She was fussy today (and yesterday, and the day before, and the day before...teething again, I suspect), and when I went to get her from Dan she looked at me and said, "Mamaaaa!"
So on this day of political horror I at least have my baby's first word--and it's for me!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Here comes trouble
Penny Jane is officially crawling! Not far--she peters out onto her tummy after about 5 or 6 "steps"--but she's definitely doing it. And sometimes she does it on hands and feet with that puffy cloth-diapered butt in the air. So cute.
And, just like Abby, at the same time as she learned to crawl, she started pulling herself up on furniture. She's not quite to the cruising stage, but she's very close. Her balance improved a thousand percent in about 48 hours, it was wild to see it happen so fast. And in fact, she stood for about 3 seconds on her own the other day.
She's also saying ma-ma-ma and we're pretty sure she's saying it to call me. And if you say it back to her slowly, you can see her studying your mouth, and then she'll mouth it back but not make the sound. It's so funny.
I took her to Dr. Jen the other day for her allergy testing. Dr. Jen uses applied kinesiology to test, rather than a blood draw or scratch test. She is also a chiropractor, so she did a chiro check on PJ and discovered that her T1 vertebrae was misaligned. That's the one associated with asthma, so I'm praying that was the cause of the asthma she's been suffering with every time that stupid cough comes around. Dr. Jen also found that the valve between her esophagus and stomach was weak and not closing all the way, and the stomach had come up a little bit through the valve. Apparently this is not unheard of, and it can cause--ta-da!--reflux! She said that was most likely what the problem was since, when she did the allergy testing, she found PJ was *not* allergic to dairy! (She is to corn and tomatoes, though.) She tested me as well and found that I'm not allergic to, but not properly digesting, dairy, wheat, strawberries, and avocado. She set me up with an enzyme to take when I eat those foods, so that should help. I was SO excited to start eating dairy again, but it's funny, I *really* notice I feel lousy after dairy now. Christian the awesome nutritionist taught us that wheat and dairy are inflammatory, and I really feel it with the dairy. I went out and bought ice cream and colby cheese and after servings of each I honestly didn't want anymore. Which is just as well, given their fat content (and sugar content in the ice cream).
And, just like Abby, at the same time as she learned to crawl, she started pulling herself up on furniture. She's not quite to the cruising stage, but she's very close. Her balance improved a thousand percent in about 48 hours, it was wild to see it happen so fast. And in fact, she stood for about 3 seconds on her own the other day.
She's also saying ma-ma-ma and we're pretty sure she's saying it to call me. And if you say it back to her slowly, you can see her studying your mouth, and then she'll mouth it back but not make the sound. It's so funny.
I took her to Dr. Jen the other day for her allergy testing. Dr. Jen uses applied kinesiology to test, rather than a blood draw or scratch test. She is also a chiropractor, so she did a chiro check on PJ and discovered that her T1 vertebrae was misaligned. That's the one associated with asthma, so I'm praying that was the cause of the asthma she's been suffering with every time that stupid cough comes around. Dr. Jen also found that the valve between her esophagus and stomach was weak and not closing all the way, and the stomach had come up a little bit through the valve. Apparently this is not unheard of, and it can cause--ta-da!--reflux! She said that was most likely what the problem was since, when she did the allergy testing, she found PJ was *not* allergic to dairy! (She is to corn and tomatoes, though.) She tested me as well and found that I'm not allergic to, but not properly digesting, dairy, wheat, strawberries, and avocado. She set me up with an enzyme to take when I eat those foods, so that should help. I was SO excited to start eating dairy again, but it's funny, I *really* notice I feel lousy after dairy now. Christian the awesome nutritionist taught us that wheat and dairy are inflammatory, and I really feel it with the dairy. I went out and bought ice cream and colby cheese and after servings of each I honestly didn't want anymore. Which is just as well, given their fat content (and sugar content in the ice cream).
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Six months!
Six months?!
Hard to believe, but it's true. I took Penny Jane in for her six month appointment today. She's a whopping 27.25 inches and 17 lbs. 11 oz. Wow. Doc said she looked great, checked out fine, wouldn't be surprised if she was cruising along the furniture by the next (9 month) appointment, which would be about right if she follows in Abby's footsteps. (No pun intended.) Abby started pulling up to standing around 7 months, but, like, 3 days later she learned how to crawl and did that for a month before showing much interest in standing again. But she was full-on walking at 9.5 months. Oi!!
Unfortunately this was the second trip to the ped in the last week, because the girls got that stupid cough AGAIN. When I checked the calendar I realized they've been getting it every 8 weeks. The ped thinks it's seasonal allergies--she said the mold and pollen counts have been roller-coastering all summer--and on top of it she thinks Penny Jane has asthma. :( Each time she's gotten the cough she's ended up wheezing, and it takes twice as long for her to get over it as it does Abby. I'm taking her in for an allergy test to see if there's a food allergy causing the asthma; I'm really hoping there is so we can just cut out that food and not have to put her on medication. She was supposed to get her first of four hib vaccinations today, but I'm putting it off until she's totally over the cough so her system has time to heal and strengthen. Now I just have to remember to take her back in for it!
It's been a rough couple of months with her. This teething thing is just *killing* us. She just yells and yells and squawks and isn't happy so much of the time. It breaks my heart. It also brings me close to a psychotic episode when coupled with Abby's relentless asking. ("I want to go outside." "No." But I want to go outside!" "No." "But I *want* to!" Etc. etc. etc.) Penny Jane has also hit the separation anxiety stage, so that gives us the added bonus of wailing like she's being tortured every time I leave the room.
I've been feeling a lot of mommy guilt in regards to Penny Jane lately. I'm not nearly as patient with her as I was with Abby at this stage. I'm not as empathetic, I'm not as doting, I'm not as hands-on. I am utterly sick at the amount of television she's seen. Abby didn't watch a TV show until she was a year old! All those little neurons I've killed...it's just awful.
I resolved this week to start taking more pictures of her. The camera keeps getting put away and I just don't think of it, and then suddenly a month has passed without a single image being taken. So, from recent days...
With Cousin Gavin:
"Why yes, I do occasionally like a bit of ball before supper..."
Okay, this one isn't that recent, but it's cute. She loves the swing, just like Abby!
Hard to believe, but it's true. I took Penny Jane in for her six month appointment today. She's a whopping 27.25 inches and 17 lbs. 11 oz. Wow. Doc said she looked great, checked out fine, wouldn't be surprised if she was cruising along the furniture by the next (9 month) appointment, which would be about right if she follows in Abby's footsteps. (No pun intended.) Abby started pulling up to standing around 7 months, but, like, 3 days later she learned how to crawl and did that for a month before showing much interest in standing again. But she was full-on walking at 9.5 months. Oi!!
Unfortunately this was the second trip to the ped in the last week, because the girls got that stupid cough AGAIN. When I checked the calendar I realized they've been getting it every 8 weeks. The ped thinks it's seasonal allergies--she said the mold and pollen counts have been roller-coastering all summer--and on top of it she thinks Penny Jane has asthma. :( Each time she's gotten the cough she's ended up wheezing, and it takes twice as long for her to get over it as it does Abby. I'm taking her in for an allergy test to see if there's a food allergy causing the asthma; I'm really hoping there is so we can just cut out that food and not have to put her on medication. She was supposed to get her first of four hib vaccinations today, but I'm putting it off until she's totally over the cough so her system has time to heal and strengthen. Now I just have to remember to take her back in for it!
It's been a rough couple of months with her. This teething thing is just *killing* us. She just yells and yells and squawks and isn't happy so much of the time. It breaks my heart. It also brings me close to a psychotic episode when coupled with Abby's relentless asking. ("I want to go outside." "No." But I want to go outside!" "No." "But I *want* to!" Etc. etc. etc.) Penny Jane has also hit the separation anxiety stage, so that gives us the added bonus of wailing like she's being tortured every time I leave the room.
I've been feeling a lot of mommy guilt in regards to Penny Jane lately. I'm not nearly as patient with her as I was with Abby at this stage. I'm not as empathetic, I'm not as doting, I'm not as hands-on. I am utterly sick at the amount of television she's seen. Abby didn't watch a TV show until she was a year old! All those little neurons I've killed...it's just awful.
I resolved this week to start taking more pictures of her. The camera keeps getting put away and I just don't think of it, and then suddenly a month has passed without a single image being taken. So, from recent days...
With Cousin Gavin:
"Why yes, I do occasionally like a bit of ball before supper..."
Okay, this one isn't that recent, but it's cute. She loves the swing, just like Abby!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
360
Monday morning Abby and I were playing with Penny Jane on the floor. She was on her back and she flipped to her tummy, a trick she's doing regularly now. She stayed there for a while, not too happy about her situation but not squawking about it yet, either, and then--kick, kick, wiggle wiggle wiggle--she was back on her back! And it wasn't like she hadn't quite settled on her tummy and just rolled back over--oh no, she did a whole 360. And we're noticing that, when she's on her tummy, she's totally got the crawling motion already going, but since she's beached on her belly and not up on hands and knees she doesn't go anywhere. She's sure trying, though; you should see those toes digging into the carpet!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Little Showoff
She just rolled right onto her forearms and sat there for a good five minutes, smiling and cute, while my parents and Dan snapped phone pictures of her. If only I had Photoshop, I could place her in a studio setting instead of on the floor of the La Jolla condo!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Four month stats!
Well well well. Took Penny Jane to the doctor today and boy was the ped impressed! First of all, she's at 15 lbs 1 oz, which puts her at the 80%, and 26 inches, which is, in the words of the doc, "off the charts." Her little stats sticker that the ped gives us for her baby book actually lists her in the statistically-impossible 100%! This explains why her 6 month onesies fit so well--I kept thinking it was the gDiapers I'm using on her that are a little bulkier than disposables, but apparently it's just her. She was also quite taken with PJ's ability to sit up so well on her own, and said that, given how early she's doing that, she'll most likely crawl early, too. She also said that because she's so long she'll probably outgrow the infant carseat by her 6 month appointment! I can't remember how long Abby was in hers, but it was MUCH longer than 6 months, I'm pretty sure.
Have I mentioned gDiapers before? I don't think so. Well, we started cloth diapering Abby--or tried to, at least, but Abby wets through everything SO fast, it's really remarkable (and irritating), so we're taking a break while I wait for a different kind of diaper to arrive that I ordered for her because I just got so stinkin' sick and tired of her soaking through both diaper and shorts every single time she peed. I wanted to cloth diaper PJ, too, but I couldn't bear to go through the sampling stage with her where I bought one of, like, ten different types of dipes to see which worked best. So I started buying gDiapers instead. They're "hybrid" diapers: the cover is washable, as is the plastic liner, but the inserts which soak everything up are 10% biodegradable! You can trash them, compost them (the wet-only ones, anyway) and even flush them, which makes them super-easy to deal with. Unfortunately they're about twice the price of the disposables we were using on Abby, but I justify it by knowing Abby will either be in cloth soon or else potty-trained in the next 6 months (hopefully, anyway).
Have I mentioned gDiapers before? I don't think so. Well, we started cloth diapering Abby--or tried to, at least, but Abby wets through everything SO fast, it's really remarkable (and irritating), so we're taking a break while I wait for a different kind of diaper to arrive that I ordered for her because I just got so stinkin' sick and tired of her soaking through both diaper and shorts every single time she peed. I wanted to cloth diaper PJ, too, but I couldn't bear to go through the sampling stage with her where I bought one of, like, ten different types of dipes to see which worked best. So I started buying gDiapers instead. They're "hybrid" diapers: the cover is washable, as is the plastic liner, but the inserts which soak everything up are 10% biodegradable! You can trash them, compost them (the wet-only ones, anyway) and even flush them, which makes them super-easy to deal with. Unfortunately they're about twice the price of the disposables we were using on Abby, but I justify it by knowing Abby will either be in cloth soon or else potty-trained in the next 6 months (hopefully, anyway).
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Updates galore
Yikes, I've really slacked, haven't I!? Sorry about that! Here's all the latest from the land of PJ:
She sits! It's only for 60-90 second at a time, but it's a start. Proof:
She grows! I changed out her wardrobe today. I needed to do it at least a week ago, but I think I was in denial that she could already be nearly 16 weeks. And it's either the bulkiness of the gDiapers or she's even longer than Abby, because some of the 3-6 month onesies fit her perfectly in length. I'm sure the diapers have something to do with it, but just looking at her she really does look longer than Abby was at this age.
She talks! Okay, so, not really, but she coos and gurgles and babbles so much! Very very cute--except at 5 AM like this morning. Then, not so much.
She no longer refluxes! Can't remember if I've updated on this yet, but when I'm off dairy she's fine. And when I've had a little (not that I have it on purpose, but just when I've eaten something without realizing it had dairy in it) she starts spitting up quite a bit again. So, while I'm very glad to know what it was that was causing the rivers of milk to stream from her mouth, I'm so very sad to know it's dairy, because WOW do I miss it. On the bright side, I tried ghee the other day and she doesn't react at all to that, so at least I have a dairy substitute now! And I also found dairy-free chocolate chips. Score!
She's strong! Her little legs are, anyway. I've been doing tummy time with her on her boppy pillow--which she actually tolerates, unlike her sister who would scream the house down--and she digs her toes into the carpet and pushes herself right over the pillow, like so:
GOING...
GOING...
GONE!
She's teething! She chows down on anything she can get in her mouth, poor thing. The other night I dreamed that I got a good look in there and saw twelve HUGE--like, cartoon-huge--molars, six on each side. And I was like, "Well, yeah, that would make sense." Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised me to find out it wasn't a dream, given how drooly and chompy she is.
She sleeps! In fact, this is her right now:
I'm kind of annoyed, really, that she fell asleep so early. If she's out before 9 she's up at 5. Ouch. She napped fairly well today, so I was pretty sure she'd make it until at least 8:30, but it's 8:20 right now and she's been out since about 7:55. *sigh* Early to bed with me...
She sits! It's only for 60-90 second at a time, but it's a start. Proof:
She grows! I changed out her wardrobe today. I needed to do it at least a week ago, but I think I was in denial that she could already be nearly 16 weeks. And it's either the bulkiness of the gDiapers or she's even longer than Abby, because some of the 3-6 month onesies fit her perfectly in length. I'm sure the diapers have something to do with it, but just looking at her she really does look longer than Abby was at this age.
She talks! Okay, so, not really, but she coos and gurgles and babbles so much! Very very cute--except at 5 AM like this morning. Then, not so much.
She no longer refluxes! Can't remember if I've updated on this yet, but when I'm off dairy she's fine. And when I've had a little (not that I have it on purpose, but just when I've eaten something without realizing it had dairy in it) she starts spitting up quite a bit again. So, while I'm very glad to know what it was that was causing the rivers of milk to stream from her mouth, I'm so very sad to know it's dairy, because WOW do I miss it. On the bright side, I tried ghee the other day and she doesn't react at all to that, so at least I have a dairy substitute now! And I also found dairy-free chocolate chips. Score!
She's strong! Her little legs are, anyway. I've been doing tummy time with her on her boppy pillow--which she actually tolerates, unlike her sister who would scream the house down--and she digs her toes into the carpet and pushes herself right over the pillow, like so:
GOING...
GOING...
GONE!
She's teething! She chows down on anything she can get in her mouth, poor thing. The other night I dreamed that I got a good look in there and saw twelve HUGE--like, cartoon-huge--molars, six on each side. And I was like, "Well, yeah, that would make sense." Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised me to find out it wasn't a dream, given how drooly and chompy she is.
She sleeps! In fact, this is her right now:
I'm kind of annoyed, really, that she fell asleep so early. If she's out before 9 she's up at 5. Ouch. She napped fairly well today, so I was pretty sure she'd make it until at least 8:30, but it's 8:20 right now and she's been out since about 7:55. *sigh* Early to bed with me...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Three months! (and a bit)
She's thirteen weeks today, so yeah, I missed the three month thing by just a little. Unless you go by dates, in which case it's not until tomorrow. So there!
Penny Jane celebrated by rolling over for the first time on the floor. You may recall her she did this once before, but the circumstances surrounding the event were somewhat suspect. Anyway, it's totally and completely official now. And, just like with Abby, I missed it. Oh well. Dan got to see it, at least.
I've been dairy-free for a month and WOW has it made a difference for her. The yellowy flaky skin on her eyebrows is almost completely gone, the spit-ups are rare, and the reflux is non-existent. Hallelujah! I, however, am craving fro-yo so bad I can barely stand it, and man, I had no idea dairy came in so many sneaky forms. Every once in a while I end up eating some without knowing it, and poor Penny Jane is right back to spitting up. But the upside to going dairy-free--besides, of course, not torturing my child--is that I'm losing weight a lot faster!
The three-month birthday girl:
Penny Jane celebrated by rolling over for the first time on the floor. You may recall her she did this once before, but the circumstances surrounding the event were somewhat suspect. Anyway, it's totally and completely official now. And, just like with Abby, I missed it. Oh well. Dan got to see it, at least.
I've been dairy-free for a month and WOW has it made a difference for her. The yellowy flaky skin on her eyebrows is almost completely gone, the spit-ups are rare, and the reflux is non-existent. Hallelujah! I, however, am craving fro-yo so bad I can barely stand it, and man, I had no idea dairy came in so many sneaky forms. Every once in a while I end up eating some without knowing it, and poor Penny Jane is right back to spitting up. But the upside to going dairy-free--besides, of course, not torturing my child--is that I'm losing weight a lot faster!
The three-month birthday girl:
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Queen of Babble-On
She's talking! It's so cute! Well, baby babbling, of course, but it's adorable. I forgot how much I love those silly sounds. We got out the play pad that Abby spent so much time on at this age, and she's been kicking around in there, chatting away with the dangling animals. She's also trying (at least I think she's trying and it's not just random flailing) to grab at them. You go, girl!
A Day of Bodily Fluids
Her butt's a cannon!
Projectile poop even more
messy in the dark.
There are some events that just beg for their own haiku. This was one of them. I was changing her diaper on the bed, in the mostly-dark of 3AM, when she decided to, shall we say, "Let it go". Thing is, I had her legs in the air so I could slide the new diaper under her, so her butt was aimed quite perfectly at my chest, and wow, did she get some power behind that poop! And cleaning up in the dark was even more fun--all sorts of little 'presents' to be found...on my shorts...on my arm...on the bed...somewhere else on the bed...
But that was just the beginning a few hours later she had another Mt. Vesuvius-like reflux explosion that soaked the outfit I was all excited to wear that day, about five minutes before we were to leave for our AP moms playgroup. And that night, after putting her in the last pair of pajamas I had for her, she erupted yet again.
Both ends of her are quite powerful, I tell you what.
Projectile poop even more
messy in the dark.
There are some events that just beg for their own haiku. This was one of them. I was changing her diaper on the bed, in the mostly-dark of 3AM, when she decided to, shall we say, "Let it go". Thing is, I had her legs in the air so I could slide the new diaper under her, so her butt was aimed quite perfectly at my chest, and wow, did she get some power behind that poop! And cleaning up in the dark was even more fun--all sorts of little 'presents' to be found...on my shorts...on my arm...on the bed...somewhere else on the bed...
But that was just the beginning a few hours later she had another Mt. Vesuvius-like reflux explosion that soaked the outfit I was all excited to wear that day, about five minutes before we were to leave for our AP moms playgroup. And that night, after putting her in the last pair of pajamas I had for her, she erupted yet again.
Both ends of her are quite powerful, I tell you what.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Bellybutton, be healed!
Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has been praying for Penny J's beebo. We went to the doctor on Friday and she said it looks like it's closed up! There's a small scab still there, so we need to be careful of that, but other than that it looks like all is well. Took three weeks and three different treatments (plus a TON of prayer), but we're out of the woods. Huzzah!
We had our last check-up with Michelle last week. I was so sad when I realized I wouldn't be seeing her again until the next baby. We weighed PJ and she was 12 lbs, 1 oz. WOW. That explains why some of her 3 month outfits are starting to seem a bit snug. I got pics of PJ with Michelle:
and Karly:
for her scrapbook, which I REALLY need to get going on. Anyway, if anyone out there is considering a homebirth in the SoCal area, I urge you to check out Michelle. She's just amazing. I'm so blessed to have found her.
She's still sleeping about 6 hours at night, hallelujah, though last week she had three nights in a row of only 3 or 4 hours at a stretch, and I'm thinking that must have been a growth spurt. That was still way better than Abby ever slept, but I'm very thankful she's back to 6 hours. And yesterday she slept for an hour and a half in the crib while I cleaned and had lunch. Dan had taken Abby out for some daddy-daughter time, so I had the place to myself. It was heaven. I got so much done! And I was excited that she slept in the crib. My goal for this week is to get her down to a routine with her morning nap. I've been just letting it happen whenever and wherever, but I'm seeing a pattern, so I think I'm going to start taking her upstairs around the 2.5 or 3 hour mark in the morning and putting her in the crib for naptime. We'll see what happens...
The last bit of news is that I'm pretty sure she has some kind of food allergy. I suspect it's dairy, but only because I'm sensitive to dairy too. If it's not that I'm almost certain it will be wheat, given the issues my mom has with it. So, starting tomorrow, I'm going dairy free. Pray for me. Next to bread products, dairy products are my absolute favorite. I just bought a brand new brick of cheddar, too. Drat.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
There's a hole in my baby!
(dear Liza, dear Liza)
So, yeah, that's sort of weird. Her belly button kept getting crusty, so I took her to the ped this past week and she had a look and said, "Ah, yes, there's a hole." Apparently things didn't completely heal up when her cord fell of. *ew* She was optimistic that it would heal up since it was so small and barely leaking anything as compared to most kids; apparently when that happens their shirts often end up with a huge wet spot. That's definitely not happening here, thank heavens. But she said that if it doesn't heal on its own it'll need surgery. :( She said to treat with alcohol but Michelle said to treat with the Cord Care "dust" that we used on the umbilical cord. She also said that research keeps showing that alcohol impedes the healing process. Grr. I never know who to believe! I have to admit, though, I am less likely to believe the standard medical doctor these days. So we're going with the Cord Care dust. Though we've been "dusting" it since Tuesday and it doesn't seem any better, so I'm calling her tomorrow to see how long it might take. Please God, don't let it need surgery!!!
Already showing off her personality...
So, yeah, that's sort of weird. Her belly button kept getting crusty, so I took her to the ped this past week and she had a look and said, "Ah, yes, there's a hole." Apparently things didn't completely heal up when her cord fell of. *ew* She was optimistic that it would heal up since it was so small and barely leaking anything as compared to most kids; apparently when that happens their shirts often end up with a huge wet spot. That's definitely not happening here, thank heavens. But she said that if it doesn't heal on its own it'll need surgery. :( She said to treat with alcohol but Michelle said to treat with the Cord Care "dust" that we used on the umbilical cord. She also said that research keeps showing that alcohol impedes the healing process. Grr. I never know who to believe! I have to admit, though, I am less likely to believe the standard medical doctor these days. So we're going with the Cord Care dust. Though we've been "dusting" it since Tuesday and it doesn't seem any better, so I'm calling her tomorrow to see how long it might take. Please God, don't let it need surgery!!!
Already showing off her personality...
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Contest winners!
Ahhh, you thought I'd forgotten, didn'tcha? Well, I did. BUT! I remembered, as I eventually (usually) do. I tried a new scoring system this time--y'all started out with 100 points, and deductions were made as follows:
wrong sex = 10
wrong day = 1 point per day
wrong weight = 1 point per every 2 oz.
wrong length = 1 point per every 1/2 inch
wrong part of the day (AM or PM) = 1 point
The winner is Sam, with a score of 93! Very impressive! And to think she started her prediction with "I'm never any good at these things..." Sam wins a copy of Shauna Niequist's new and awesome book, "Cold Tangerines," as well as her choice of "Violette Between," "Worlds Collide," or my upcoming release, "Reinventing Rachel." Happy reading, Sam!
And a bonus prize goes out to Katie for guessing Penelope Jane's weight spot-on. She wins a copy of her choice of "Violette Between," "Worlds Collide," or my upcoming release, "Reinventing Rachel" as well. Hope you enjoy, Katie!
Thanks to everyone for your guesses. I'm sure PJ will have fun one day looking at all your guesses!
wrong sex = 10
wrong day = 1 point per day
wrong weight = 1 point per every 2 oz.
wrong length = 1 point per every 1/2 inch
wrong part of the day (AM or PM) = 1 point
The winner is Sam, with a score of 93! Very impressive! And to think she started her prediction with "I'm never any good at these things..." Sam wins a copy of Shauna Niequist's new and awesome book, "Cold Tangerines," as well as her choice of "Violette Between," "Worlds Collide," or my upcoming release, "Reinventing Rachel." Happy reading, Sam!
And a bonus prize goes out to Katie for guessing Penelope Jane's weight spot-on. She wins a copy of her choice of "Violette Between," "Worlds Collide," or my upcoming release, "Reinventing Rachel" as well. Hope you enjoy, Katie!
Thanks to everyone for your guesses. I'm sure PJ will have fun one day looking at all your guesses!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Our little overachiever
We were in Ventura over the weekend. Abby took off with Greena the minute we walked in the door--it's such a joy to see her so comfortable with them! She spent the whole weekend either playing blocks with Par, watching cartoons with Greena, or showing off her singing and "dancing" as she watched our Jana concert. I can't believe how many of the lyrics she knows! And how well she does the hand motions! It's SO cute, and it kills me that she stops the second she sees the video camera; I so desperately want to record her for posterity. (And for the relatives that don't get to see her.)
Penny J was her usual mellow self. Dan's afraid we're going to leave her somewhere because she's so quiet. I laughed when he told me that--except I feel the same way sometimes! She did, however, draw quite a bit of attention to herself on a couple occasions when she ROLLED OVER. Yes, at two weeks and a few days she rolled from back to front. Three times, in fact. In front of a shocked audience. And this wasn't just a serious wiggle with enough inertia to flip her. She rolled to her side (which she's been doing nearly since the beginning) and hung out there for awhile, and then suddenly started squirming and kicking--and then presto! Tummy time!
She's also been holding her head up for 30 seconds or more at a time. And not just while being held up; last night she was lying on Dan's chest and she picked up her head and just held it there, looking around. Crazy!
The girls at Gigi and Boppa's (my parents) on Easter Sunday.
Penny J was her usual mellow self. Dan's afraid we're going to leave her somewhere because she's so quiet. I laughed when he told me that--except I feel the same way sometimes! She did, however, draw quite a bit of attention to herself on a couple occasions when she ROLLED OVER. Yes, at two weeks and a few days she rolled from back to front. Three times, in fact. In front of a shocked audience. And this wasn't just a serious wiggle with enough inertia to flip her. She rolled to her side (which she's been doing nearly since the beginning) and hung out there for awhile, and then suddenly started squirming and kicking--and then presto! Tummy time!
She's also been holding her head up for 30 seconds or more at a time. And not just while being held up; last night she was lying on Dan's chest and she picked up her head and just held it there, looking around. Crazy!
The girls at Gigi and Boppa's (my parents) on Easter Sunday.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Packing on the...ounces
Penny and I had our 2 week appointment with Michelle today. Penny was 9 pounds and 2 ounces! she was just 8 pounds 9 ounces less than a week ago--she really piled it on in the last 5 days! She looks so much more filled out. But even so, she doesn't look as big as Abby did at birth, and Abby was only one ounce less than Penny is now. Strange.
I checked out okay, although unfortunately some of my stitches tore right through the skin and were no longer holding anything together. Thankfully they were just "cosmetic" stitches and not fixing anything really important, so it's not a big deal. I'm so surprised I didn't know it had happened; certainly sounds like it would be awfully painful!
I've been feeling some serious mommy guilt the last couple of days. I think I had taken about 200 pictures of Abby by the time she was 2 weeks old. I've taken...maybe 20 of PJ. We have a bunch of her and Abby that I need to go through from Easter, but I swear I had the camera next to me at all times when Abby was a baby, and now I don't even know where the camera is! I haven't started Penny's baby book (though I did finally buy one), I haven't gotten a scrapbook for her yet, I haven't started writing in the journal I'll keep to give to her when she grows up...it's terrible. I always told myself I wouldn't be like this, and yet here I am. Not good.
I checked out okay, although unfortunately some of my stitches tore right through the skin and were no longer holding anything together. Thankfully they were just "cosmetic" stitches and not fixing anything really important, so it's not a big deal. I'm so surprised I didn't know it had happened; certainly sounds like it would be awfully painful!
I've been feeling some serious mommy guilt the last couple of days. I think I had taken about 200 pictures of Abby by the time she was 2 weeks old. I've taken...maybe 20 of PJ. We have a bunch of her and Abby that I need to go through from Easter, but I swear I had the camera next to me at all times when Abby was a baby, and now I don't even know where the camera is! I haven't started Penny's baby book (though I did finally buy one), I haven't gotten a scrapbook for her yet, I haven't started writing in the journal I'll keep to give to her when she grows up...it's terrible. I always told myself I wouldn't be like this, and yet here I am. Not good.
Friday, March 28, 2008
One week down, a lifetime to go
Penny-J had her one week doctor visit yesterday. She's up to 8 pounds and 9 ounces--not bad for a kid with a lousy nursing latch who's supposedly eating in the most inefficient way possible. I've given up trying to fix it, though--the pain's not that bad anymore, and she's obviously not suffering. I have enough in my life to stress over; why add to it?
The best part, though, I gotta say, is that the child sleeps. She nursed at 11 last night and then not again until 3:30, and after that it was 7 a.m.! Unbelievable! After Abby's nighttime nursing marathons, this is a very welcome change. I actually prayed while I was pregnant that this baby would be a good sleeper--God is good! She doesn't "shut down" at night until 11ish, though--or at least that's been the pattern until tongith; right now, though, she's pretty out. Good thing, too, because I'm half asleep and desperate for bed.
The best part, though, I gotta say, is that the child sleeps. She nursed at 11 last night and then not again until 3:30, and after that it was 7 a.m.! Unbelievable! After Abby's nighttime nursing marathons, this is a very welcome change. I actually prayed while I was pregnant that this baby would be a good sleeper--God is good! She doesn't "shut down" at night until 11ish, though--or at least that's been the pattern until tongith; right now, though, she's pretty out. Good thing, too, because I'm half asleep and desperate for bed.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Homebirth Reflections
Abby is zoned in front of an episode of Max and Ruby and Penny-J is asleep on my chest, so since they're both occupied I thought this might be a good time to post some of my thoughts about the homebirth.
Like every new experience, I went in with a lot of expectations. Most of them went out the window (bake a cake?! during labor?! what the heck was I thinking?!), mostly because of the speed of labor, but despite my laundry list of unfulfilled hopes and desires for the event, I can't imagine having done it any other way. A lot of people have asked if I'd do it this way again. Honestly, in the first few hours after the birth, I would have said there won't be a next time, but of course the intensity of things has faded over the last week and I think I can say I'm open to there being another time, and yes, I will most definitely doing it at home!
I was thinking about how different it would have been had we planned on a hospital birth. I would have gotten an epidural, no doubt. Even if I'd woken Dan half an hour earlier (and I can't imagine I would have done it any sooner than that), by the time we actually got to the hospital and I got checked into a room, I would have been at the point in my contractions when they got totally intense. Would I have started my hypnobabies scripts in time? Possibly, perhaps in the car on the way there, but given how strong they were I think the car ride would have been incredibly uncomfortable--I don't know if I would have kept my focus enough to stay in hypnosis when things got crazy.
And how would I have labored? I was on my hands and knees hugging the birth ball for the majority of the time--would I have done that in the hospital? Would I have felt secure enough to let myself go "primal"--moaning, rocking, swaying--when the staff would have been checking vitals and monitoring me? Would my OB have let me deliver on my hands and knees? I'd like to think she would--though if I'd ended up with the epidural I most likely would have been on my back.
I would have had to be vigilant about my birth plan, especially in regards to the treatment of the baby after birth--wanting her right away to nurse, keeping her with me to bond for at least an hour before being weighed and measured, not wanting her to have the eye stuff (can't remember what it's called) or Hep-B vax or a pacifier. Whereas all those things were sorted out at the home visit and there was no need to remind anyone because they all knew and respected our wishes.
The food was a lot better at home, too. :)
Not that the homebirth experience was all sunshine and roses. I had a rather romantic idea of what homebirth would be like, and the reality was anything but.My hallway carpet has bloodstains, and every time I see them it's a weird, uncomfortable reminder that I was naked in front of three people I didn't know all that well, and with my husband there, which is just strange. These people also saw me raving like a woman possessed, and while it's their job and they've seen it a million times, I have never been out of control that way before, and it's weird to think I have that primitive, animal side to me. And while the image of a woman on her back on a bed giving birth is very accepted in our society, the image of a woman on all fours is not, and the memory of it feels very...base. It's a bit embarrassing to think my husband saw me that way. It is not a sexy image. Nor is the image of my water breaking on his office floor (thankfully covered in chux pads). After the birth, my bed (also thankfully covered in chux pads) looked like the scene of a brutal murder. And it's not like I didn't think there'd be blood, it's just that I hadn't given a lot of thought to the fact that it would be right there and not on an easy-to-clean linoleum floor like in the hospital.
And in a funky way, it felt like less of a special event because there wasn't the big "Time to go to the hospital!" moment, or all the accompanying medical buzz and procedure that goes with a hospital birth. I had a baby, took a shower, got some stitches, and then everyone left and I was in bed holding a baby. 'Course the fact that it only took five hours contributes to that as well, especially when you're expecting at least half a day to be taken up. It was, in all honesty, a bit of a let-down. On one hand, that's the beauty of it--something totally natural was treated as such and not treated like a life-or-death medical event. But on the other hand, when society has taught you that it is a life-or-death medical event, the natural way seems kind of simple and plain--not nearly enough fanfare for the emerging of a new soul into the world. There should have been trumpets and a chorus of angels--which there may well have been in heaven, but we didn't get the benefit of it. Maybe midwives ought to offer a fanfare package--marching band and fireworks, or at least a CD of the Hallelujah Chorus or something.
Anyway...that's what's been on my mind. And like I said, regardless of what expectations were or were not met, I'll do it this way again, if there is an again. I hope this doesn't turn anyone off from homebirthing, though I guess if it does then you weren't meant to do it in the first place. It's definitely a commitment and requires taking a lot of responsibility for your own care--not that midwives don't take care of you, but there's an expectation on their part, and rightly so I believe, that you are an integral part of the success of your homebirth and thus need to be more involved in your own care beyond just taking your prenatals and showing up for your appointments. A lot of women sign over their pregnancy and birth experience to their doctor, and if that's your cup of tea then so be it, but I think that's the reason why we've seen such an awful increase in cesarean rates in this country. I think it's high time women started trusting their bodies more and listening to (or, more accurately, rediscovering) their instincts when it comes to birth. Hopefully my experience will encourage someone to take that leap.
Like every new experience, I went in with a lot of expectations. Most of them went out the window (bake a cake?! during labor?! what the heck was I thinking?!), mostly because of the speed of labor, but despite my laundry list of unfulfilled hopes and desires for the event, I can't imagine having done it any other way. A lot of people have asked if I'd do it this way again. Honestly, in the first few hours after the birth, I would have said there won't be a next time, but of course the intensity of things has faded over the last week and I think I can say I'm open to there being another time, and yes, I will most definitely doing it at home!
I was thinking about how different it would have been had we planned on a hospital birth. I would have gotten an epidural, no doubt. Even if I'd woken Dan half an hour earlier (and I can't imagine I would have done it any sooner than that), by the time we actually got to the hospital and I got checked into a room, I would have been at the point in my contractions when they got totally intense. Would I have started my hypnobabies scripts in time? Possibly, perhaps in the car on the way there, but given how strong they were I think the car ride would have been incredibly uncomfortable--I don't know if I would have kept my focus enough to stay in hypnosis when things got crazy.
And how would I have labored? I was on my hands and knees hugging the birth ball for the majority of the time--would I have done that in the hospital? Would I have felt secure enough to let myself go "primal"--moaning, rocking, swaying--when the staff would have been checking vitals and monitoring me? Would my OB have let me deliver on my hands and knees? I'd like to think she would--though if I'd ended up with the epidural I most likely would have been on my back.
I would have had to be vigilant about my birth plan, especially in regards to the treatment of the baby after birth--wanting her right away to nurse, keeping her with me to bond for at least an hour before being weighed and measured, not wanting her to have the eye stuff (can't remember what it's called) or Hep-B vax or a pacifier. Whereas all those things were sorted out at the home visit and there was no need to remind anyone because they all knew and respected our wishes.
The food was a lot better at home, too. :)
Not that the homebirth experience was all sunshine and roses. I had a rather romantic idea of what homebirth would be like, and the reality was anything but.My hallway carpet has bloodstains, and every time I see them it's a weird, uncomfortable reminder that I was naked in front of three people I didn't know all that well, and with my husband there, which is just strange. These people also saw me raving like a woman possessed, and while it's their job and they've seen it a million times, I have never been out of control that way before, and it's weird to think I have that primitive, animal side to me. And while the image of a woman on her back on a bed giving birth is very accepted in our society, the image of a woman on all fours is not, and the memory of it feels very...base. It's a bit embarrassing to think my husband saw me that way. It is not a sexy image. Nor is the image of my water breaking on his office floor (thankfully covered in chux pads). After the birth, my bed (also thankfully covered in chux pads) looked like the scene of a brutal murder. And it's not like I didn't think there'd be blood, it's just that I hadn't given a lot of thought to the fact that it would be right there and not on an easy-to-clean linoleum floor like in the hospital.
And in a funky way, it felt like less of a special event because there wasn't the big "Time to go to the hospital!" moment, or all the accompanying medical buzz and procedure that goes with a hospital birth. I had a baby, took a shower, got some stitches, and then everyone left and I was in bed holding a baby. 'Course the fact that it only took five hours contributes to that as well, especially when you're expecting at least half a day to be taken up. It was, in all honesty, a bit of a let-down. On one hand, that's the beauty of it--something totally natural was treated as such and not treated like a life-or-death medical event. But on the other hand, when society has taught you that it is a life-or-death medical event, the natural way seems kind of simple and plain--not nearly enough fanfare for the emerging of a new soul into the world. There should have been trumpets and a chorus of angels--which there may well have been in heaven, but we didn't get the benefit of it. Maybe midwives ought to offer a fanfare package--marching band and fireworks, or at least a CD of the Hallelujah Chorus or something.
Anyway...that's what's been on my mind. And like I said, regardless of what expectations were or were not met, I'll do it this way again, if there is an again. I hope this doesn't turn anyone off from homebirthing, though I guess if it does then you weren't meant to do it in the first place. It's definitely a commitment and requires taking a lot of responsibility for your own care--not that midwives don't take care of you, but there's an expectation on their part, and rightly so I believe, that you are an integral part of the success of your homebirth and thus need to be more involved in your own care beyond just taking your prenatals and showing up for your appointments. A lot of women sign over their pregnancy and birth experience to their doctor, and if that's your cup of tea then so be it, but I think that's the reason why we've seen such an awful increase in cesarean rates in this country. I think it's high time women started trusting their bodies more and listening to (or, more accurately, rediscovering) their instincts when it comes to birth. Hopefully my experience will encourage someone to take that leap.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sleep, glorious sleep...
So the first two nights Penny slept pretty well. I had high hopes. And then Saturday I was minutes away from slamming my head against the wall because she wanted to nurse nonstop--at nearly midnight I'd been in bed for over two hours and still hadn't slept. As soon as I got her back in the cosleeper and got myself settled, she'd be crying to eat again. (If she'd eat for more than ten minutes at a time, this wouldn't be such a problem.) Dan came in just before I broke into a thousand mental pieces and took her to see if being in the swing would distract her from eating--and it did! I got three hours of rest before they came back in, and life was good again. She only nursed one more time that night, and we got to sleep until quarter to eight.
Then last night she made up for it by only nursing twice and letting me sleep until 7:45, and Abby even contributed by sleeping an hour later than that! Granted, I didn't go to bed until 11 because I could tell Penny was just going to keep nursing, so I guess, now that I think about it, it wasn't much different from Saturday night, except that I didn't spent two fruitless hours trying to sleep. I really hope she picks up the nursing pace so she isn't up so late eating--these little five and ten minute mini-feeds scattered throughout the day are going to get old real quick.
Greena and Par (Dan's parents) came down Saturday to spend the day with us. More pics on the other blog--they helped Abby color eggs!--but I thought this was so cute: Abby nursing the doll they brought for her:
Nancy (a.k.a. "Greena") crocheted this blanket for PJ before she was born--she was pretty confident we were having a girl:
So Eastery! Speaking of which, hope your holiday was filled with awe for the sacrifice that was made for us, for God so loved the world...
Then last night she made up for it by only nursing twice and letting me sleep until 7:45, and Abby even contributed by sleeping an hour later than that! Granted, I didn't go to bed until 11 because I could tell Penny was just going to keep nursing, so I guess, now that I think about it, it wasn't much different from Saturday night, except that I didn't spent two fruitless hours trying to sleep. I really hope she picks up the nursing pace so she isn't up so late eating--these little five and ten minute mini-feeds scattered throughout the day are going to get old real quick.
Greena and Par (Dan's parents) came down Saturday to spend the day with us. More pics on the other blog--they helped Abby color eggs!--but I thought this was so cute: Abby nursing the doll they brought for her:
Nancy (a.k.a. "Greena") crocheted this blanket for PJ before she was born--she was pretty confident we were having a girl:
So Eastery! Speaking of which, hope your holiday was filled with awe for the sacrifice that was made for us, for God so loved the world...
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Top Ten Things I'd Forgotten About Having a Newborn
10. How hard it is to dress and diaper them when they insist on keeping their arms and legs in the "frog" position.
9. How breastmilk poop doesn't smell that bad.
8. How your heart stops every time they choke while nursing.
7. How often they choke while nursing.
6. How they're swimming even in newborn outfits.
5. How a mother's ear can hear the faintest glug and gurgle, even in the middle of the deepest sleep.
4. How long it takes for it to sink in that this little person is real.
3. How nice it is to know you can put them down and step away for a minute and they'll still be in the same spot when you come back.
2. How hard it is to put them down.
1. How quickly the pain of the birth fades once you have them in your arms.
9. How breastmilk poop doesn't smell that bad.
8. How your heart stops every time they choke while nursing.
7. How often they choke while nursing.
6. How they're swimming even in newborn outfits.
5. How a mother's ear can hear the faintest glug and gurgle, even in the middle of the deepest sleep.
4. How long it takes for it to sink in that this little person is real.
3. How nice it is to know you can put them down and step away for a minute and they'll still be in the same spot when you come back.
2. How hard it is to put them down.
1. How quickly the pain of the birth fades once you have them in your arms.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
SHE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
There aren't enough exclamation marks in the world to convey my utter shock and elation at a) having another daughter (especially when we were SO sure it was going to be a boy) and b) getting my VBAC at home with no complications whatsoever. It still hasn't sunk in. Maybe writing everything out here will hammer it home.
I woke up a little after 3 this morning with a contraction. I didn't think much of it because that's been happening a lot lately. But then another one came 13 minutes later, and the next one 5 minutes later. "Oh, that's gotta be a fluke," I thought. But the next one was also 5 minutes later, and they were all pretty strong, so I decided to get up and see what might happen.
They were consistently 5 minutes apart for about an hour, and getting quite intense. Suddenly I had two right on top of each other that really bowled me over, and I realized I needed to get Dan up, have him call my mom, and call Sheridan, my doula. I called the doula first so she could start heading over--and she had just gotten home an hour before from another birth! She asked if I would be alright with her catching a quick nap and coming over in a couple hours, and I said sure, figuring we still had quite a bit of time ahead of us for this birth. But then I had two contractions just going from Dan's office to the bedroom to wake him up, and I knew that things were starting to pick up speed. We called the midwife, and then a contraction hit that made me want to push, and I just about panicked thinking the baby was going to be born right then! Then Sheridan called and said "You know what, I feel like I need to come over," and I was like, "Yeah you do!" When she got there I was still feeling pushy with my contractions, and I yelled to Dan to get some of the chux pads from the birth kit and lay them on the floor because I honestly thought I was going to have the baby in the next 5 minutes. Instead (and thankfully!) it was just my water breaking.
I labored on the floor in Dan's office for quite a while, because I just couldn't bear the thought of moving all the way down the hall to the bedroom; it just seemed too monumental a task. (It also took a while to get the bed prepped; we needed to wait for my mom to come, and then we moved Abby downstairs to the sofa bed and Dan got the birthing sheets and plastic mattress protector all set up.) I'll have to find out the exact time of this, but at one point I felt like I was totally done, mentally and physically. Because everything had hit so fast, I'd never had time to get going with my hypnobabies stuff, and I felt EVERYTHING! So I asked Michelle to check me to see how far I was. She put me off for a while because my water had broken, and the risk of infection goes up once that happens, but then a little while later I absolutely HAD to know. I had 8 cm in my head as a benchmark; I felt like, if I was at least that far, I could handle it, but if I was any less, I was seriously going to ask for a hospital transfer and get an epidural. It was THAT intense. (Though how I thought I'd be able to get downstairs and endure a ride to the hospital when I couldn't bear the thought of moving 12 feet down the hall, I don't know!) So then she checked me and, lo and behold, I was indeed an 8! She said if I wanted to push a little to go ahead and do it, it might get me the rest of the way to 10. It was SUCH a relief to have a physical outlet (besides the roaring and growling I'd been doing) when the contractions hit!
Eventually I knew I wanted to get into the bedroom, but I was so tired and weak it took two people supporting me to even get me moving. (My last meal had been at 5 the night before, and I'd had nothing besides sips of Recharge during contractions since Michelle had gotten there, around 5:30.) Finally they got me up and into the bathroom for a pit stop, and then into the bedroom on the birthing stool. I kept yelling at the baby, "Come on, crown! Get moving!" I kept asking if they could see anything, and Michelle would just say she could feel the head but not see it, and that it might still be awhile. I remember thinking, "I don't think I have 'awhile' left in me! It better be faster than that!"
Then something shifted in me and I wanted to get up on the bed. They helped me crawl up there, and I was on all fours, hugging the birthing ball (which is how I'd labored most of the time in Dan's office) and holding Dan's hand in an "arm wrestling" grip to use as a brace. I'm not sure how long I was up there, but then with one of the contractions I could feel that she was just right there, and I thought, "If I don't push that head out right now, I'm never going to make it." I didn't think I had the energy to do it, but I did, and everyone cheered and I just kept saying, "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" The next contraction felt too weak to get the rest of her out, but I couldn't bear to do it any longer, so I gave it everything I had left in me and out she came!
She squeaked out a tiny cry, and they put her on my back while I caught my breath. It took Dan a few seconds to get a good look at the sex, and when he said it was a girl I about fell off the bed! EVERYONE thought it would be a boy! They helped me maneuver onto my back to lie down, and the placenta came out pretty quickly, probably less than 10 minutes after PJ.
I'm kinda fuzzy on things after that. I was shaking uncontrollably, apparently a common post-birth experience, and I was just SO incredibly weak and tired. After a little while they made me get up to go to the bathroom, and then I took a shower to get cleaned up but nearly fainted when I was done. I ended up kneeling on the floor of the tub and calling for someone to come help me; they brought Recharge and toast and made me eat, which made me feel a tiny bit better. Mom had made sandwiches and scrambled eggs for everyone, so when I got back into the bed (with my hair still uncombed from the shower!) I had a little more to eat and it totally helped. PJ was cleaned and dressed and all her measurements taken while I was in the shower; they brought her over to nurse and she latched almost right away and ate for probably 5 or 6 minutes. Oh, and somewhere in there--after the shower, I think, but before Mom brought up the food--they spent 45 minutes stitching me up because I tore in all sorts of lovely places. PJ came out with her hand next to her face, and given how hard and fast I pushed out her 14 and 1/8 inches-sized head (plus hand), there was no time for anything to stretch. So that sucks. But oh well.
So five hours of labor almost to the minute, with 44 minutes of pushing. Not bad for a first timer!
And I think she's going to look like me! She definitely has my coloring, whereas Abby has Dan's olive tone. And mom kept saying yesterday, "That's what you looked like when you were born, I swear." 'Course they all said that about Abby, too, the first couple days--and then suddenly she turned into mini-Dan. So we'll see.
Our first night went surprisingly well. Abby didn't go to sleep until almost 10:30, but she slept through the entire night until after 8. Penny-J slept all night, too, except for an hour long nursing session from about 12:30-1:30--her first meal since the one after she was born! And when she woke up this morning she ate a little and was quite alert--she even sat on Abby's lap for the first time. Very cute--tried to get a picture but the bedroom was too dark. Oh well--plenty of opportunities for that will come.
I'm sure I'll remember more as the days go on, so I'll post more details as they surface. Until then, keep us in your prayers as we adjust to being a family of four!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
40 weeks!
Well, here we are, the infamous Due Date has arrived. I had my 40 week appointment with Michelle today--she gave me hugs and was very sympathetic. Have I mentioned lately how much I love her? Anyway, I'm happy to say I only gained one pound this week, which is stunning given all the utter CRAP I've been shoveling into my pie-hole--can you say "emotional eater?"
I ushered in the big day with two baby dreams. I haven't remembered my dreams lately, which is weird; usually they're so vivid that I can recount them detail for detail. I haven't had many baby dreams this pregnancy, either, so it was weird to have two in a row. In the first dream, we had twins, a boy and a girl. We were surprised, but not as surprised as one would expect a couple to be when they've had as many ultrasounds as we have.
The second dream was a lot longer and way more stressful. Abby wasn't around; it was as if this was our first baby--a girl, by the way. But the them of the whole dream was that I kept forgetting her! I'd put her down somewhere and then get distracted and it would be hours before I'd remember to go get her. I even woke up (in the dream, not in real life) and thought, "Where's the baby?" Turns out I'd left her in the car! Overnight! I'd be completely panicked every time it happened, totally freaked out and upset and shaking, and I kept thinking, "I can't let anyone know I keep doing this! They'll take her away from me!" But it wasn't like I was doing it on purpose, it just kept happening--in the crib, in a shopping cart, at the park--like pregnancy brain multiplied a thousand times. It didn't matter how badly I wanted to remember her, I couldn't. Isn't that terrible?! What on earth is wrong with my subconscious?! No wonder the poor thing is stalling on being born; it's probably afraid of me.
Tomorrow is Dan's class final. I'm going all out after that--well, in terms of natural labor starters, anyway. Michelle offered to strip my membranes for me, and if it had been Thursday and Dan's final was already done I may have taken her up on it, but the timing was all wrong today. And truly, I'm more patient than I make myself out to be. I'm really okay with the baby coming whenever the baby is ready to come. It's more about my painful, miserable nights than anything else at this point. I want those to end more than I do the pregnancy. I like being pregnant; I'm going to miss feeling him/her moving around in there.
I ushered in the big day with two baby dreams. I haven't remembered my dreams lately, which is weird; usually they're so vivid that I can recount them detail for detail. I haven't had many baby dreams this pregnancy, either, so it was weird to have two in a row. In the first dream, we had twins, a boy and a girl. We were surprised, but not as surprised as one would expect a couple to be when they've had as many ultrasounds as we have.
The second dream was a lot longer and way more stressful. Abby wasn't around; it was as if this was our first baby--a girl, by the way. But the them of the whole dream was that I kept forgetting her! I'd put her down somewhere and then get distracted and it would be hours before I'd remember to go get her. I even woke up (in the dream, not in real life) and thought, "Where's the baby?" Turns out I'd left her in the car! Overnight! I'd be completely panicked every time it happened, totally freaked out and upset and shaking, and I kept thinking, "I can't let anyone know I keep doing this! They'll take her away from me!" But it wasn't like I was doing it on purpose, it just kept happening--in the crib, in a shopping cart, at the park--like pregnancy brain multiplied a thousand times. It didn't matter how badly I wanted to remember her, I couldn't. Isn't that terrible?! What on earth is wrong with my subconscious?! No wonder the poor thing is stalling on being born; it's probably afraid of me.
Tomorrow is Dan's class final. I'm going all out after that--well, in terms of natural labor starters, anyway. Michelle offered to strip my membranes for me, and if it had been Thursday and Dan's final was already done I may have taken her up on it, but the timing was all wrong today. And truly, I'm more patient than I make myself out to be. I'm really okay with the baby coming whenever the baby is ready to come. It's more about my painful, miserable nights than anything else at this point. I want those to end more than I do the pregnancy. I like being pregnant; I'm going to miss feeling him/her moving around in there.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Still no baby.
Title sez it all. But a Palm Sunday baby would be sweet, dont'cha think? Take it up with The Big Guy on my behalf and we'll see what He says.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
No baby yet.
Just updating. No consistent contractions today, though I did take Abby for a walk this morning for half an hour and had lots while we were out. I'm encouraged by the fact that I had so many for so long yesterday, though; that didn't happen with Abby. And I got a decent night's sleep last night, which was a wonderful change, though Abby was up a lot and seems to have developed a cold and possibly an earache. Bah! Oh well. I'm feeling a little renewed and less depressed today, which is nice. :) I know the end is in sight, and even if it takes another week, that's alright. (Although I *really* hope s/he is here by Easter since I've already washed the "Baby's First Easter" outfit I got at Target a couple weeks ago!)
Friday, March 14, 2008
CONTRACTIONS!
Well finally. I started having contractions around 4:10 this afternoon. When I'm sitting around doing nothing they come 3-4 an hour, but as soon as I stand and start walking they come every 3-5 minutes but don't last as long. Not sure what that means, other than this obviously isn't "active" labor, but it's definitely headed in the right direction.
Cross your fingers!
Cross your fingers!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Think Friday thoughts!
No baby yet. More contractions today, which is good, but not that many and never close together. So I'm asking y'all to think Friday thoughts for me. Pray Friday prayers, send Friday vibes, whatever. I want to be done, and I want to be done NOW.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ugh.
It's really hard to time contractions when you have a toddler to take care of. Tried using an online contraction calculator and I'm not near the computer half the time that I need to be. Tried to write on paper but I swear every clock in this house tells a different time, and I keep leaving the pen and notebook in whatever room I was in last. And what really sucks is that I'm not even sure these are contractions! I can't tell when they end. My belly feels firm all the time this morning. I'll get the pressure-y twinges that tell me one is starting (I think) but then I keep waiting for my stomach to loosen again and it doesn't. What the heck??
Not a good night last night. Kept waking up. Abby kept crying in her sleep. And then she was up this morning at 6:15. I was already awake, but desperately trying to get back to sleep. I managed to get her to lie back down (which actually means lying down for a couple minutes, then sitting up and using my chest as a pillow, then lying back down and putting her feet in the air, then sitting back up and saying, "Mama, wake up!") for about half an hour before she refused to be quiet any longer. My leg is really acting up this morning, and my back keeps twinging, too--a good sign, supposedly--so I'm just not in a good frame of mind. I feel bad because that means Abby doesn't have a particularly pleasant or patient mommy today, and heaven knows toddlers need patient mommies. *sigh*
Not a good night last night. Kept waking up. Abby kept crying in her sleep. And then she was up this morning at 6:15. I was already awake, but desperately trying to get back to sleep. I managed to get her to lie back down (which actually means lying down for a couple minutes, then sitting up and using my chest as a pillow, then lying back down and putting her feet in the air, then sitting back up and saying, "Mama, wake up!") for about half an hour before she refused to be quiet any longer. My leg is really acting up this morning, and my back keeps twinging, too--a good sign, supposedly--so I'm just not in a good frame of mind. I feel bad because that means Abby doesn't have a particularly pleasant or patient mommy today, and heaven knows toddlers need patient mommies. *sigh*
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
All systems go!
No, I'm not in labor. But I went to the midwife today and her general opinion is that I won't last another week, and that labor is probably right around the corner. The baby is in the optimal birthing position, which is a HUGE relief and weight off my shoulders, and now I feel okay about doing some serious walking and skip-stair climbing and all those other kinds of things one can try to get labor going.
The last 36 hours I've pretty much felt like crap. I've had a headache on and off for the last 4 days, and then my stomach started giving me issues, my back has been intermittently aching, I've been hungry but have had absolutely NO appetite, and my legs have started swelling. On top of that, I just feel done. Emotionally, physically, mentally--just done. I want to crawl into bed with a book and make everyone leave me alone.
All these are apparently very good signs. One of the only times in life when feeling terrible is a good thing. Stay tuned!
The last 36 hours I've pretty much felt like crap. I've had a headache on and off for the last 4 days, and then my stomach started giving me issues, my back has been intermittently aching, I've been hungry but have had absolutely NO appetite, and my legs have started swelling. On top of that, I just feel done. Emotionally, physically, mentally--just done. I want to crawl into bed with a book and make everyone leave me alone.
All these are apparently very good signs. One of the only times in life when feeling terrible is a good thing. Stay tuned!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
All you really need...
We set up our birth supplies upstairs last night. It's funny how little you really need. And frankly, you don't even *need* all this--ask any woman who's delivered in the car on the way to the hospital!
Here we have the "big stuff"--most of the medical stuff is in that bowl, and in the container on the right there are blood test supplies. We're not going all the newborn testing, but we are doing some of it, as well as getting the baby's blood typed. Yes, that is a crock pot in the other corner--I think they keep wet washcloths hot in there as perineum compresses for the pushing stage.
This is the rest of it. Two sets of sheets--one set for during the birth, another for after--lots of old towels, and three bags labeled Mom, Baby, and Warm. The Mom bag has clothes for after the birth. The Baby bag has clothes, sock, and extra hats. (I didn't have to have that many hats, but we had a ton from when Abby was born and there were quite a few different sizes; figured I might as well put them all in so we'd have options. The one hat we had at the hospital for Abby was way too big!) The Warm bag has a hat and lots of receiving blankets; they put all that in the oven (!) to, well, get warm right before the baby comes.
Not pictured is the snack table. That's downstairs in the dining room. We've got chips and salsa, mixed nuts, pretzels, and when Mom comes over to pick up Abby she'll stop and pick up a veggie tray, a fruit tray, cold cuts and rolls, and cheese to put on crackers. Yum! Not that I'll probably be having any of it. *sigh* For myself there's fixin's for fruit smoothies, and lots of orange flavored Recharge (a more healthy version of Gatorade). I still have to make ice chips and Recharge chips, but I plan on starting that today.
So there we go! All set up! Okay baby, any time after today (since midwife and doula are both at a conference until tonight) you're good to go!
Here we have the "big stuff"--most of the medical stuff is in that bowl, and in the container on the right there are blood test supplies. We're not going all the newborn testing, but we are doing some of it, as well as getting the baby's blood typed. Yes, that is a crock pot in the other corner--I think they keep wet washcloths hot in there as perineum compresses for the pushing stage.
This is the rest of it. Two sets of sheets--one set for during the birth, another for after--lots of old towels, and three bags labeled Mom, Baby, and Warm. The Mom bag has clothes for after the birth. The Baby bag has clothes, sock, and extra hats. (I didn't have to have that many hats, but we had a ton from when Abby was born and there were quite a few different sizes; figured I might as well put them all in so we'd have options. The one hat we had at the hospital for Abby was way too big!) The Warm bag has a hat and lots of receiving blankets; they put all that in the oven (!) to, well, get warm right before the baby comes.
Not pictured is the snack table. That's downstairs in the dining room. We've got chips and salsa, mixed nuts, pretzels, and when Mom comes over to pick up Abby she'll stop and pick up a veggie tray, a fruit tray, cold cuts and rolls, and cheese to put on crackers. Yum! Not that I'll probably be having any of it. *sigh* For myself there's fixin's for fruit smoothies, and lots of orange flavored Recharge (a more healthy version of Gatorade). I still have to make ice chips and Recharge chips, but I plan on starting that today.
So there we go! All set up! Okay baby, any time after today (since midwife and doula are both at a conference until tonight) you're good to go!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Oh yeah, *now* I remember
I've been really active this pregnancy on the BabyCenter.com March 2008 birth board. Back in December "our" first baby was born, and now every time I refresh the page there's a new birth announcement (or two, or five) waiting to be read. Because I'm a sucker for a baby story, I read them all, and I've been stunned at how many women had no idea they were in labor:
"I went in for my prenatal appointment and the doctor said, 'What are you doing here? Go to the hospital, you're at 5cm already and your contractions are 3 minutes apart!' I didn't even realize I was having contractions!"
"I thought they were just more Braxton Hicks, but when I went in for my non-stress test they said I was already at a 6. I couldn't believe it."
It's had me thinking a lot lately, because I don't remember at all what contractions feel like. With Abby, I was doing my hypnobirthing stuff and very comfortable--it's not like I didn't feel them, I felt a LOT, but it wasn't pain, just pressure. But even the memory of what that pressure is like has been completely missing.
Until last night!
4:21 AM. Lying there, wide awake as usual, because 4 AM seems to be my body's get-up-and-party time. I started to feel my belly tighten and thought nothing of it, since I've been having weak contractions on and off since the weekend--until the sensation got stronger and stronger and I realized, "Oh my gosh, an honest-to-goodness makes-you-dilate kind of contraction!" It completely took me back to those seemingly endless last couple weeks of Abby's pregnancy, to sitting in the theater watching Chronicles of Narnia, to the nights I spent sleeping in the recliner because it was the only place I was comfortable, to The Big Night, December 27, when they finally settled into a pattern and we realized at 10PM that this was really It.
Last night I probably had 4 or 5 of these real-thing contractions between 4:21 and 6:30. At my appointment on Tuesday Michelle said the baby was oblique, with its head off to the left of my cervix, and during the contractions the sensation is MUCH more powerful in that area--not sure if it's because the baby's head shouldn't be there, or what. I'm doing everything I can to encourage him/her to shift over a bit, but so far no dice, at least I don't think so. Pray s/he moves soon!
"I went in for my prenatal appointment and the doctor said, 'What are you doing here? Go to the hospital, you're at 5cm already and your contractions are 3 minutes apart!' I didn't even realize I was having contractions!"
"I thought they were just more Braxton Hicks, but when I went in for my non-stress test they said I was already at a 6. I couldn't believe it."
It's had me thinking a lot lately, because I don't remember at all what contractions feel like. With Abby, I was doing my hypnobirthing stuff and very comfortable--it's not like I didn't feel them, I felt a LOT, but it wasn't pain, just pressure. But even the memory of what that pressure is like has been completely missing.
Until last night!
4:21 AM. Lying there, wide awake as usual, because 4 AM seems to be my body's get-up-and-party time. I started to feel my belly tighten and thought nothing of it, since I've been having weak contractions on and off since the weekend--until the sensation got stronger and stronger and I realized, "Oh my gosh, an honest-to-goodness makes-you-dilate kind of contraction!" It completely took me back to those seemingly endless last couple weeks of Abby's pregnancy, to sitting in the theater watching Chronicles of Narnia, to the nights I spent sleeping in the recliner because it was the only place I was comfortable, to The Big Night, December 27, when they finally settled into a pattern and we realized at 10PM that this was really It.
Last night I probably had 4 or 5 of these real-thing contractions between 4:21 and 6:30. At my appointment on Tuesday Michelle said the baby was oblique, with its head off to the left of my cervix, and during the contractions the sensation is MUCH more powerful in that area--not sure if it's because the baby's head shouldn't be there, or what. I'm doing everything I can to encourage him/her to shift over a bit, but so far no dice, at least I don't think so. Pray s/he moves soon!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Yum!
(Fair warning: this post may contain what is considered "too much information" by those of you not that interested in reading about the more intimate details of birth. Read at your own risk.)
So my kitchen smells like Thanksgiving right now. It NEVER smells this good because I don't cook--at least, I don't cook anything that requires me to add seasoning that doesn't come prepackaged. The reason for the delicious smell that is making me more and more hungry with every passing minute is that I am making...here comes the too much information part...crotchcicles! Otherwise knows as sitzbath peri pads to use after the birth. To make them, you steep a handful of uva ursi leaves, yarrow flowers, sage leaf, comfrey leaf and root, garlic, witch hazel leaves, and sea salt (all those leaves and roots and flowers are dried, by the way) in 1.5 quarts of boiled water overnight, then soak heavy duty sanitary pads in them, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them in a bowl (to make them curved). Super soothing to the girly parts after the trauma of birth! I remember reading on one of my parenting forums that a mom there used to bring her newborn into the bath with her, which she doused with this same kind of herbal concoction, and that he spent his first few weeks smelling more like dinner than baby. Now I know why. Not a bad way to smell, lemme tell ya. Though I'm sure I'd end up eating all day long because of it.
So I've been having contractions, both Braxton-Hicks and the real thing (though weak), on and off like crazy all weekend. While we were in Ventura I did a lot more walking than usual--we brought Abby's new trike and pushed her around the neighborhood, which is much easier to do there because Dan's parents don't live on a hill like we do. I think all that walking is what did it. And today I was SO TIRED. I slept with Abby while she took her nap, and she's the one that woke me up after an hour and a half--I could have kept going for who knows how long. I'll have to go back into the archives of this blog to see when I first started feeling real contractions that were worth timing back when I was preggo with Abby. I remember timing them through "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" when Dan and I went to see it in the theater. Tough to do in the dark; I was trying to remember the times in my head because I couldn't see to write them down.
Baby's still bopping around in there. It feels like s/he's pushing on my pubic bone. It actually feels kinda good, I don't know why. We're still stumped for a boy's name. Suggestions?
So my kitchen smells like Thanksgiving right now. It NEVER smells this good because I don't cook--at least, I don't cook anything that requires me to add seasoning that doesn't come prepackaged. The reason for the delicious smell that is making me more and more hungry with every passing minute is that I am making...here comes the too much information part...crotchcicles! Otherwise knows as sitzbath peri pads to use after the birth. To make them, you steep a handful of uva ursi leaves, yarrow flowers, sage leaf, comfrey leaf and root, garlic, witch hazel leaves, and sea salt (all those leaves and roots and flowers are dried, by the way) in 1.5 quarts of boiled water overnight, then soak heavy duty sanitary pads in them, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them in a bowl (to make them curved). Super soothing to the girly parts after the trauma of birth! I remember reading on one of my parenting forums that a mom there used to bring her newborn into the bath with her, which she doused with this same kind of herbal concoction, and that he spent his first few weeks smelling more like dinner than baby. Now I know why. Not a bad way to smell, lemme tell ya. Though I'm sure I'd end up eating all day long because of it.
So I've been having contractions, both Braxton-Hicks and the real thing (though weak), on and off like crazy all weekend. While we were in Ventura I did a lot more walking than usual--we brought Abby's new trike and pushed her around the neighborhood, which is much easier to do there because Dan's parents don't live on a hill like we do. I think all that walking is what did it. And today I was SO TIRED. I slept with Abby while she took her nap, and she's the one that woke me up after an hour and a half--I could have kept going for who knows how long. I'll have to go back into the archives of this blog to see when I first started feeling real contractions that were worth timing back when I was preggo with Abby. I remember timing them through "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" when Dan and I went to see it in the theater. Tough to do in the dark; I was trying to remember the times in my head because I couldn't see to write them down.
Baby's still bopping around in there. It feels like s/he's pushing on my pubic bone. It actually feels kinda good, I don't know why. We're still stumped for a boy's name. Suggestions?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Reality check
We're in Ventura for the weekend visiting Dan's parents one last time before the baby comes. Gary, Dan's dad, is afraid I'm going to pop while we're here. I keep telling him, Nah, no chance...but then again I have noticed a slight increase in mild pressure waves ("contractions" for all you non-hypnobabies folks)...
I brought my pregnancy photos and album when we came up here because Abby always ends up running off with Greena to play dress-up with all Greena's jewelry, and since we're not home I don't have to worry about the dishes in the sink or the messy living room or the laundry that still hasn't been folded from the beginning of the week. So when she pulled Greena off to the bedroom--in about three minutes flat after walking through the door--I pulled out my materials and started to work.
I've had the album and coordinated papers and photos all ready and waiting for ages. It's just been one of those projects that I was afraid to undertake because I thought it would take me hours and hours to complete. I couldn't get the inertia going. But I figured I'd be happy if I could at least get the pages and photos laid out; I could always come back to it to finish the journaling.
But here it is, not even 10 PM on the first day we're here, and the album is complete. Laid out, taped down, journaled and everything. I'm stunned! Why do things always seems like they're going to take longer than they actually do? If I'd known I could whip through it this fast I'd have done it ages ago.
'Course as I was doing the page for week 36, it dawned on me that there was only one pregnancy picture left to be taken--the one from the day I actually go into labor. And then I realized, oh my heavens, in four days I will be 38 weeks along. THIRTY-EIGHT WEEKS. That's officially full term, folks. And then I thought, Oh crap.
Another baby.
Midnight (and 2 AM and 4 AM and 6 AM) feedings.
Sibling rivalry.
Labor.
Actually having a natural birth.
It's this last one that's really getting me. I have no doubt that I'm going to end up with my VBAC, which makes me really happy on the one hand, and completely scares the you-know-what outta me on the other. I know I'm prepared, I know I can do it, but that whole fear-of-the-unknown thing is really starting to get to me.
So I'd like to ask for your prayers. Pray I don't freak out. Pray my hypnobabies practice pays off. Pray nothing happens that necessitates a transfer to the hospital. Pray it's a textbook delivery that takes less than, say, 18 hours. And pray that, between now and then, I'm able to maintain the peace I've felt for the majority of the pregnancy. It would suck to start to lose it now.
I brought my pregnancy photos and album when we came up here because Abby always ends up running off with Greena to play dress-up with all Greena's jewelry, and since we're not home I don't have to worry about the dishes in the sink or the messy living room or the laundry that still hasn't been folded from the beginning of the week. So when she pulled Greena off to the bedroom--in about three minutes flat after walking through the door--I pulled out my materials and started to work.
I've had the album and coordinated papers and photos all ready and waiting for ages. It's just been one of those projects that I was afraid to undertake because I thought it would take me hours and hours to complete. I couldn't get the inertia going. But I figured I'd be happy if I could at least get the pages and photos laid out; I could always come back to it to finish the journaling.
But here it is, not even 10 PM on the first day we're here, and the album is complete. Laid out, taped down, journaled and everything. I'm stunned! Why do things always seems like they're going to take longer than they actually do? If I'd known I could whip through it this fast I'd have done it ages ago.
'Course as I was doing the page for week 36, it dawned on me that there was only one pregnancy picture left to be taken--the one from the day I actually go into labor. And then I realized, oh my heavens, in four days I will be 38 weeks along. THIRTY-EIGHT WEEKS. That's officially full term, folks. And then I thought, Oh crap.
Another baby.
Midnight (and 2 AM and 4 AM and 6 AM) feedings.
Sibling rivalry.
Labor.
Actually having a natural birth.
It's this last one that's really getting me. I have no doubt that I'm going to end up with my VBAC, which makes me really happy on the one hand, and completely scares the you-know-what outta me on the other. I know I'm prepared, I know I can do it, but that whole fear-of-the-unknown thing is really starting to get to me.
So I'd like to ask for your prayers. Pray I don't freak out. Pray my hypnobabies practice pays off. Pray nothing happens that necessitates a transfer to the hospital. Pray it's a textbook delivery that takes less than, say, 18 hours. And pray that, between now and then, I'm able to maintain the peace I've felt for the majority of the pregnancy. It would suck to start to lose it now.
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Home Visit!
Today Michelle the Super Midwife and her trusty sidekick Carly came to the house for our home visit. Sheridan, doula and hypnobabies instructor extrordinaire, was also on hand, as was my wonderful Abby-entertaining mother. I have the best birth team ever!
I almost cried in the middle of the meeting, it was just so cool. Show me an OB who has ever said, "Okay, so tell me what role you'd like me to play in your birth. Tell me what your expectations are, what you'd like the experience to be like. How can we help you have the birth you want to have?" I almost didn't know what to say in response; I wasn't expecting to be the one in charge of everything. I thought Michelle would say, "So here's what we do, here's what to expect once we get here," etc.--and I would have been totally and completely cool with that, because I trust her to do only that which is absolutely necessary and to be pretty hands off otherwise, that's just what her approach is. But to be handed the reins and told that she trusts me to know best what I need was so empowering. It gave me that much more confidence that this birth would be what I wanted it to be.
After I told everyone what I expected of them (which felt really weird, I have to say; I didn't want to sound demanding or bossy or something!), Michelle went over the whole "when to call us" thing, and then we did my prenatal exam, which is pretty low-key--blood pressure, baby's heartbeat (in the 140s), fundal measurement and checking the baby's position. S/he is still head down, thank you God!! S/he flipped to the right side, which is fine, and s/he has really been pushing that little tush and feet out. At one point it looked like something was going to pop right through, a little foot, I'm guessing. Very weird. But I know from experience that, regardless of how eager I am to have him/her in my arms, I'm going to miss the kicks and rolls and stretches inside.
Mom, Dan, Abby, and I went to dinner afterwards, and I was just so jazzed. All I could think about was going into labor. The home visit really made me feel like everything was official, like the baby was cleared to come any time s/he was ready, and I--
--oh hey, contraction, I think!--
kept saying, "I'm just so excited! I can't wait!"
Sheridan loaned me a DVD of a bunch of hypnobabies births to watch. They were SO cool. Hers was on there, too, and it made me cry it was so great. It was really encouraging to see it in practice. I'm going to be getting together with Tina, my hypnobirthing instructor from Abby's birth, to watch a bunch of hypnobirth births, too. Even though the approach is different, the end result is the same: mothers who are ultra-relaxed, births that are calm and peaceful and beautiful to watch. I want to fill my head with as many of these positive birth stories and images as possible.
I have to be honest, though, and admit that I'm getting a little nervous about the whole pushing-the-baby-out part of the birth. Labor doesn't bother me--I've done that already and it went great, and I have no reason to think it won't go great this time around, either. I haven't gone through transformation (hypnobabies-speak for transition) so I'm a bit apprehensive about what that will be like. I know it's really intense for some women, but I think hypno-moms tend to have less dramatic ones because their system is so relaxed. It's just fear of the unknown, really. But the pushing bit is the part that has me a little more nervous. When I make myself analyze what exactly bothers me, I realize that it's just the idea of it, more than any specific facet of the process. And once I remind myself that a bazillion women have done this before me, most of the nerves dissipate, so I just need to focus on that and stop letting the concept of it all overwhelm me.
So tomorrow I'm 37 weeks--we're in the home stretch! We've been talking a little more with Abby about the baby. Michelle suggested not only getting a gift for Abby from the baby, but a gift FROM Abby FOR the baby as well. I mentioned it to her tonight when she commented on the co-sleeper and how it was where the baby would take a nap, and she said, "Present for Mommy, too!" Such a sweetie. :) Anyway, I think I may take her to Target this week and let her pick out something and help her wrap it and everything. Maybe store it in the co-sleeper. As far as what to get Abby, we'd talked about getting her a new baby doll and some baby gear--a stroller, a bassinet, etc.--but never officially decided on that. I need to talk to Dan some more and see if he has any other thoughts. Seeing how much she loves her trains, getting her another GeoTrax set would probably be just as welcome, if not more so. But she does exhibit some great maternal instincts, and I'd love to nurture that.
Tomorrow I go to Burke Williams Day Spa for a maternity milk bath and an EIGHTY MINUTE massage. Just the thought makes me go limp. Yesterday I got my nails done; now I just have to keep them up so they're pretty in the pictures of me holding the new baby. The house gets spring cleaned by Merry Maids on the 5th. Tomorrow the electrician puts in a new ceiling fan in the bedroom, among other things. And then sometime in the next three weeks we'll have a new baby. :)
Me at 36 weeks!
I almost cried in the middle of the meeting, it was just so cool. Show me an OB who has ever said, "Okay, so tell me what role you'd like me to play in your birth. Tell me what your expectations are, what you'd like the experience to be like. How can we help you have the birth you want to have?" I almost didn't know what to say in response; I wasn't expecting to be the one in charge of everything. I thought Michelle would say, "So here's what we do, here's what to expect once we get here," etc.--and I would have been totally and completely cool with that, because I trust her to do only that which is absolutely necessary and to be pretty hands off otherwise, that's just what her approach is. But to be handed the reins and told that she trusts me to know best what I need was so empowering. It gave me that much more confidence that this birth would be what I wanted it to be.
After I told everyone what I expected of them (which felt really weird, I have to say; I didn't want to sound demanding or bossy or something!), Michelle went over the whole "when to call us" thing, and then we did my prenatal exam, which is pretty low-key--blood pressure, baby's heartbeat (in the 140s), fundal measurement and checking the baby's position. S/he is still head down, thank you God!! S/he flipped to the right side, which is fine, and s/he has really been pushing that little tush and feet out. At one point it looked like something was going to pop right through, a little foot, I'm guessing. Very weird. But I know from experience that, regardless of how eager I am to have him/her in my arms, I'm going to miss the kicks and rolls and stretches inside.
Mom, Dan, Abby, and I went to dinner afterwards, and I was just so jazzed. All I could think about was going into labor. The home visit really made me feel like everything was official, like the baby was cleared to come any time s/he was ready, and I--
--oh hey, contraction, I think!--
kept saying, "I'm just so excited! I can't wait!"
Sheridan loaned me a DVD of a bunch of hypnobabies births to watch. They were SO cool. Hers was on there, too, and it made me cry it was so great. It was really encouraging to see it in practice. I'm going to be getting together with Tina, my hypnobirthing instructor from Abby's birth, to watch a bunch of hypnobirth births, too. Even though the approach is different, the end result is the same: mothers who are ultra-relaxed, births that are calm and peaceful and beautiful to watch. I want to fill my head with as many of these positive birth stories and images as possible.
I have to be honest, though, and admit that I'm getting a little nervous about the whole pushing-the-baby-out part of the birth. Labor doesn't bother me--I've done that already and it went great, and I have no reason to think it won't go great this time around, either. I haven't gone through transformation (hypnobabies-speak for transition) so I'm a bit apprehensive about what that will be like. I know it's really intense for some women, but I think hypno-moms tend to have less dramatic ones because their system is so relaxed. It's just fear of the unknown, really. But the pushing bit is the part that has me a little more nervous. When I make myself analyze what exactly bothers me, I realize that it's just the idea of it, more than any specific facet of the process. And once I remind myself that a bazillion women have done this before me, most of the nerves dissipate, so I just need to focus on that and stop letting the concept of it all overwhelm me.
So tomorrow I'm 37 weeks--we're in the home stretch! We've been talking a little more with Abby about the baby. Michelle suggested not only getting a gift for Abby from the baby, but a gift FROM Abby FOR the baby as well. I mentioned it to her tonight when she commented on the co-sleeper and how it was where the baby would take a nap, and she said, "Present for Mommy, too!" Such a sweetie. :) Anyway, I think I may take her to Target this week and let her pick out something and help her wrap it and everything. Maybe store it in the co-sleeper. As far as what to get Abby, we'd talked about getting her a new baby doll and some baby gear--a stroller, a bassinet, etc.--but never officially decided on that. I need to talk to Dan some more and see if he has any other thoughts. Seeing how much she loves her trains, getting her another GeoTrax set would probably be just as welcome, if not more so. But she does exhibit some great maternal instincts, and I'd love to nurture that.
Tomorrow I go to Burke Williams Day Spa for a maternity milk bath and an EIGHTY MINUTE massage. Just the thought makes me go limp. Yesterday I got my nails done; now I just have to keep them up so they're pretty in the pictures of me holding the new baby. The house gets spring cleaned by Merry Maids on the 5th. Tomorrow the electrician puts in a new ceiling fan in the bedroom, among other things. And then sometime in the next three weeks we'll have a new baby. :)
Me at 36 weeks!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
24 hours left to vote!
If you haven't done it yet, get off yer duff and do it: the polls are almost closed for the "Guess the Baby's Stats" contest. Click here to read the hints and then leave a comment with your prediction. Remember there are books to be won! No more guesses will be taken as of Tuesday morning, so do it now!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
35 weeks!
Unbelievable--in one week I will be technically full term! Woohoo!!!
Today I had a midwife appointment. I love Michelle, I really do. She's such a sweet person. And I really loved her today because she assured me that the baby has flipped out of breech and is officially head down and in the "optimal fetal position"! What a huge relief. Though now I'm stressing about keeping the baby that way, since it has yet to descend into the pelvis and could thus flip right around again if its little heart desired. I've been having some very serious talks with it the last couple weeks, so it knows how important it is to stay put, but you know how kids are. Any suggestions for encouraging descent are welcome!
My next appointment with Michelle will actually take place here at the house during the home visit. By then I have to have all my birth stuff purchased and organized. I have most of it, but there are still some random things that we have around the house (receiving blankets, socks for both baby and me, etc.) that need to be rounded up. Once I get everything laid out nicely I'll take a picture so you can see how little is really needed for a home birth!
The one lousy part of my appointment today was weighing myself and discovering I'd gained FIVE POUNDS since my last appointment two weeks ago. Egads. I kept sliding that stupid little weight over the bar thinking, "No, it's not possible, I can't have gained this much." But apparently I did. So that sucks. And it's not like I've been eating like a madwoman or doing nothing but carbs--though I guess maybe I've been a little carb heavy, but not THAT carb heavy! This is the same rate at which I gained weight with Abby. I'm basically at 40 pounds gained right now; I was hoping that would be it for the whole pregnancy. *pout*
My nesting urges have been slowly kicking in, meaning I actually notice when the house is a mess now. SO MUCH HAS TO BE DONE! Everywhere I turn there's another mess, and it's driving me batty. I really need to clean out Abby's closet so we have a place for all the new baby's clothes. I really need to get my office straightened out since that will probably be a sort of "staging" area for birth supplies and such. I really need to get the last wall of the bedroom painted and all the extra furniture moved out so we have room for me and Dan and the doula and Michelle and her assistant(s?). Plus the whole house needs to be picked up so we can get a cleaning service in and a carpet cleaning service in. Can you say 'overwhelmed'?
Today I had a midwife appointment. I love Michelle, I really do. She's such a sweet person. And I really loved her today because she assured me that the baby has flipped out of breech and is officially head down and in the "optimal fetal position"! What a huge relief. Though now I'm stressing about keeping the baby that way, since it has yet to descend into the pelvis and could thus flip right around again if its little heart desired. I've been having some very serious talks with it the last couple weeks, so it knows how important it is to stay put, but you know how kids are. Any suggestions for encouraging descent are welcome!
My next appointment with Michelle will actually take place here at the house during the home visit. By then I have to have all my birth stuff purchased and organized. I have most of it, but there are still some random things that we have around the house (receiving blankets, socks for both baby and me, etc.) that need to be rounded up. Once I get everything laid out nicely I'll take a picture so you can see how little is really needed for a home birth!
The one lousy part of my appointment today was weighing myself and discovering I'd gained FIVE POUNDS since my last appointment two weeks ago. Egads. I kept sliding that stupid little weight over the bar thinking, "No, it's not possible, I can't have gained this much." But apparently I did. So that sucks. And it's not like I've been eating like a madwoman or doing nothing but carbs--though I guess maybe I've been a little carb heavy, but not THAT carb heavy! This is the same rate at which I gained weight with Abby. I'm basically at 40 pounds gained right now; I was hoping that would be it for the whole pregnancy. *pout*
My nesting urges have been slowly kicking in, meaning I actually notice when the house is a mess now. SO MUCH HAS TO BE DONE! Everywhere I turn there's another mess, and it's driving me batty. I really need to clean out Abby's closet so we have a place for all the new baby's clothes. I really need to get my office straightened out since that will probably be a sort of "staging" area for birth supplies and such. I really need to get the last wall of the bedroom painted and all the extra furniture moved out so we have room for me and Dan and the doula and Michelle and her assistant(s?). Plus the whole house needs to be picked up so we can get a cleaning service in and a carpet cleaning service in. Can you say 'overwhelmed'?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
8 months!
Unreal. 32 weeks!
I got my birth kit in the mail the other day. All sorts of stuff in there for me to organize. Seeg as 13 babies have already been born on my BabyCenter March Birth Board, I suppose I should get myself organized sooner rather than later; you never know when baby may decide to come early!
Speaking of the baby coming, all you lurkers need to come out of the closet and post your predictions for the birth!
We're taking inventory of what we still need for this new kid, and really it's not much given we have so much stuff from Abby. ('Course we'll need a lot of clothes if it's a boy!) But one of the things we do need is a diaper bag. We had a duffel-type bag last time, and it was just a giant black hole. No organization whatsoever. Drove me crazy. This time I wanted pockets galore. Well, yesterday I was looking online and found the perfect bag. A million pockets. A sling-like diagonal strap (so much comfier than a backpack when you have narrow shoulders like me). And so freaking durable we'll be able to use it as a get-the-heck-outta-Dodge bag when the country goes to pot and we need to get off the grid to keep our liberties. :) It's the Lunada Gearslinger from Maxpedition, maker of "hard use gear." Military folks use their stuff! We're getting it in OD Green. I'm so pumped. And Dan won't be embarrassed to tote it, either!
I got my birth kit in the mail the other day. All sorts of stuff in there for me to organize. Seeg as 13 babies have already been born on my BabyCenter March Birth Board, I suppose I should get myself organized sooner rather than later; you never know when baby may decide to come early!
Speaking of the baby coming, all you lurkers need to come out of the closet and post your predictions for the birth!
We're taking inventory of what we still need for this new kid, and really it's not much given we have so much stuff from Abby. ('Course we'll need a lot of clothes if it's a boy!) But one of the things we do need is a diaper bag. We had a duffel-type bag last time, and it was just a giant black hole. No organization whatsoever. Drove me crazy. This time I wanted pockets galore. Well, yesterday I was looking online and found the perfect bag. A million pockets. A sling-like diagonal strap (so much comfier than a backpack when you have narrow shoulders like me). And so freaking durable we'll be able to use it as a get-the-heck-outta-Dodge bag when the country goes to pot and we need to get off the grid to keep our liberties. :) It's the Lunada Gearslinger from Maxpedition, maker of "hard use gear." Military folks use their stuff! We're getting it in OD Green. I'm so pumped. And Dan won't be embarrassed to tote it, either!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Absolutely beautiful
Found this video on one of the Gentle Christian Mothers forums. THIS, ladies, is what birth can be like. No, you're not going to see the actual birth, so don't skip the link. She's not naked, either, so don't worry. She's singing the 23rd Psalm--THROUGH TWO STRONG CONTRACTIONS--with her husband accompanying her on the guitar. She has the voice of an angel. It's amazing. Imagine being born with this voice guiding your journey...
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
The Second Morrow Baby Prediction Contest!
**POLLS ARE CLOSED!** Feel free to read and make a mental guess anyway. :)
Today I'm officially 3/4 of the way through the pregnancy--that's thirty weeks, for those of you who are mathematically challenged. I thought this would be a good time to post the clues for the baby prediction contest. For those of you who weren't around when I was pregnant with Abby, here's how it works: Using predictors (mostly old wives tales) thought to tell you if you're having a boy or a girl, you'll decide what you think we're having. Leave your prediction in the comments, INCLUDING your prediction for the day of the birth, the time of day (AM or PM), and the baby's length and weight. Entries will be accepted until week 38 (March 4).
This year the winner gets two prizes! The first is a copy of the excellent first release from Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines. The second is your choice of either of my currently released books OR an "IOU" for my third novel, releasing in 2009. (I know, I know, it's soooo far away. Sorry.)
Alrighty kids, here we go...
1. Alison is carrying Baby Morrow:
a) High (girl)
b) Low (boy)
Answer: Baby Morrow is riding low!!
2. Alison sleeps with her pillow to the:
a) North (boy)
b) South (girl)
Answer: Her pillow is always firmly placed at the south end of the bed.
3. Alison's feet are:
a) Colder than before pregnancy (boy)
b) The same as before (girl)
Answer: Alison's feet are definitely colder. Oddly, my general body temperature doesn't seem to be rising like it did last time!
4. When it comes to bread, Alison:
a) Refuses to eat the end of a loaf (girl)
b) Prefers the end of the loaf (boy)
Answer: Not sure how much this tells us, since Alison always refuses to eat the end, regardless of whether or not she's pregnant!
5. Darling husband Daniel is:
a) Gaining weight right along with Alison (boy)
b) Keeping the scale steady (girl)
Answer: I believe the scale is keeping steady.
6. Alison's mom's hair color when Baby Morrow was conceived was:
a) Gray (girl)
b) Not gray (either naturally or dyed) (girl)
Answer: Mom's quite fond of highlighting her hair, so I think that counts as dyed--although we're not sure what her hair has to do with Alison's pregnancy!
7. Alison had morning sickness early in her pregnancy:
a) Yes (girl)
b) No (boy)
Answer: No morning sickness for Alison--just ravenous hunger! (This was the same way she answered last time, too!)
8. Alison's complexion is looking:
a) Particularly good during pregnancy (boy)
b) Not so good (girl)
Answer: Thankfully pregnancy seems to agree with her when it comes to her complexion.
9. During pregnancy, Alison's chest has:
a) Dramatically changed (girl)
b) Changed very little (boy)
Answer: This time around Alison's belly is the one doing the growing, not her chest--making ome of those maternity tops look a little silly.
10. Alison's age at time of conception: 31
Conception took place in the month of: June
Mother's Age
- # of conception month
Odd number = girl
Even number = boy
Answer: 31 - 6 = 25--odd number! (The same exact number as when pregnant with Abby!)
11. Alison has been craving:
a) Sweets (girl)
b) salty/sour food (boy)
Answer: This hasn't changed much from pre-pregnancy, either--her whole life Alison has been a big fan of sugar!
12. Alison has also been craving:
a) Meat and cheese (boy)
b) Fruit (girl)
Answer: Protein! So that most likely translates to meat and cheese.
13. Alison's nose has:
a) Grown wider (boy)
b) Stayed the same (girl)
Answer: Her nose has stayed the same.
14. Baby Morrow's heart rate is:
a) Above 140 beats per minute (girl)
b) 140 or less (boy)
Answer: The heart rate has been 150 or higher every time!
15. Alison's feelings towards Orange Juice:
a) Doesn't like OJ (boy)
b) Must have OJ every day (girl)
Answer: Alison has never liked OJ, and it hasn't changed since she's been pregnant, either.
16. Alison has been getting headaches:
a) Yes (boy)
b) No (girl)
Answer: Yes, she has--not many, but a few.
17. Alison's belly looks like a:
a) Watermelon (girl)
b) Basketball (boy)
Answer: Basketball! (Such a nice change from the first pregnancy!)
18. If Alison shows someone her hands, she:
a) Shows them palm up (girl)
b) Shows them palm down (boy)
Answer: Palms up.
19: How does Alison pick up a mug?
a) By the handle (boy)
b) By the body of the mug (girl)
Answer: Usually by the handle.
20: Alison is carrying her pregnancy weight:
a) All out front (boy)
b) Around hips and butt (girl)
Answer: All out front, thank heavens. Not that she hasn't added a wee bit o' junk to the trunk, but NOTHING like the last time!
Bonus info: Three different online Chinese Lunar Predictor charts all listed the baby as being a girl.
FINAL SCORE
Girl:10
Boy: 11
And just for the record...
The final score while pregnant with Abby was Girl: 14 and Boy:7, and the Chinese lunar charts all said girl as well.
So, what do you think? Cut and paste this into your comment and add your prediction:
SEX:
DATE OF BIRTH:
TIME OF BIRTH (AM OR PM):
LENGTH:
WEIGHT:
Looking forward to seeing what y'all think!
Today I'm officially 3/4 of the way through the pregnancy--that's thirty weeks, for those of you who are mathematically challenged. I thought this would be a good time to post the clues for the baby prediction contest. For those of you who weren't around when I was pregnant with Abby, here's how it works: Using predictors (mostly old wives tales) thought to tell you if you're having a boy or a girl, you'll decide what you think we're having. Leave your prediction in the comments, INCLUDING your prediction for the day of the birth, the time of day (AM or PM), and the baby's length and weight. Entries will be accepted until week 38 (March 4).
This year the winner gets two prizes! The first is a copy of the excellent first release from Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines. The second is your choice of either of my currently released books OR an "IOU" for my third novel, releasing in 2009. (I know, I know, it's soooo far away. Sorry.)
Alrighty kids, here we go...
1. Alison is carrying Baby Morrow:
a) High (girl)
b) Low (boy)
Answer: Baby Morrow is riding low!!
2. Alison sleeps with her pillow to the:
a) North (boy)
b) South (girl)
Answer: Her pillow is always firmly placed at the south end of the bed.
3. Alison's feet are:
a) Colder than before pregnancy (boy)
b) The same as before (girl)
Answer: Alison's feet are definitely colder. Oddly, my general body temperature doesn't seem to be rising like it did last time!
4. When it comes to bread, Alison:
a) Refuses to eat the end of a loaf (girl)
b) Prefers the end of the loaf (boy)
Answer: Not sure how much this tells us, since Alison always refuses to eat the end, regardless of whether or not she's pregnant!
5. Darling husband Daniel is:
a) Gaining weight right along with Alison (boy)
b) Keeping the scale steady (girl)
Answer: I believe the scale is keeping steady.
6. Alison's mom's hair color when Baby Morrow was conceived was:
a) Gray (girl)
b) Not gray (either naturally or dyed) (girl)
Answer: Mom's quite fond of highlighting her hair, so I think that counts as dyed--although we're not sure what her hair has to do with Alison's pregnancy!
7. Alison had morning sickness early in her pregnancy:
a) Yes (girl)
b) No (boy)
Answer: No morning sickness for Alison--just ravenous hunger! (This was the same way she answered last time, too!)
8. Alison's complexion is looking:
a) Particularly good during pregnancy (boy)
b) Not so good (girl)
Answer: Thankfully pregnancy seems to agree with her when it comes to her complexion.
9. During pregnancy, Alison's chest has:
a) Dramatically changed (girl)
b) Changed very little (boy)
Answer: This time around Alison's belly is the one doing the growing, not her chest--making ome of those maternity tops look a little silly.
10. Alison's age at time of conception: 31
Conception took place in the month of: June
Mother's Age
- # of conception month
Odd number = girl
Even number = boy
Answer: 31 - 6 = 25--odd number! (The same exact number as when pregnant with Abby!)
11. Alison has been craving:
a) Sweets (girl)
b) salty/sour food (boy)
Answer: This hasn't changed much from pre-pregnancy, either--her whole life Alison has been a big fan of sugar!
12. Alison has also been craving:
a) Meat and cheese (boy)
b) Fruit (girl)
Answer: Protein! So that most likely translates to meat and cheese.
13. Alison's nose has:
a) Grown wider (boy)
b) Stayed the same (girl)
Answer: Her nose has stayed the same.
14. Baby Morrow's heart rate is:
a) Above 140 beats per minute (girl)
b) 140 or less (boy)
Answer: The heart rate has been 150 or higher every time!
15. Alison's feelings towards Orange Juice:
a) Doesn't like OJ (boy)
b) Must have OJ every day (girl)
Answer: Alison has never liked OJ, and it hasn't changed since she's been pregnant, either.
16. Alison has been getting headaches:
a) Yes (boy)
b) No (girl)
Answer: Yes, she has--not many, but a few.
17. Alison's belly looks like a:
a) Watermelon (girl)
b) Basketball (boy)
Answer: Basketball! (Such a nice change from the first pregnancy!)
18. If Alison shows someone her hands, she:
a) Shows them palm up (girl)
b) Shows them palm down (boy)
Answer: Palms up.
19: How does Alison pick up a mug?
a) By the handle (boy)
b) By the body of the mug (girl)
Answer: Usually by the handle.
20: Alison is carrying her pregnancy weight:
a) All out front (boy)
b) Around hips and butt (girl)
Answer: All out front, thank heavens. Not that she hasn't added a wee bit o' junk to the trunk, but NOTHING like the last time!
Bonus info: Three different online Chinese Lunar Predictor charts all listed the baby as being a girl.
FINAL SCORE
Girl:10
Boy: 11
And just for the record...
The final score while pregnant with Abby was Girl: 14 and Boy:7, and the Chinese lunar charts all said girl as well.
So, what do you think? Cut and paste this into your comment and add your prediction:
SEX:
DATE OF BIRTH:
TIME OF BIRTH (AM OR PM):
LENGTH:
WEIGHT:
Looking forward to seeing what y'all think!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
29.5 weeks!
Okay, okay, I *totally* fell off the map there for a while. Sorry about that. I'm a lazy blogger, what can I say? :)
I had my second official midwife appointment this past Wednesday and was pleasantly surprised to see I'd only gained 5 pounds since my Dec. 11 appointment. I haven't been weighing myself because someone took the scale out of my bedroom and I never think to go searching for it, so I really had no idea what I was in for. Given all I ate in Maui and over the holidays, I figured the damage would be much worse. Five pounds ain't that bad, though, and it puts me at a solid 30 pounds gained so far. By this time, with Abby, I'd gained 50. Much improved, wouldn't you say?
I continue to love love love Michelle the Super Midwife. She gave me my "30 week" packet of info this week, which included some post-partum instructions. The back page of that particular document had a whole list of Bible verses for moms to pray through if they find themselves struggling with PPD. I thought that was really cool.
The baby *was* head-down, but I don't know that s/he has stayed that way. The movement is so all over the place it's hard to tell, and I'm totally lame when it comes to mapping the baby's location just by feeling around. Not that I'm worried; still plenty of time for the baby to flip!
Oh yeah--we had our 3/4-D ultrasound the day after we got back from Maui. Here are a couple photos:
So what do you think: boy or girl? I'll be launching the much anticipated Guess the Gender And Predict the Birth Stats contest in my next post, so start thinking about your entry!
I had my second official midwife appointment this past Wednesday and was pleasantly surprised to see I'd only gained 5 pounds since my Dec. 11 appointment. I haven't been weighing myself because someone took the scale out of my bedroom and I never think to go searching for it, so I really had no idea what I was in for. Given all I ate in Maui and over the holidays, I figured the damage would be much worse. Five pounds ain't that bad, though, and it puts me at a solid 30 pounds gained so far. By this time, with Abby, I'd gained 50. Much improved, wouldn't you say?
I continue to love love love Michelle the Super Midwife. She gave me my "30 week" packet of info this week, which included some post-partum instructions. The back page of that particular document had a whole list of Bible verses for moms to pray through if they find themselves struggling with PPD. I thought that was really cool.
The baby *was* head-down, but I don't know that s/he has stayed that way. The movement is so all over the place it's hard to tell, and I'm totally lame when it comes to mapping the baby's location just by feeling around. Not that I'm worried; still plenty of time for the baby to flip!
Oh yeah--we had our 3/4-D ultrasound the day after we got back from Maui. Here are a couple photos:
So what do you think: boy or girl? I'll be launching the much anticipated Guess the Gender And Predict the Birth Stats contest in my next post, so start thinking about your entry!
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