derek seems to be all healthy again. He's still chuffing and coughing, but for the most part, he seems to be much, much better. 


He was able to get a relatively clear shot of me, so here I am at 28 and a half weeks:

yay pajamas! 

That's Derek's t shirt, so you can tell that even his clothes are getting tight on me. My belly is pretty darn big at this point, and the other day, a coworker jokingly said to me, "You're having twins - right?" I was like, "Uhm, no. Definitely just one in there." Although, I have to agree with her. My friend Jessica is expecting twins, and size-wise, we're pretty similar. On the bright side, one of my former students from fall quarter saw me, and she goes, "You look really good!" It's always nice when you hear that, rather than, "Damn! You're as big as a bus!" 


Anyway, we finished our last "Baby Basics" class last night. It was a great class series. We learned about the 5 Ss, Infant CPR, diapering, bathing, and even some safety product tips. I am glad to be finished since that means we won't be staying after work until 8:30 again. The infant CPR was pretty hilarious. Of course, Derek's a natural since he did all that combat medic stuff. I'm like beating the doll's chest with two hands and I forgot to support it when we did the choking stuff. I was basically smacking the doll against my knee. Derek was cracking up. He goes, "Uh, you.. uh," and pointed at my knee when he realized I wasn't supporting the baby at all. It's hard, people! 


We have our next class on February 5th, and that will be our "Prepared Childbirth" class. It's all day long, and I'm glad we'll get a tour of the labor and delivery area of Memorial Hospital. Then, February 22nd will be our last class, "Breastfeeding." I'm looking forward to that one since I am very nervous about getting breastfeeding right. 


From what I understand, my mom and mother-in-law will be hosting our Ohio baby shower on February 6th. I feel so badly that we can't be there, and I really wish I could be. There's no way I can take time off work, and I can't just fly in for the weekend - too far along for that. I do plan to call in and thank everyone for being so sweet and kind as to think of getting gifts for Stella. Speaking of which, we ordered a couple books for her today. Books for children ages 0-2 are so cheap - they were like 5 bucks a piece! If only her future textbooks could cost that much... 


Altogether, February is going to be a wacky month for us: Childbirth class on the 5th; Valentine's Day Weekend (our last one alone!); Moms visit on the 19th and I have the Southern Regional ACIS from the 17th-19th; then on the 22nd our Breastfeeding class; then our maternity photos right after that on the 26th. Crazy! 


Our plan for the rest of this month includes getting things organized. After our infant CPR and safety session in Baby Basics last night, we've decided that we need to relocate a lot of the cleaning supplies and generally hazardous stuff in our house now while we have time. We're going to reorganize all of that so it's out of Stella's reach. Then, we're going to organize her closet and our closet so that it's convenient and easy to keep neat. We may invest in some organizers. I'd like to find a small bookcase that we can keep her books in, so we'll probably search for one of those, too. We're still in need of a floor lamp, but one thing at a time. On top of all of this, I have a hair appointment! Nothing exciting - just a trim. :) 


I can't believe how quickly time has passed! Some days, it seems like I just realized I was pregnant. Our friends Neil and Lindsay in Ohio are now at 36 weeks, and I'm so happy for them! I can't wait to finally be at that point! :) Time really flies by! :)

Stella in 3D!

I have so much to blog about! I don't even know where to start! 


I'll go ahead and post the pictures since I'm sure that's what most people really want to see:

In most of the pictures, she's sucking on her hands

I think this one is hilarious! It makes me think she's saying, "Good Grief!"

This picture didn't take as well. It's hard to get a good shot of it. This is the one that I think shows she may have hair. Derek and I both have widow's peaks, and I think you can see that she has one. 

It was so amazing to see her! She moved a little in 3D - flailing her arms around and things. It was adorable! We weren't expecting to get an ultrasound, let alone a 3D one. When I first got to my appointment, Derek and I waited, and the nurse came out and said, "Aren't you supposed to get an ultrasound this time?" I said, "No." She said, "I think you are." I said, "Well, I certainly won't turn one away!" When we got in the ultrasound room, the technician said, "We just got these new machines, so I thought I'd try it out." It was a very good appointment :) 


Here are some of the regular 2D ultrasound pictures:

Those two are of her face

That's her leg. Apparently, this is what's been morphing my belly into crazy shapes!

I always get this big lump near my belly button, on the left side. Sometimes, it turns my tummy into this crazy triangle-type shape. Apparently, those are her legs stretching out to get comfy! Her head is near my ribs on my right side, and oh my goodness, she was all up in my ribs on our way home from work! 

Overall, the glucose appointment wasn't as bad as I expected. The drink was disgusting - end of story. It was like drinking a really, super concentrated melted orange popsicle. It was so sweet that it burned my throat as it went down. Bleck. Derek wanted to smell it, and one of the receptionists saw him smelling it. She said, "Hey, no sharing!" I was like, "I know, I know!" I seriously doubt ANYONE would voluntarily drink that. Bleck! After my appointment, we drove through McDonald's (healthy, I know. It was the closest thing to the hospital), and I had a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. It was easily one of the most delicious things I'd eaten in a while. Typically, I'd never do that, but I was desperate. I would've eaten anything savory.

They said they'd let me know how it turns out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I didn't eat anything, and the night before, I had cottage cheese to keep it as low carb as possible. And, I am so happy to announce that I have weighed in at +18lbs! I only gained 2 lbs since last time! That makes me so happy!! Oh, and Miss Stella is weighing in at 2.5lbs! Derek and I both were like, "What?!" I had been expecting to have a little baby, but now, I'm beginning to wonder if she's going to be a whopper!

Here's how I'm looking these days:

My face isn't in the picture because Derek just kept taking pictures of me, over and over. We couldn't get decent lighting for some reason, and this one seemed to be the only one that wasn't terribly blurry. My face has started to clear up so don't think I'm trying to hide it - haha. My nurse practitioner said that my torpedo-like belly is because I'm petite and I have a short torso. That's her excuse, not mine!


Overall, things are going very well. Stella moves so much anymore! She's moving right now, and they aren't little teeny movements anymore. These are big, big movements - jabs and kicks! 


And for Derek: he's back to being sick :( On the way home, his fever was back, and he's now in bed. I'm trying to convince him to stay home tomorrow, but he's being stubborn. On the way home he said the cutest thing: he's sitting there shivering from fever chills, and he said, "I had so much fun at the doctor today!" He's too cute :) 


Anyway, I can't wait until we meet our baby girl! This was so amazing, and it makes it so much more real! Oh, and they did confirm one more time that she is a baby girl :) I had been worried about that! :) 

Holy Solanum melongena!

Finally! We have a new fruit/vegetable! I'm so excited! Really makes you think about eggplant parmigiana differently, right?


Well, our little miss Stella is now the size of an eggplant, and Derek and I have been married for (drumroll, please...) seven years! I know, I know. We married very young. I wouldn't have done it any other way, though. I love him so much, and I'm so happy :) 


But we didn't start this blog so I could babble on about Derek and me and our marital bliss. Back to the baby. I figure it's time to show the world just how large I am these days:

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think I look a lot bigger than I did two weeks ago. I guess that explains all of my recent discomfort. I haven't weighed myself, but I will soon. I'm kinda nervous about it, but I'm almost at the point of not caring what the scales say. I figure as long as my legs and arms don't look like big tubes of fat, meaty sausage, then I'm fine. Right? :\

Aside from the crampiness, things are going well. Although, I didn't sleep so well last night, and I attribute that to my sinuses. I've been having a hell of a time with my sinuses lately. I mean, I heard of all that rhinitis of pregnancy bullshit, but this is ridiculous. I wake up in the morning and blow my nose. It looks like someone either punched me or squashed a mouse in my tissue (gross visual, I know, but I'm the one that has to look at it every morning). I was starting to get worried because of the bloody noses and constant state of being stuffed up, but I'm going to give it a couple days and see what happens. 

You know you've been married for a while when your anniversary request is to go buy a humidifier for your bedroom, haha. Derek and I went and bought one today, and I think it will really help. I've had it running, and I think it will clear up the sinus discomfort and sinus headaches. If not, I'm calling the doctor. 

I also picked up a few things for our nursery while we were out. Here's how it's looking these days:

Clearly, it's still a work in progress, but it's looking much girlier! I was very happy to find that lamp at Target - it has cute little owls all over it! We still need to get some more artwork on the walls, and we need to get some more gear. The next big purchase will likely be the pack and play, and we have the perfect one picked out. It's brown and pink by Graco. I also would like to get some sort of a glider/rocker very soon. I had wanted the rocker from my mom's house that my grandmother rocked me in, but I'm worried about my mom transporting it here from Ohio. I am also concerned about it being too hard. I know I'll be spending plenty of time in that piece of furniture, so I want to make sure it's comfortable. We'll see.

I also thought I'd take a second to show you what I'm guessing Derek's parenting style will be like...

I thought this offered a telling glimpse of what he'll be like with Stella - literally letting her do whatever she wants. Maggie spends most of her time licking Derek's face and crawling all over him, so I'm guessing that whatever Stella wants to do, he'll let her. He's a total spoiler, so I'm sure she'll have him wrapped around her finger in no time. 

Anyway, I'm so excited that our baby girl is now the size of an eggplant! My other little tracker says a rutabaga, but I don't really know how big those are since I never buy them. An eggplant is a much easier visual for me. I also read that she's got fingerprints now, and I'm certain she gets hiccups pretty darn often. All of sudden, I'll have these weird, rhythmic bounces over and over. It's pretty cute :)

I'll post more as we continue to develop the nursery! :) So much more to do!! 

Appointment

Today marked my 23 weeks appointment, and everything was good! 


I actually met with my doctor, Dr. Helmken, and that was great! I thought I was getting a nurse practitioner this time, but I was very happy to see Dr. Helmken walk through the door. 


My weight was fine - no complaints. Yes, I'm up 15 lbs from the start, but for being as far along as I am, I won't complain. Dr. Helmken didn't even say anything. Miss Stella had been all bouncy today, so I was interested to see what happened when Dr. Helmken checked her heartbeat.


Stella's heartbeat came in at 135 - very normal - and she was moving so much it was hard to even hear. Dr. Helmken said, "I'm sorry!" It was like we were making her angry!


I got a prescription for the heartburn - woohoo! - and she says my tailbone pain is caused by muscle spasms. I just need to put mild heat on it, and it will be fine. She also said my lightheadedness is very normal now, and she recommended just lying down when it happens. She said it's caused by all the extra blood - up to 50% more than before I was pregnant - putting extra strain on my body. 


I go back in four weeks, and that's my last four weeks appointment!! Can you believe that? After next time, I will be in there every two weeks! We're currently planning another ultrasound at 32 weeks, just assess where Stella is. 


We had a cautionary chat about preterm labor since there's a slight possibility it could be an issue in the future. Dr. Helmken says my uterus is septate (or heart-shaped) so it may think Stella is ready before she really is. I have to watch for the signs, but she said it looks like my uterus expanded as Stella has grown which is a very good thing. Obviously, that makes me very nervous because as much as I'd like to meet her before her due date, I also want her to be here when she's ready. As long as we make it to 36 weeks, we're good. Dr. Helmken was very positive about it, and she said she just wanted to be cautious since we can never be too careful with something so precious. :)


Here's how I'm looking these days:

Yay!

Clearly, my shirts don't fit anymore! I'm wearing one of Derek's t shirts in this picture, and it's even a little snug! The doctor says I'm measuring perfectly, though! Stella was moving around as the picture was taken, so we thought that was pretty funny :) I'm actually in her room here :) We're working on girl-ing it up some, and I'll post some pictures of it very soon!


Overall, I'm very happy with the appointment - I LOVE my doctor - and I'm happy with Stella's progress. Now, we just wait until Jan. 10 when I have my yucky glucose test (boo!) and then I get to go in every two weeks! :) 


We're moving along!! She'll be here before we know it!

Nursery Pictures

Finally! We have our nursery together enough to not be completely embarrassed of our progress! We have this leaf thing that goes over the crib (the one from Ikea), and Derek had a heck of a time getting it up on the wall. We had to buy special screws from Lowe's to get it up there!


So here are some pictures:

This is a shot of our crib. We wanted to see if we liked the bedding. We're really happy with it so far. 

Here's a picture (albeit fuzzy) of the changing table. I put that together! Go me! :D Let's just hope it doesn't fall apart when we're changing the baby one day... yikes! 

Here's the dresser. You can see the curtains we have up in there for now. We're planning to get some green curtains that are thicker. 

Here's Maggie. She thinks this her room... 

I said I'd post a picture of me after I didn't look so dead tired. Well, I still look tired, but I'm wearing tighter clothes. Usually, I'll take pictures after work or something so I don't look slouchy. On most weekends, I wear  yoga pants and t shirts. I've been getting really hot lately, so tank tops have been my friend. 

As far as symptoms go, I feel okay. I have heartburn (typical) and I get tired. Last night, I didn't sleep well at all. I went and ran at the fitness center last night while Derek was watching football, and I woke up around 2 whining and complaining that my entire body hurt. I hadn't been running on a treadmill, or regularly for that matter, so I think my body wasn't ready for it. I had to take a Tylenol. That really sucked. I'm going to stick with the elliptical from here on out. 

I haven't said much about cravings lately. Mostly, I've craved cranberries. Maybe it's because it's Thanksgiving and one of my favorite things to eat - cranberry relish - is loaded with cranberries. I eat Craisins, and I even eat jellied cranberry sauce (usually, I hate this stuff, but it's a good quick fix). Right now, I'm craving eggs, and I think that's what I'll have for lunch - perhaps an egg sandwich or hard-boiled eggs. 

My face has cleared up a lot with this topical stuff my doctor gave me. It's made a huge difference. It's not perfect, but I'm not embarrassed of my face anymore. I actually feel okay not wearing make up out in public which is something I REALLY missed. I hate make up. I always feel so gaudy wearing it.

One new symptom: This morning at Mass, I felt terrible. It was really warm in the Church, and I was having trouble kneeling and standing up. I told Derek that I thought I was going to pass out. It was awful. As soon as I got outside, I felt better. This happened another time, too. The other day I was driving home from work, and all of a sudden, I had to stop the car because I told Derek I was seeing stars and I was convinced I was going to pass out driving. I felt better once I got in the passenger seat, but man, that was scary. I'm not that worried about it because on both of these occasions, I've either felt really, really hot or was wearing constricting clothing - or both. I wore tights that day, and I've decided to not do that anymore unless absolutely necessary. I think my belly has become too big to be comfortable in anything tight. So, sorry, BellaBand, you're now being relegated to depths of my closet. :(

And speaking of large bellies, I think it's amazing that Baby Ratcliff is the size of a cantaloupe! I believe it by the looks of my tummy!  :) 

Welp, I better get back to helping Derek with the household prep for Thanksgiving! We're trying to get our house in order before Mom gets here!! :)