Confessions of a full-term mama

I.am.tired.  Not the "take a nap" or "go to bed early" kind of tired.  The "once I sit down I don't want to stand back up" kind of tired.  The "I just want to lay on the couch, prop my feet up on a stack of pillows, and watch Jane Austen movies" kind of tired.  And since this is a no-holds-barred confessional post, I might as well add that while lying at that comfy couch I would also be sipping a Coke.  An icy cold, extra-fizzy, fountain Coke.  But hey, let's not stop there.  Let's throw in a big bowl of some unhealthy, super salty, flourescently orange Cheez-Its perched perfectly atop my belly.  And then we'll top it all off with a pack (an entire pack) of Twizzlers, brought to you by Red 40.  And now you know.  THAT is how I feel this week.


This is officially my favorite outfit of this pregnancy.  I would say I'll be sorry to see the Heidi Klum skinny leg jeans go in a few weeks, but I have a feeling we'll be spending a long winter together ...

Perhaps in an effort to offset these terrible, unhealthy thoughts, I took the boys on a walk.  Or I attempted to take the boys on a walk.  They were both excellent companions for once.  Start 'em off with a little treat, bottle of water and super-cool hat on their heads, and they were more than willing to comply. 


Do you have any idea how much this thing + my two boys weighs?  Me neither, but I'd sure like to find out.

About halfway through our walk we came across a stray golf ball off the back 9, and that thoroughly made Jack's day.  You never saw such a proud owner of a random golf ball.  But fate was not on my side that morning.  I'm still trying to learn the ins and outs of our neighborhood.  I've found one or two good, flat routes, with sidewalks and in the opposite direction of the old men speeding in their Sebrings to the Country Club.  But I'm bored of them already.  So on this day we tried a different turn, a new street ... and promptly ran into three different hills.  Three different occasions to put myself into labor.  And three different times where I had to stop, pull out my phone so it appeared to anyone watching that I had a reason to pause, and just catch my breath for a little while.  New confession:  I'm terribly out of shape.


Putting up my feet, but certainly not relaxing.

The good news is: I'm in the clear.  I hit the 37 week mark tomorrow (a week later than I had been planning for a while now) and baby is in the clear for a birthing center arrival, as long as we don't go past 42 weeks.  But I don't think that will happen.  Baby's also in a great position - head down, back slightly on my left ... and her feet are completely jutting off to my right.  Even the midwife was getting a kick out of her situation.  Really sweetie, just make yourself right at home, you can just push that kidney out of the way and stretch yourself out ...


I put these on before leaving for Jack's physical appointment and he got all upset and said, "No Mom, those aren't doctor shoes!"

The Little Miss kept kicking and rolling around for the midwife, who happily responded with "Oh hey honey, hi there!" ... "Oh hello honey!"  The two of them were just off in their own little world for a few minutes while she did a "round ligament release".  Don't ask me exactly what that means, all I know is that I feel much, much better after that appointment!  The other cool thing at that visit was hearing Baby's heart accelerate in the doppler whenever she started moving a lot, and then it would slow down a bit when she was resting.  She's healthy, active and, according to the midwife, will likely take after our middle child and be in the 7 pound range.


No, they're not doctor shoes.  They are pregnancy-calf slimming, kankle defying, most comfortable heels in the world shoes.  I may just wear these to the birthing center... and then change into slippers when I get there.

The midwife also said my belly looks perfect.  Can you tell I was totally loving this lady by the end of our 30 minutes together?  I just kept replaying her comments in my head this weekend after a half of a dozen people told me, yet again, how small I'm carrying.  I think I'm going to start eating a candy bar for every "small" comment I get, that should help offset things.


This might be my other favortie pregnancy outfit.  Nothing like being able to fit into your hubby's old football t-shirts.

And I have a new theory about those of us who "carry small."  Since Baby is on track to be a healthy, average size.  And my weight gain is also healthy and average.  One can only assume that I'm just carrying more on the inside than on the outside.  For every woman whose belly is sticking way, way out.  There's one of us whose womb reaches our spine.  Makes sense right?  It also explains why I feel so compacted in there right now.  I'm able to bend over approximately two inches at this point, if I'm lucky.  I would be so curious to see what things look like under my ribcage, it feels like a Tetris game for sure.  But hey, as long as Baby is able to bounce about and stretch her legs - I'm happy.  My organs can handle the temporary living situation for a few weeks longer.
And that's where we're at now - a few weeks longer.  Give or take a few weeks.  It feels like only yesterday I was crying at the dining room table trying to figure out how to break the news to Jon.  But no matter how much you want to slow it down, those 9 months always go fast!

35 weeks on repeat

Well apparently I enjoyed my 35th week of pregnancy so much, we decided to repeat it.  At my last appointment I had a lengthy discussion with the midwife about my dates and, after an even longer time trying to decipher my military clinic ultrasound records, it was finally determined that Baby is due October 11, not October 5.  With the new date I'm now measuring right on (instead of the two weeks behind I was at my previous appointment).  And so, while I'm confident the new date is more accurate (which is important if you want to deliver at the birthing center), I'm not so thrilled that we're now encroaching on Jack's birthday territory.  In fact, I'm willing to carry this baby an additional week, if it means giving the kiddos a few extra days between celebrations.  Ugh, two babies born within the same week is so not my modus operandi.

35 weeks, the first time

And neither is this whole changing dates thing when you're down to the last month.  I've got myself utterly confused now.  I have to think extra hard when someone asks when the baby is due.  And I can't do that reverse psychology tell-yourself-you'll-have-the-baby-late-so-you're-not-disappointed deal because there's a very good chance this time around that labor could start "on time."  To make matters worse, there's a family wedding on October 9 in LBI and the entire clan is renting a beach house for the weekend.  Since that's the "baby could come any minute" time zone, chances are we're going to be missing out.  And the whole idea makes me a bit grumpy.

35 weeks, the second time.

But the Little Miss remains unphased.  She's happy and healthy and pushing her way around in there just the same.  And other than a little swelling in my left ankle and the occasional sharp, shooting pain on my left pelvis, I don't feel too bad either.  I'm just really running out of space in my middle.  Helping Jack in and out of his underwear 20 times a day has lost its luster.  And I about drowned Jude in the bath whilst trying to rinse his hair out.  I just can't get a good angle over the edge of the tub anymore.  My husband gives me a hard time about the ice cubes that fall on the floor and never get picked up.  What can I say?  It's ten times easier to wait until they melt, throw a towel on the floor, and swish it around with my foot than it is to actually bend over and pick them up.  Maybe we really do need a dog ...

This little guy is reallly going to miss his "seat" in a few weeks.

But despite all the weird pokes and little inconveniences, I truly love this stage of pregnancy.  I'm obviously with child, no one has to guess any more.  I feel her little life within me every hour of the day.  And I am consantly reminded of the miracle - the gift - of life.  It's an honor to carry a child, so why not throw in an extra week while we're at it?

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Just a little note about 35 weeks for those of you who are interested.  This is when I start my little herbal regimen - 5-W.  This was recommended to me by our first midwife in Virginia Beach and even though my current midwives haven't heard of it before, all the herbs it includes - Black cohosh root, squaw vine herb, dong quai root, butcher's broom root and red rasberry leaves - are recommended by them during the last weeks of your pregnancy.  And they gave me the go-ahead to use it again this time.  5-W stands for 5 weeks, because you take it the last 5 weeks of your pregnancy.  It supposedly supports the reproductive system, tones your uterus and helps prep your body for labor.  This article explains some of the benefits of 5-W.  Some people claim to have shorter, timely labors because of this supplement but both my previous labors were 23 hours and 12 hours long, and I had one baby a week early and one a week late, so I can't attest to this myself.  Also, I've never gone through a pregnancy without 5-W, so I honestly can't say it if makes a big difference or not.  I do know that I've had two great deliveries, two great pushing experiences and two great recoveries.  I've also had several friends who have taken it with similar results.  Maybe it was the 5-W ... maybe not.  But it might be worth a shot if you're at the end of your pregnancy!  The product is manufactured by Nature's Sunshine, but like most items, I've found it to be cheaper through Amazon.  And that is my 35 weeks two cents!

More belly, less hair

I'm 33.5 weeks pregnant today and baby is about the size of a pineapple.  Just as I guessed, at my 32 week check-up I was told I was measuring two weeks behind, and that was after a lot of pushing and jiggling by the midwife to get the baby into a better position.  She is head-down now, but on a diagonal.  Which makes "measuring" a challenge, and also makes for some weird in-utero sensations - like a lot of activity in my right love-handle.  :)  Despite barely measuring 30 weeks, my midwife said I was right on track for weight gain.  But she also said my glucose test results actually came back on the low side and encouraged me to eat me small meals throughout the day to keep my sugar levels up.  Ugh, it sounds so easy, this whole "eating more" thing but I tell you it's not!  And I'm also finding I'm not as hungry anymore as I used to be.  I attribute that to Baby Girl deflating my poor little stomach.

Anyway, despite the dreary check-up, my belly is still getting bigger.  Thirty-nine and one half inches around to be exact.  In fact, it's officially big enough that Jude can hide under it.  Which would explain why I've been tripping over him so much lately.  He's my "mama's boy", and he loves to shadow me all around the house.  But I just don't see him down there anymore!

Peek-a-boo, there he is!

Other than the occasional leg cramp, sore back and intermittent heartburn, oh and swollen ankles when I stand in heels at graduations or weddings all day, this pregnancy is going really, really well.  I don't want to say easy, but compared to what I hear from others, I guess that's how I have it.  Even if it does make me feel a bit guilty.  Like today, I met another mama of two boys at our church's picnic.  She's due with a third boy about a month after me and is having her most difficult pregnancy yet.  So when she asks me how I'm feeling, well it just doesn't feel right to say "Oh fantastic, I hardly know I'm carrying a baby!"  Instead, I try to throw in something like "Good, but tired, especially from chasing two little boys," or "So much better now that the morning sickness is over!" or "Well I'd be sleeping great if Jude wasn't teething right now!"  But the truth is, I don't take it for granted, because having an easy pregnancy really is a HUGE blessing when you have two other toddlers.  It is certainly something I regularly thank God for!

But now, for the real point of this post.  While I may have more of a belly these days, I now have less hair.  We were in Pennsylvania the other weekend and I made a last minute phone call to my hairdresser to see if she could squeeze me in for a quick cut.  With the new baby on the way, I explained to her that I didn't know when I'd be getting out of the house again, so "let's go pretty short."  But still long enough to pull back, I added.  She must have been feeling especially sympathetic to my upcoming position because with a few snips of her shears she ensured that I would be able to go without at trim for quite some time.  Presenting, the shortest haircut I've ever had:

33 weeks, and yes I still have two legs, it just doesn't look like it in this picture!

I just wanted to explain that so ya'll wouldn't think I went out and got the hormonal mom-cut.  I didn't intend to lose that much hair.  But what's been done is done.  And it's not too, too bad.  I cannot pull it back though.  At least, not without a two extra clips holding it all up, but thanks to my pre-natal vitamins, it hopefully won't be long before we reach that point. 

And that's where we are, 4-9 weeks to go!  And that realization has kicked me into gear with the whole "get ready for baby" thing.  Jack was away at "Grandy Camp" last week (more on that in the next post!) and Jon was traveling for work.  So I was able to get a little start on Project Nursery.  It's coming along nicely, and thanks to my recent introduction to Pinterest, I've got plenty of ideas to carry me through the home stretch!  Stay tuned for more on that as well!

Baby .78

Our little girl. It still hasn't quite hit me yet. And maybe that's a good thing because there is definitely a chance that our Miss could be a Mister. I love this stage of pregnancy. I'm so aware of her and her little life fluttering around in my belly. I think about her more and more and imagine what it will be like to meet her. But we're also in home stretch territory now. This is the third trimester and I'm fully aware of that too. Both my boys were due in the middle of the month, so I was fairly certain I knew what month they'd be arriving. But this one, this one is due October 5. Which means she might be born in September. Which just so happens to be next month. And we're not ready, not even close. I'm still trying to find places to store my jeans, the dish towels, photo albums, etc. Where are we going to put a baby?! But don't take it personally Little One.

30 weeks, 5 days ... to be exact

So when I last wrote a baby bump update, we were celebrating the "showing" milestone... and the fact that a stranger actually noticed I was pregnant.  Well the past two weeks have been a bit of a reversal.  We went to a church membership meeting last weekend and all I heard was "you're so tiny," "Seven months?  I would have guessed you were just a few weeks!" "You're pregnant?"  *insert pouty/pursed lips and slanted eyes*  All I want is to look really, genuinely with-child these days.  Pregnant like I mean it.  Instead I am realizing just how quickly I am losing time to prove to the world that I am indeed carrying a baby.  Here, put your hand on my stomach for a second and you'll know what I mean!  Or, let's exchange bladders for a few minutes and I'll prove to you there is a healthy-sized elbow pressing on that organ.  Or, can you not see my belly button entering the room a half second before the rest of me?

But the truth is, I am carrying small again.  And obviously it does bother me a bit.  All three of my pregnancies started out the same, and then around 26 weeks things leveled off with Jude or they escalated at epic proportions with Jack...  This pregnancy is reminding me very much of Jude's, so I have a feeling we can expect another 7 pounder.  At 31 weeks my weight is the same as it was at this point in my last pregnancy.  In fact, I haven't gained more than a pound in two weeks, but it's not for lack of trying!!  On the other hand, this baby's older brothers keep me more than active, I just hope she gets a chance to grab some calories before I spend them chasing down the other two.

Driving cars over Mommy's belly.

Back to baby.  I haven't had a midwife appointment in a few weeks, but when I did she was sitting breech, totally normal at this stage.  But I think things have changed since then.  Now that I'm on my third kid I'm getting a little better at interpreting humps, bumps, kicks and punches.  I'm guessing she's more head down now, maybe slightly diagonal, but I could be wrong.  There is definitely something substantial under my right ribcage, which makes me sit a little crooked, and a lot of activity in my upper right side and lower left side.  Sister likes to make her presence known.  And her brothers are starting to catch on.  Jack says things like "Sister in mommy's belly" and tries to give my belly a drink of his water.  Jude likes to push and pull on my belly button.  And both boys have found that my bump makes an excellent hill for toy cars.  Hmm, I'm afraid they won't find a newborn nearly as much fun.

And I'm enjoying the bump as well ... except when it keeps me up at night.  I did finally cave and pull out The Nest a few weeks ago.  Ah life is good again, sleep is sweet.  It's just a little hard to get out of bed in the morning, at least gracefully, but the full-night's sleep and fewer leg cramps are well worth the additional effort.  And despite what hubby says, I know he enjoys The Nest too.  I've found him cuddling up to the side more than once when I wake up for a potty break.  :)

But The Nest is not to be confused with nesting because that I haven't done.  I did mention I started on Baby's bedding, but I haven't done a thing in over a week.  I also haven't got out any clothes or baby things yet ... I mean, I just got that stuff put away after the move!  We have plenty of time ... and more if she ends up being late like I imagine she will.  But it's not that I'm not excited and anticipating her arrival.  Oh, I am.  I'm just willing to draw things out as long as possible.  Pregnancy truly brings out my patient side!

I did read and finish Birth Matters this week.  It's very good.  I was underlining like crazy in my Kindle.  But I should say that although I agree with a lot of what Ina May Gaskin says, and I love a lot of her natural birth philosophy, we approach that philosophy from very different perspectives.  And no, I have no plans of ditching my present life to go live on The Farm for a few weeks and birth a baby in a cottage.  There are a number of different ways to approach natural childbirth.  I just don't want anyone to read the book and think Is this how Janine really feels?!  No, I didn't need to go back in my psyche and clear out any emotional blockages preventing my labor from progressing.  And no, I didn't need to "let my monkey do it" in order to have a great delivery.  And no, I don't repeat mantras to myself during contractions.  Those things are all fine and work for many people.  I just don't want others to think I'm something I'm not.  My births were exactly like I say in my Birth Stories.  But if I do find myself tapping into my "inner monkey" this time around, I will certainly let you know!

And speaking of inner monkeys, there's a little monkey inside my belly begging for some ice cream, and I dare not refuse!

Take My Breath Away

Long, long ago, in my prior life, before there were husbands, college coursework, Graco Quattro strollers in Catalina print and Labor and Delivery tours... I attended my high school prom. The theme, chosen by my Junior classmates, was “Take My Breath Away” (based on the song released when most of the class was barely two years old). The only reason I remember this, of course, is because of the lovely champagne glass I received with “Take My Breath Away – Milton High School Prom 2001” etched on the side (would someone please tell me why we give teenagers adult beverage containers at their high school proms???). I have never once used that glass, I’m pretty sure it’s packed away in a box in my parents’ attic, otherwise I would include a picture of it here for you all to see. But I am reminded of it this week when, thinking back to the lavender balloons, silver confetti, and gym-turned-ballroom that left us all “breathless” over 7 years ago, I realize what really takes my breath way – being 8 months pregnant.

And so now we embrace a new phenomenon of baby-growing – pressure on the diaphragm. At first I just noticed it whenever I would lay down at night, but now it’s becoming increasingly more obvious that I can no longer climb both flights of stairs, trek to the top of the lighthouse, carry a load of laundry or even lounge on the couch solving Sudoku puzzles without taking twice as many breaths as I used to. Fortunately, this is not a painful or uncomfortable result of pregnancy – simply an unexpected one. I have to wonder, if I’m feeling this squished how does Lil’ J feel??

Amidst these moments that take my breath away, we just wrapped up a very unlaborous Labor Day weekend with Handsome Coastie’s parents here in Virginia Beach. The only thing better than eating dinner out, sitting on the beach, visiting lighthouses, watching movies, and hunting for buried treasure is being able to do them all without thinking about issues at work or my final project that I need to get crackin’ on. It was a refreshing weekend, and sadly, the last of which we’ll spend with our long line of summer visitors. Looks like the guest suite will be sitting empty for the next 6 weeks until the baby arrives.



Nursery update: The bed skirt arrived this week and now Jack’s room is done, EXCEPT for the rocking chair. Here's a picture of me at 33 1/2 weeks and a "sneak peak" at the nursery. For the benefit of my readers, I have asked my husband several times for an estimated time of completion on this project, but I think we’ve reached the “nagging wife” point and my pleas have become ineffective. I would go ahead and do this myself if he’d let me, but I think he hid the stain and varnish. My only suggestion is that you contact him personally, compelling him to finish the rocking chair so his sweet wife can FINALLY post pictures of the baby’s room for all those who have been patiently waiting. :)

And now, an update on everyone's favorite Lil' J

But that's enough about Mom, how about some news on Baby J! Although I don't look like I've gotten any bigger the past few weeks, he seems to have grown since I now feel him dancing on my bladder, pushing on my ribs, and kicking at my back - all at the same time. He seems to be most active at night, usually right when I'm trying to fall asleep. Both Handsome Coastie and I can feel body parts and see tiny bulges, but it's been impossible to tell just what is what. Yesterday I had my check-up. I'm measuring exactly 32 weeks, J's heartrate is perfect and he's turned head-down. I'm just hoping he stays that way for the rest of the pregnancy. We were also able to figure out some body parts. Now that I know that solid bump under my left is J's rear end, I can't stop nudging it. :)

On Friday my work friends threw a wonderful shower for me and the babe. I'm so grateful for all my work/school pals - we are so blessed!! Following our showers, we've got nursery renovations well under-way but I refuse to post pictures until everything is perfect! :) Let's just say we're busy sewing, staining, hanging, washing and building. The nursery is quickly becoming my favorite room in the house, I just wish I had more reasons to hang out there!

Today we're celebrating the close of the Summer semester and the end of HC's 12-hour, alternating-nights-and-days, and three day weekend shifts. Yay!! Festivities include a trip to Babies R' Us to get our stroller and carseat followed by dinner at Catch 31 (compliments of last weekend's guest - Mr. Dan, thanks buddy!!). Just trying to get in as many dates as possible before we have to start hiring a babysitter!

Childproofing

In just a few short hours Handsome Coastie's sister, her husband and four little boys will be here to visit for 11 days!! We've just finished making beds, stocking up on kiddie foods and hiding every valuable or deadly item in the house. These next few days are going to be full of fun, energy and good practice for us parents-to-be!

Also this week I've been slammed with twice as many school assignments while still trying to work between two jobs. It's been a challenging June and all this busy-ness had made the time fly by. This Friday I'll be 6 months pregnant and not much more prepared than I was 2 months ago. Thankfully hubby took me out on a romantic date for my birthday at Salacia, where we had seaside seating on the verenda. The candlelight, salmon and salty air were a perfect change of pace from baby registries, curriculum projects and prospect databases.

Today J and I had our monthly check-up and things are lookin' good. In fact, J is actually measuring slightly ahead of his due date, and surprisingly, mom's belly is measuring slightly bigger than her weeks. Looks like J might be an over-achiever. His heartrate is the same as always, but that's just because he's consistent like his parents. :) With 4 months to go (give or take a week or two) baby-daddy and I are planning out a nursery and still discussing names.

New Jobs All Around

Well, today I started training for my new job at the college. This was a very hard decision. I loved my job at the other office and was planning to return to work after the baby was born until Handsome Coastie and I got re-stationed in 2010. But a new opportunity arose across campus where I can do similar work to what I'm doing now, only with a more flexible schedule and the opportunity to do the majority of my work at home. So as much as I enjoyed my job and loved my team, it just can't compete with having more time with Baby J. I'll be spending the rest of this month wrapping up things at the old office and training my replacement, while also learning how to do my new job and getting to know my new co-workers. I still can't figure out why even positive changes can be so difficult to make. :(

 The hubster will also be starting a new job this summer. In August he'll transition to a different and better role in his current office. He doesn't let me say a whole lot about his work, but what I can say is that he won't have to work nights, weekends or 12-hour shifts anymore! Hurrah, this is wonderful news for everyone! J and I are very excited that we'll get to spend every weeknight and weekend with Daddy.

To be fair to everyone in the family, I'll also mention J's new job - swallowing. At 21 weeks babies can start swallowing the amniotic fluid. "Why?" you ask. "Researchers believe swallowing amniotic fluid may help growth and development of the fetal digestive system" (Your Pregnancy Week By Week). In fact, J may even be swallowing up to 17 ounces of fluid in a 24-hour time period!! This may contribute a small amount to his caloric needs. And heaven knows with all the activity going on in mom's stomach, J needs all the calories he can get.

Halfway!

This weekend I reached the 20 week mark, which is technically halfway, even though we didn't know we were pregnant until 5 weeks into it. Either way, it's a good reason to celebrate! I'm starting to show a little more each week, although I'm sure people who don't know me just think I have a gut. But the best part of this past week was really, truly feeling Lil' J move!! There's been lots of little bumps and pops, especially at night when I'm sitting on the couch doing homework. Jon even felt him last night - he thought it was "just gas." Note to the wise: Never tell a pregnant woman "It's just gas." When I can see my hand moving when it sits on top of my belly, I'm pretty sure it's not gas. :)
Last weekend my family came to visit for the holiday. We found out J was a "he" just in time for Marmie to come down for some shopping. Knowing it's a boy and starting to buy some little outfits has made this pregnancy much more real. One of my favorites was the "Litte Sheriff" set complete with faux vest. Sadly, Handsome Coastie is not a fan. He says J is not allowed out of the house in the sheriff outfit, but he's not the one that's going to dress him every morning. :)
We also attended a "Budgeting for Baby" class that the Navy offers new parents. It was more about budgeting than it was about babies but definitely worth the free layette we received at the end. We got a canvas tote that says "Baby's first sea bag" full of onesies, sleepers, bibs, burp cloths, and sheets, plus a handmade afghan. We also came away with a few pointers such as the best places to buy formula, how much money you can save a year by nursing and that most babies go through 2300 diapers a year. Good to know.
In other news, my friend Janine had a baby girl yesterday! A perfect little 5 pounder. She's the littlest, newest baby I've ever held! And yes, that's right. I have a friend also named Janine. We worked in the same office and even answered the same phone line, which was just a little confusing. We are also both short and blonde. For awhile we used to reference "other Janine" as "the pregnant Janine" but that lost its effectiveness 4 months ago. In referencing my former post about trying to pick a less-than-popular baby name, I'm sure our parents could have never guessed that their daughters would one day work with another girl with the same name.
Speaking of names, we're working on it. Most people know we're pretty sure of the first name, but we're having a hard time agreeing on the perfect middle name. We'll keep you posted!

Wild (Charley) Horses

I am now 17 weeks along. Baby J is a whopping 5 1/2 inches and at this point I'm carrying around an extra 5 pounds. Apparently, those few extra pounds have brought on a new phenomenom of the second trimester - Charley Horses. For the past 5 nights I have been waking up in the wee hours of the morning writhing in pain and biting my pillow to keep from waking my husband.
According to BabyCenter.com, either my legs are tired from carrying around "all that extra weight" or my expanding uterus is putting pressure on the blood vessels that return blood from my legs. Whatever the reason, it kinda hurts!
Ironically, I just finished reading Childbirth Without Fear by Dr. Grantley Dick-Read, in which he explains the "fear tension pain" cycle common in labor. In other words, fear causes tension which creates pain which leads to more fear which in turn creates more tension resulting in additional pain and so on. Sounds simple enough when you read it. But the past few nights have been a "wake up" call, if you will, to what this cycle is really all about. The other night, in the midst of trying to massage away yet another knot in my calf, I couldn't help but think, "If I'm having this much trouble relaxing during a muscle cramp, how in the world am I going to manage labor?" So far, I don't have an answer for that. What I have concluded is that if eating a banana a day isn't going to solve my 3am problems then I'll simply take advantage of this opportunity for the next 5 months to practice relaxation and pain management techniques. Now if only I could convince my husband of this perfect occasion to work on his coaching skills ...

14 week-a-roos!

Today reminds me of that quote by Winston Churchill that is probably written several times over in your high school yearbook: “Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
There is some debate over when exactly the first trimester ends and the second one begins. Some say at 12 weeks, other say at 14, and the rest choose somewhere in the middle. I say it’s over when you feel like it’s over. And for me that is today. Today is the end of the beginning!
For me, at exactly 14 weeks, there are several reasons why I believe I have arrived at the glorious second trimester. First, this is the second morning in a row that I haven’t thrown up! Second, I stayed up past 10pm this week. Granted, Jane Austen was on Masterpiece Theater, but the fact that I was able to do that speaks volumes. Third, I made dinner, a real dinner … more than once. My husband is especially grateful for that. Fourth, I ate a salad. It was a little difficult at first, but after 2 months of salad aversion this is a huge step in the right direction. And finally, I find myself waking up each morning with even more excitement and a little less anxiety than the day before.
Here is a picture of me at fourteen weeks (it is also a picture of me with straight hair, compliments of Misty). There was a complaint made by an unnamed friend that my last post didn’t include a picture of me, but rather “some hippie girl.” I never thought of Amy Grant as a “hippie,” but she is maternal. And as I’m sure we have all heard, Amy claims the “Baby, baby” song was really written for her 6 month old daughter, and is not about a guy despite what the music video would suggest ... yeah right. I digress.
This weekend also marks the end of the spring semester. I get a short break to cram in every pregnancy book I’ve wanted to read before I hit the ground running for my final and very full semester this summer. Studying is certainly not the way I envisioned spending the last summer of “just the two of us.” But I know that come August I am going to be very grateful that I forced myself to get grad school done and out of the way while I could. In some ways, it will be nice to be busy and active this summer, but I don’t want the time to fly by too fast! Even so, I’m looking forward to two full months of “nesting” after school ends and before baby arrives.
So we’ve reached the end of the beginning, over a third of the way through. Time really flies when you’re making babies!!

10 week-a-roos

With impending motherhood comes the urge to speak Baby-Talk. Ergo, I will no longer announce my gestational age in weeks, but rather week-a-roos. It is not a "bottle" it's a "bah-bah." And when a chill falls over our love nest at night, I will be reaching for a "blankie." On a side note, Dr. Meltzoff actually calls this "parentese" and despite popular belief, this kind of speech is a wonderful tutorial for young children because of it's clear and elongated vowel sounds. And because the sentences are generally short, simple, and repetitive, they're easy for toddlers to mimic. So, now you know.

Now back to being 10 week-a-roos. It would seem that my morning sickness has let-up some. I am now only sick in the morning (as the term would suggest) and then usually around the time I get home from work. Aside from that and complete, utter exhaustion from about 2:00pm on, things are going quite well. Unfortunately, my new habits of relaxing on the couch after work until going to bed at 8:30 are not very conducive to my responsibilities as a grad-student.


My parents came to visit over Easter weekend. It was great to spend some time with them, but one of the highlights was shopping with my mom for maternity-clothes. Between my mom and the ready-to-serve sales associate at Motherhood Maternity, I ended up with half the store in my dressing room, and if you've ever been in the packed-out Motherhood, you know that's a lot. Now I hardly look pregnant, but that is not a problem for these experts. They provide you with a "pregnancy pillow" you can strap on to add about 3 months to your abdomen while you try on clothes. This was fun for about one fitting. Somehow the lumpy cotton blob under my shirt just wasn't drawing up the expectant mother excitment that I thought it would. But it did little to hinder my spending capacities and between there and Old Navy we still managed to blow the budget and hook me up with a sizeable wardrobe. As much as I enjoy wearing brand-spanking-new clothing, I'm trying to hold off as much as possible on these only because I know that someday, in the coming months, I'm going to be wishing I could still wear the clothes I can now.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Certainly she can't be in maternity clothes already!" But alas, this small bump has nearly pushed me over the edge. If you ever visited me at work, and saw the way I now wear my pants, you too would realize how appealing an elastic waistband sounds right about now. Give me a few more weeks of this rubber-band trick and I'll soon be crawling to my "secret-fit belly" stretch jeans.