26 Weeks

Words I never thought I'd see:

My whole work shower experience was so surreal (and wonderful). I kept feeling like I was at someone else's baby shower. Everything was so nicely done and I got so many things I needed. I realized we have so much to do to prepare our home. All of the presents are shoved into a corner of the dining room. DH and I spent last weekend trying to clean out the closets in the master bedroom so he has room to move all of his stuff in. He currently has all of his things in the other room that I want to convert to the nursery. We are trying to downsize from one room to two and it's not easy after living together for almost 8 years. I want to be past this yucky reorganization part and get to the fun decorating/nesting part. We have a ways to go. . .

Two more weeks of work to go before summer break. I can't wait. I am so ready.

Pregnancy wise, I'm trucking along. I love to feel her move. When she kicks me hard I giggle every time (unless she kicks my cervix-then it's not so funny). It's amazing to me. The other night in bed, DH got to feel some big rolls instead of just punches or kicks. It was very alien-like. It's those times where it hits me that someone else is inside me. I get so spoiled in those movement periods. I want to feel them constantly, 24 hours a day, but I know that doesn't happen yet. I try not to worry when I don't feel her move. The movements have been progressively increasing as the weeks go on. The more I get, the more I want though. (Damn you Wemberely!) My doctor doesn't have me doing a kick counts until 28 weeks. I try to remind myself that it is then you can feel them consistently enough to measure. And that is still two weeks away.

Here are my 25 and 26 week belly pics:

25 weeks

26 weeks

Who wants ice-cream?

I do!

And luckily, I can eat some. . .I passed my glucose screening test. I am very happy to eat my sugar in peace.

The rest of my 24 week appt also went fine. Her heart rate was 150s to 160s and you could hear her moving around. My fundal height was right on for 24 weeks. I hope she continues to grow on schedule.

I found out that my doctor is leaving when I am 29 weeks for maternity leave. I had no idea she was pregnant. My first thought was "Oh no, I've had a doctor with preggo brain this whole time and I didn't even know it!" (This is a real phenomenon that I didn't believe could happen to me until about a month ago. I take pride in my great memory and now I just feel stupid and forgetful.) I guess her scrubs hid it well. I'm not too broken up about it. I didn't like her that much anyway. There are other doctors there I can choose from. I have one more appt with her and then I'm done with Dr. Coldfish.

I met with a nurse today to "teach" me how to take my blood pressure at home. For those who don't remember, I had chronic high blood pressure before I became pregnant. No real reason why and I tried everything I could in my power to get it down without meds but to no avail. I have been taking Labetalol this whole pregnancy. I'm not too happy about having to do that, but the pros outweigh the cons here. So far it has been working and my BP has been great. I know the farther along I get that could all change, so we are keeping a close eye on it. I have been faithfully taking my BP twice a day anyway, but now I need to record it and report it to a nurse who will call and check up on me once a week. Three weeks from now (at 28 weeks- I'll be 25 weeks tomorrow.) I'll have to dip a protein reading stick in my urine every morning to make sure there is none present. I kind of like all the monitoring and recording. I'm somewhat anal and this is right up my alley. I'm all about staying on top of things. The appt was long and I didn't hear anything I didn't already know, but I'm glad to know they care.

*********

We finally registered last Saturday. I'm glad that chore is done. I tried to research everything ahead of time so I could go through the store as quickly as possible. I could have done most of it online, but it helped to be able to see the actual items. I think we made some good choices.

DH and I went out to dinner last night to celebrate my 33rd birthday. When we got home, the crib we ordered had arrived along with a Moby wrap my friend shipped me for my b-day. It was fun having it all arrive yesterday. I still need to order the bedding set. There is still a ton to do but (for me at least) I have taken big steps this last week.

*******

I never had a chance to write about my Mother's Day. DH was sweet and bought me flowers and a card. It was nice of him to think of me. Our mothers enjoyed the breakfast. I've included a picture along with my 24 week belly shot.

Mother's Day

24 weeks

It's a Dance Party!

In my uterus. . . and you're all invited.

Okay, maybe not all of you. One baby is enough.

She has been kicking my cervix for a few weeks now. It's mostly a strange sensation that never really hurt, but felt oddly uncomfortable. Yesterday she kicked me hard (in the middle of class) and this one hurt! I shouted, "Ow" and 20 kids whipped their little heads around. I said, "Oh I'm fine." And by that time I was. It was a short, swift, stabbing pain. It was very similar to when your cervix gets hit during sex, but from the other side. I felt pretty sure that was all it was, but I called a nurse just to be sure. She confirmed what I thought.

How big is she? I'm only 23 1/2 weeks and it already hurts when she kicks. What am I in store for? She kicks me in the butt, the cervix, the belly button, the sides, everywhere.

I feel like she's freakishly strong for her age. I am so glad she's active, but I can't help from thinking, "What will the next several weeks be like?"

My next OB appt is Friday. I'll only be 24 weeks, but they are already making me take the glucose test. I really hope I don't fail (can't I just study for it?). I love carbs! I am completely addicted to them and no meal seems satisfying unless I've had them. Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens.

Here's the 23 week belly:

Just Checking In

I don't have too much to say.

Here are some random ramblings:

Work is still busy as we prepare for Open House next week. It's basically a "dog and pony" show for the parents, with lots of projects, artwork, and crafts for kids to show off. For the teachers, it's exhausting. I'm such a weenie. I don't want to stand on any chairs, tables, or counters to hang things, which makes getting the room ready a real challenge. I have to rely on my teacher's aide to help me and she is only here four hours a week. I honestly don't even really care this year. I just want to get the next few weeks over with and have my summer break.

Got swine flu? I hope not. One of the schools in our district had to shut down for a week because two kids tested positive for it. I'm sorry, but that's a little too close for comfort. I am hoping it isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be. I think everyday I walk into a classroom of six year olds, I am taking my chances of getting the cold or the flu. Hopefully the stakes aren't any higher now. Again, looking forward to June.

Planning Mother's Day stressed me out this year. Most years, DH and I make a brunch for our mothers (who get along very well). It's always been nice, but this year I wanted to go out for a change. After some research I realized just how much places jack up their prices for this "holiday." My expectations were too high as I wanted a restaurant in the wine country around us or on a nice golf course. Unfortunately, these are flippin' expensive. So I was in an internal pickle. I didn't want to budge on brunch out, yet I didn't want to pay those prices. I was determined to find a deal. Finally I did! We found a place on golf course with great views and a heated patio if needed. Instead of a pricey brunch, we can just order off the menu. There will be 10 of us total-my mom, DH's mom and my SIL's mom plus their families. Somehow, all the planning fell on me. I told DH he could do it next year (even though he was a big help this year).

On the pregnancy front, I am a little over 22 weeks. My coworkers are planning a shower for me at the end of this month. It's a little sooner than I'd like, but with school getting out in June, they don't have much choice if they want to give me one. It feels so strange to talk about my shower. This is all still so unreal. I never want to get my hopes up and dive in to this thing head first. The worry still gets in the way. I told them I am not registering until May 16th. I'll be 24 weeks and will just have had a dr.'s appt. This guarantees nothing of course, but I don't think I'll ever be in a place where I feel safe. Someday you have to take the plunge, let go and enjoy. Maybe tomorrow. . .

I guess I had more to say then I thought.

22 Weeks