So, while I'm not in a big hurry to pop out the baby, I guess I'd say I'm finally ready to meet her. I think I'm finally ready to start taking care of her and all that. I'm already a bit sleep deprived so that doesn't worry me too much... I'm up 5 times a night to go to the bathroom and if the baby sleeps 2-3 hour stretches at once that has me up only 3 times in 8 hours, so, I should actually sleep more when she comes... I'm told that's not the case, but we'll see.
I'm still enjoying my freedom and while it's getting harder to get comfortable in just about every position, I'm hungry like no one's business! I have a VORACIOUS appetite. I can eat and eat and eat and eat and eat ungodly amounts of food. I will definitely miss the ability to eat like a teenager.
On the other hand, I will be so glad when I can move from laying on my one side to laying on the other without swinging a giant 7.5-8 pounds of baby and another 2 lbs of amniotic fluid from side to side, testing the limits of my ligaments every time I try to get comfortable in bed. And I will definitely not miss being able to go to the bathroom every 3 hours instead of every 45 minutes. Or, is that even how often normal people pee? I can't remember...
Either way, the end is getting tough, but not too terrible. I get tired so fast these days too, it's a bit of a challenge not to get everything done. On the other hand, I've never had such a great excuse to be so lazy and sit on the couch every day and I'm REALLY enjoying that. Just not so much enjoying that after a day of errands my feet and ankles and shins and knees hurt what feels like beyond repair.
I still love feeling baby, but I think now that she's so big I'll like it just as much or more to actually see her and touch her from the outside rather than through my big belly. :-)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Week 38: Nearly there!
Wow... week 38. I never thought I'd get this far. At least, I couldn't imagine it. I suppose I knew it would come eventually since I've maintained since the beginning that baby will be coming late.
My husband has now been off of work and we have done a few baby things. We took a diapering class over the weekend to learn how to use cloth diapers that we'll be getting through a diaper service. We also toured the hospital where I'll be giving birth. It's pretty nice, actually, and answered a lot of my questions in a very timely way. I can now update my birth plan and make sure my hospital bag has everything in it I need.
On Monday we shopped for baby jogging strollers and learned quite a bit. We found an amazing store in San Bruno, CA called Lullaby Lane. Unfortunately for them we won't be able to spend all our money there because we got about $600 in Babies R Us gift certificates, so we will be buying our stuff there, but I want to go back and spend what I can there, because they deserve it! It's a great small business with lots of items actually out so you can play with them, see how they work--all that good stuff. They have the same stuff as Babies R Us, but you can actually try it. The staff really know their stuff, so we were able to ask a lot of questions and get a lot of answers. I'm not affiliated with the store at all, but I just thought it was so great that it was worth mentioning if anyone lives in the area and is looking for this kind of store. I think I know what stroller to get now. YAY! Who knew they could be so much fun?!
As for baby stuff, at my appointment this week they say baby is measuring fine for her size, has a good heartbeat, and is doing great. Of course, she's getting a little cramped in there (as evidenced by the fact that she now presses on my ribs semi-regularly with her feet), but she's healthy and strong and I love it! I'm starting to feel tired. Aaron and I went on a 2 mile hike that was not very strenuous and mostly flat and it about wore me out yesterday. For the rest of the day I was waddling slowly and my hips and back kind of hurt. I feel like an old woman! And, I'm starting to have to pee about every 45 minutes or so. Not so fun, but at least I'm sleeping a little more these days, which is good! I'm trying to rest up while I can.
This week I'm planning to finish up a few more sewn items, run a few errands with my husband, and start preparing meals to freeze ahead for the future. We'll see how far I get!
My husband has now been off of work and we have done a few baby things. We took a diapering class over the weekend to learn how to use cloth diapers that we'll be getting through a diaper service. We also toured the hospital where I'll be giving birth. It's pretty nice, actually, and answered a lot of my questions in a very timely way. I can now update my birth plan and make sure my hospital bag has everything in it I need.
On Monday we shopped for baby jogging strollers and learned quite a bit. We found an amazing store in San Bruno, CA called Lullaby Lane. Unfortunately for them we won't be able to spend all our money there because we got about $600 in Babies R Us gift certificates, so we will be buying our stuff there, but I want to go back and spend what I can there, because they deserve it! It's a great small business with lots of items actually out so you can play with them, see how they work--all that good stuff. They have the same stuff as Babies R Us, but you can actually try it. The staff really know their stuff, so we were able to ask a lot of questions and get a lot of answers. I'm not affiliated with the store at all, but I just thought it was so great that it was worth mentioning if anyone lives in the area and is looking for this kind of store. I think I know what stroller to get now. YAY! Who knew they could be so much fun?!
As for baby stuff, at my appointment this week they say baby is measuring fine for her size, has a good heartbeat, and is doing great. Of course, she's getting a little cramped in there (as evidenced by the fact that she now presses on my ribs semi-regularly with her feet), but she's healthy and strong and I love it! I'm starting to feel tired. Aaron and I went on a 2 mile hike that was not very strenuous and mostly flat and it about wore me out yesterday. For the rest of the day I was waddling slowly and my hips and back kind of hurt. I feel like an old woman! And, I'm starting to have to pee about every 45 minutes or so. Not so fun, but at least I'm sleeping a little more these days, which is good! I'm trying to rest up while I can.
This week I'm planning to finish up a few more sewn items, run a few errands with my husband, and start preparing meals to freeze ahead for the future. We'll see how far I get!
Week 37: So much is happening!
This week has been very eventful to say the least!
My maternity started this week (YAY!) I'm finally free! I've been trying so hard to accomplish so many things on my list, but I seem to be falling a bit behind. I've been very tired this week--I think it's because I'm used to being sedentary and now I've been up and about every day all day--running errands, doing things around the house, and working out. I'm trying to cut back on my activity level a little bit, but it's tough for me because I like to squeeze as many things into a day as I possibly can and it's hard for me to acknowledge I need to slow down.
I finished most of the stuff for the baby's arrival--I set up the cosleeper, washed and organized all the baby blankets, wraps, clothes and more, including making my own closet extender--the kind of thing where an extra rod hangs below the main closet rod for you to hang more clothes on. I went to the hardware store and bought a rod about the same size, drilled holes in it, and hung the rod with string from the main rod. Then I organized the clothes by size and put little size reminders before and after each of the sizes, so I wouldn't get them mixed up in the future. It looks so cute! I also made 3 sheets for the cosleeper and I'm currently trying to finish some changing pad covers.
I returned a number of items to Babies R Us and got my hospital bag ready, but most of my time has been spent, it seems, in trying to tie up loose ends in my husband's job. His last day is Friday (the 19th) and we needed to spend all the money in our Flex spending account (we've paid a great deal into it already because we put a lot in to begin with due to the baby) and work out last-minute financial details. So I managed all of that. How stressful!
Next week Aaron will be home all week and I'm not looking forward to sharing my space every day all day. I like it better when I can get things done on my own. So, part of my rush to complete things this week was to get things done that are easier to accomplish with him gone. That way I can focus on the positives of having him home next week. It will be nice to have someone to do some things around the house for me. I just hope it doesn't make me lazy!
Otherwise, most everything is done and ready for baby! We take a diapering class this weekend and get our first delivery of cloth diapers next week. She's been kicking and poking me a lot, so I think she's starting to feel ready to come out. I still think it will be awhile though. I haven't experienced one contraction or anything that made me think she'd be coming out any time soon. The doctor says she is measuring back to average for her week, but they still think she'll be over 8 lbs for sure if we make it to 40 weeks!
A number of friends and family members who were pregnant and due around right now have all had their babies, so it looks like I'm next. Aaron is very excited and says he can't wait for the little baby. I, on the other hand, am starting to feel a bit apprehensive about how much my life is going to change. I'm enjoying my free time off so much and feeling stressed trying to manage getting things ready and his job loss that I am starting to wonder if I can handle a baby, too... But I am getting excited to meet her, so that's good. Lots of mixed emotions these days!
My maternity started this week (YAY!) I'm finally free! I've been trying so hard to accomplish so many things on my list, but I seem to be falling a bit behind. I've been very tired this week--I think it's because I'm used to being sedentary and now I've been up and about every day all day--running errands, doing things around the house, and working out. I'm trying to cut back on my activity level a little bit, but it's tough for me because I like to squeeze as many things into a day as I possibly can and it's hard for me to acknowledge I need to slow down.
I finished most of the stuff for the baby's arrival--I set up the cosleeper, washed and organized all the baby blankets, wraps, clothes and more, including making my own closet extender--the kind of thing where an extra rod hangs below the main closet rod for you to hang more clothes on. I went to the hardware store and bought a rod about the same size, drilled holes in it, and hung the rod with string from the main rod. Then I organized the clothes by size and put little size reminders before and after each of the sizes, so I wouldn't get them mixed up in the future. It looks so cute! I also made 3 sheets for the cosleeper and I'm currently trying to finish some changing pad covers.
I returned a number of items to Babies R Us and got my hospital bag ready, but most of my time has been spent, it seems, in trying to tie up loose ends in my husband's job. His last day is Friday (the 19th) and we needed to spend all the money in our Flex spending account (we've paid a great deal into it already because we put a lot in to begin with due to the baby) and work out last-minute financial details. So I managed all of that. How stressful!
Next week Aaron will be home all week and I'm not looking forward to sharing my space every day all day. I like it better when I can get things done on my own. So, part of my rush to complete things this week was to get things done that are easier to accomplish with him gone. That way I can focus on the positives of having him home next week. It will be nice to have someone to do some things around the house for me. I just hope it doesn't make me lazy!
Otherwise, most everything is done and ready for baby! We take a diapering class this weekend and get our first delivery of cloth diapers next week. She's been kicking and poking me a lot, so I think she's starting to feel ready to come out. I still think it will be awhile though. I haven't experienced one contraction or anything that made me think she'd be coming out any time soon. The doctor says she is measuring back to average for her week, but they still think she'll be over 8 lbs for sure if we make it to 40 weeks!
A number of friends and family members who were pregnant and due around right now have all had their babies, so it looks like I'm next. Aaron is very excited and says he can't wait for the little baby. I, on the other hand, am starting to feel a bit apprehensive about how much my life is going to change. I'm enjoying my free time off so much and feeling stressed trying to manage getting things ready and his job loss that I am starting to wonder if I can handle a baby, too... But I am getting excited to meet her, so that's good. Lots of mixed emotions these days!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
All the stuff I've made for baby
Ahhh... maternity leave. So nice to be off of work. On the plus side, I've had lots of time to get stuff done. I washed and hung all the baby clothes, organized the room, packed the hospital bag, and sewed and knitted and finished a LOT of stuff. Here's what I sewed, knitted and otherwise finished this week.
Sewed:
Sewed:
- 3 fitted baby sheets for our co-sleeper - used this tutorial to help me.
- 1 waterproof mattress cover using the same tutorial - out of some PUL fabric I was going to use to make diaper covers than decided I'd rather just borrow my friends'
- 3 yummy bamboo velour changing pad covers
- 3 baby hats
- 2 baby sweaters
- 1 pair baby mittens
- 3 pairs baby booties
- 3 knitted wool soakers
- Refinished/rebuilt a lampshade - I actually salvaged a crappy paper lampshade with no wires by adding my own wires and then covering it with fabric. Pretty amazing the work I put into avoiding buying something new (I couldn't find anything that worked anyway).
- Created a closet organizer--the kind where you put a second rod below the main rod of your closet to create another level of hanging room. I made it by getting a rod at the hardware store, sawing it to the correct shape, drilling holes in the ends, then tying it to the upper rod. Cool, huh?
- Reusable milk leaking pad thingies (for your boobs)
- Reusable baby wipes
- 6 Bamboo Terry (yum!) Baby washcloths
- 4 Bamboo Terry hooded towels
- 2 baby ring slings (super easy to make, btw!)
- Maternity top and coat
- 3 changing pads
- Baby blanket/playmat
- Lots of knitted stuff
- More reusable milk leaking pad thingies
- Nursing bra
- Diaper bag
- (if I have time) nursing tops
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Week 36: Big baby
I've finally switched to the once-a-week appointments with the midwife and at my latest one she told me the baby is measuring 2 weeks bigger than normal. She predicts I will have an 8.5 to 9 pound baby! I would be worried, but I've always been big and I have strong sturdy bones and, frankly, good child-bearing hips, so I'm not. Labor's going to hurt no matter what, so a big baby doesn't scare me. As long as she's not 10 pounds, I think I'll be ok. My instinct tells me she won't be terribly huge though, but who knows. My friend who had a 10+ pound baby told me to trust my instincts. She thought she was going to have a big baby and no one believed her. Turns out her son was huge and she had to have a C-section. So, I'm trusting my instincts that it won't be a problem. I just hope labor is something I can handle! I'm getting a little freaked out now that it's getting closer, even though I feel pretty prepared. There are a lot of what-ifs.
Since she's so big it makes sense that Baby's foot is pretty much permanently lodged in my side. She's in the optimum position for birth, though, so that's good! She's just getting cramped and I'm starting to feel like I'm going to hurt her when I move quickly or lie down or something! I don't really want her to come out (because I love being pregnant and feeling her in there), but something about having a baby this big inside me makes me think she'd be safer on the outside than the inside. I suppose generations of women have had the same concern.
This week I had a very nice surprise from my coworkers. I came in for a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was for just me and one other person, but he scheduled it in a conference room rather than his office. First, it was scheduled in a room that was closer to his office, then he moved it further away and said for me to "come by before the meeting and we can go over together." I was slightly suspicious, but didn't want to assume anything. I didn't think my coworkers would do a party for me. So I went to his office and we went over together and sure enough all my coworkers were waiting with a cake, a card, and a gift card to Babies R Us in a HUGE amount! I was floored! I've never had a surprise party before and it was incredibly sweet of them to do that for me!
Then, later that day, my husband's coworkers threw us a shower. That was planned and very special. He works with a lot of women and they were very excited to give us lots of baby presents and share labor stories. They were incredibly generous and I felt so incredibly blessed after all that!
Since she's so big it makes sense that Baby's foot is pretty much permanently lodged in my side. She's in the optimum position for birth, though, so that's good! She's just getting cramped and I'm starting to feel like I'm going to hurt her when I move quickly or lie down or something! I don't really want her to come out (because I love being pregnant and feeling her in there), but something about having a baby this big inside me makes me think she'd be safer on the outside than the inside. I suppose generations of women have had the same concern.
This week I had a very nice surprise from my coworkers. I came in for a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was for just me and one other person, but he scheduled it in a conference room rather than his office. First, it was scheduled in a room that was closer to his office, then he moved it further away and said for me to "come by before the meeting and we can go over together." I was slightly suspicious, but didn't want to assume anything. I didn't think my coworkers would do a party for me. So I went to his office and we went over together and sure enough all my coworkers were waiting with a cake, a card, and a gift card to Babies R Us in a HUGE amount! I was floored! I've never had a surprise party before and it was incredibly sweet of them to do that for me!
Then, later that day, my husband's coworkers threw us a shower. That was planned and very special. He works with a lot of women and they were very excited to give us lots of baby presents and share labor stories. They were incredibly generous and I felt so incredibly blessed after all that!
Monday, February 8, 2010
A few maternity shots from our photo shoot this weekend
A friend of a friend, Hanako Wood, volunteered to take maternity shots for us over the weekend. Here are some of the better ones:
Friday, February 5, 2010
Week 35: The Beginning of the End?
Well, I must say this definitely feels like the beginning of the end for so many reasons.
I had a baby shower over the weekend and it was amazing! I had about 20 friends come. They all painted plain white baby onesies with fabric paint, markers, and iron-on appliques. Most of my friends are so creative! Even the ones that didn't think they were really were! I got so many amazing presents that are going to really help out a ton. Now we pretty much have everything ready for the baby, with the exception of a few bigger ticket items.
I have finally started thinking about buying things for the baby now. I found an Arm's Reach Co-sleeper on Craigslist for only $50, so we are supposed to pick that up over the weekend. Beyond that we have everything else--clothes, bouncer, carseat, stroller, wraps galore, a changing pad, and more. I've also started compiling a final list of things I need to buy and make and the list is significantly narrowing! I only have a few things left to make before baby gets here: sheets, reusable nursing pads, reusable wipes, and a few more small things. If I have time, I'll also make a diaper bag.
This weekend we are also taking our maternity pictures and I only have one more week of work left before I go on maternity leave, so it's really coming up fast! I'm starting to feel more aches and pains now--my back hurts more often and my hips are starting to hurt. I am trying to take walks and I've kept up my working out about 5-6 times a week, but I still get the pains!
I can't wait to go on leave. I really want to start washing things and getting ready for the baby to really, really be here. I don't want her to come too soon, but I also can't believe she has four or more weeks before she gets her (she's already enormous)!Tuesday, February 2, 2010
All kinds of random stuff...
Today is a spill-my-guts kind of post. I have so much to get out!
First, I had a shower on Sunday. It was amazing. Everyone painted onesies (and my friends are SOOO creative--they turned out great) and I got a ton of amazing gifts. I can't believe that everyone got me gifts! My friends are so generous. Not that I won't need the gifts, because money is tight right now, so I am very, very thankful!
Second, a new development with Baby today: she kicked my ribs for the first time! I know I shouldn't be so excited about this, but it didn't hurt and I've been waiting for it my whole pregnancy when she'd be big enough to do it. I guess now she's big enough! She has already been kicking my hip from the inside, which is one I don't hear many pregnant ladies talk about. But it feels both cool and kinda scary, like she's going to knock it out of it's socket!
Third: new symptoms. I'm suddenly VERY tired lately. That's new. I just want to sleep and nap all the time. And, while I sleep, my HIPS hurt. That one is really strange. When I turn sides while I'm sleeping I feel weird pains in the bottom of my uterus and I think it's because the baby is so big, my uterus and the ligaments connecting it to my body are all stretching. Yesterday I felt weird pains in that area and I wondered if it didn't maybe mean the baby had dropped. Although, nothing else really seems lower, so it would be hard to say.
Fourth: more work annoyances. This time, I'm caught between two managers. I'm just trying to get my work done and every time I send an email to the "other" "new" team, my manager sends me an email asking me why I sent the email. Lord have mercy, it is annoying. The other manager sends me emails asking me what I'm working on and then asks me if it falls into his group or my manager's group. And I really have no idea what to tell him. Then my manager copies me on all these emails to him asking him what I should be responsible for. I'm just like, just tell me when you figure it out! Stop dragging me into your stupid manager war! Ugh. I cannot WAIT to go on maternity leave in 1 week and 4 days.
First, I had a shower on Sunday. It was amazing. Everyone painted onesies (and my friends are SOOO creative--they turned out great) and I got a ton of amazing gifts. I can't believe that everyone got me gifts! My friends are so generous. Not that I won't need the gifts, because money is tight right now, so I am very, very thankful!
Second, a new development with Baby today: she kicked my ribs for the first time! I know I shouldn't be so excited about this, but it didn't hurt and I've been waiting for it my whole pregnancy when she'd be big enough to do it. I guess now she's big enough! She has already been kicking my hip from the inside, which is one I don't hear many pregnant ladies talk about. But it feels both cool and kinda scary, like she's going to knock it out of it's socket!
Third: new symptoms. I'm suddenly VERY tired lately. That's new. I just want to sleep and nap all the time. And, while I sleep, my HIPS hurt. That one is really strange. When I turn sides while I'm sleeping I feel weird pains in the bottom of my uterus and I think it's because the baby is so big, my uterus and the ligaments connecting it to my body are all stretching. Yesterday I felt weird pains in that area and I wondered if it didn't maybe mean the baby had dropped. Although, nothing else really seems lower, so it would be hard to say.
Fourth: more work annoyances. This time, I'm caught between two managers. I'm just trying to get my work done and every time I send an email to the "other" "new" team, my manager sends me an email asking me why I sent the email. Lord have mercy, it is annoying. The other manager sends me emails asking me what I'm working on and then asks me if it falls into his group or my manager's group. And I really have no idea what to tell him. Then my manager copies me on all these emails to him asking him what I should be responsible for. I'm just like, just tell me when you figure it out! Stop dragging me into your stupid manager war! Ugh. I cannot WAIT to go on maternity leave in 1 week and 4 days.
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