Thursday, April 29, 2010

Fixing

Hope got fixed yesterday. YAY! After years of me being terrified of doing that to her because of her issues, her new mommy just happens to work for a vet who has experience with broken doggies and can work with them.

So she got the full treatment, pain killers and all... She is now resting as comfy as she can be. She is of course a little sore and she makes these sad little whiney grunts when she is feeling ouchy but wants to move. They gave me some pain pills for her to take and she will get one this morning after I get back from my appointment. I gave her one last night and she still seems groggy from it, so I think its still working.

She is recovering here with me, as this is her more comfy place for now. Then, she goes to her new home soon. They are just the nicest people... I know she will do well there.

Plus, they are totally ok with me going to see her from time to time... and that makes me happy.

Dan and I went swimming last night. I think I might have overdone it on the exercise. I spent last night hardly sleeping cause my hips hurt so much I actually wanted to cry when I needed to roll over in bed to get the pressure off of one of them. I spent the night whimpering and just trying to find that ONE comfy spot and getting maybe 40 minutes of sleep before my need to run to the bathroom would wake me up. Then I just started it all over again.

I think I might nap today.

Well, time to head off to my next appointment. Get the non-stress test and get him checked up on. And not forget to mention my sore hips, my headache and some other issues... Just to make sure that my agony doesn't mean anything bad for my little man.

I'll deal with pain, I just want him to be ok.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Too much fun!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/newborn-infant/d61d/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/3-7-years/d823/?cpg=130H&link

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/newborn-infant/b5e5/

Just fun things I found for being a parent. Good for a laugh, although I think I might want that baby book.... I bet its super cute. I don't know if I need the manual, but I wonder about that full list of 50 things I should let him do.......

I mean, I remember licking a 9 volt battery. With my moms encouragement. That was a shock. Thanks mom! (no, I mean it, it was an interesting learning experience.)

But I wonder about that... I hope I don't turn into one of those super paranoid moms who won't let their kids eat dirt and run barefoot down the sidewalk. I mean, its true... if you keep them too clean they won't develop any resistance to germs!

I ate sand. I licked a snail, my mom SWEARS I licked the dogs nose... and I turned out just fine! Ok, so maybe I am a little strange, but health wise, all I really have is mild asthma and a mild allergy to cats.

So I really hope I will follow my moms idea of the dirtier you get, the more fun you had!!!! And I know even if I try to keep the little monster clean, my own mommy would have him rolling in the dirt!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Getting Ready

6 weeks till the due date. He could be early, or a little late... but either way, about 6 weeks to go.

I remember when I was just 6 weeks along. Scared to death, just found out one week before that this all was happening. I was reading anything I could find about what on earth was going to happen during this whole mess.

Now, I feel more like I am ready for this. Not just the birth part, but the whole being a mom part. I have clothes for him, blankets, socks and little hats. I have things planned out as much as I can before seeing what is going to really happen.

I am ready for this. I know I won't have to do it alone either. I have my Dan. I have my mom, and my family, and Dan's family who are now mine. I have neighbors and friends, aunts and cousins. I have this whole group of people who probably won't be able to stay away! And I will use that help for sure!

All I have left is to gather up a few odds and ends for him, and pack my bag for the hospital. I know its still 6 weeks to go, but I want to be ready. I want to be ready for when I have to say "Dan, honey.... time to go" and he can just grab the bag as we waddle to the car. I wonder how he will be when this all happens. I think he will probably be calmer than me. He is good like that.

So we are all ready now, just waiting on the little guy at this point.

I have a few things to do in the mean time, like finding a web cam to put up and setting all that up. And I have tons of baby clothes to wash. (no offense people who sent them, i just wanna wash 'em so I KNOW for sure all is well.) I have yarn to make into hats and booties and blankets, I have Sculpey clay to make into little things, just cause that will keep me busy while I wait. I can clean the house even more.... *sigh* when I get the energy to MOVE.

I'm ready.... I think Dan is ready... Little guy, its up to you now, just figure out when you are ready, we'll be waiting.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Pick a Pediatrician

I am going through the rather small list of pediatricians in my area and looking for a good one for my baby.

There is one that looked promising, but when I called them at 2pm on a Tuesday the phone bounced me to something that said it was an answering service, but after the recorded message said that if I stayed on the line I would be transferred to the operator or the doctor on call. This was after the message about how if this was a call about non emergency situations I should hang up and call back during normal business hours.

But, their hours are 8am to 5:30pm Monday - Friday.... How can 2pm on a Tuesday not be during normal business hours? I just wanted to ask them some questions.

I guess I will try to call back tomorrow, but if I get the same response I suppose I should find another place cause that just seems off to me. The problem with that idea is that there are not really any pediatricians within a reasonable distance to me. These guys are one of the few that are not over 30 minutes away.

Yuck, I hate trying to figure out stuff like this. I just want a good doctor for my little guy.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Things they don't tell you about gestational diabetes...

I learned some new stuff yesterday that startled me a bit.

Even in controlled gestational diabetes it is possible for the placenta to mature and begin degrading sooner than 40 weeks.

Don't fret, oh wonderful family of mine, Baby Boy's own make-your-own disposable organ is still doing JUST FINE!

But it means that from now until he gets here, I go into the office once a week and get a non-stress test.

This is kinda fun actually. I get to relax in a squishy chair, have a nurse dote on me for a while and get me a warm blanket and make sure I am comfy, then they strap on a fetal monitoring system. That is two sensors on my belly, one that measures the baby's heart rate and one that measures if I have a contraction. (right now they are not even worried about the second one, just told me what it would do in case I had a Braxton-Hicks contraction while I was in there, nothing special.)



Then, I have to stay there for about 20-30 minutes while they get a read out of his heart rate.



Only, they want him to MOVE while they are checking on him. So I will have to bring a snack next time, first time they had to find me some crackers. He was asleep and needed a quick carb rush to get him moving and waking up.

It took them almost an hour to get the results they needed to see!!!



Then, the next bit comes when I am 36 weeks along, which is just 3 weeks away, then I go in for weekly ultrasounds, as well as the non-stress tests. The ultrasounds are to check on the placenta and how much amniotic fluid he has left.

If anything seems off after 36 weeks, they will induce labor.

I had NO IDEA this was even a potential issue with gestational diabetes. All the info on the web just talked about your diet, taking care of yourself, checking your blood sugar and monitoring it. Nothing about the placenta maturing too fast. I suppose they might put that under a risk for uncontrolled diabetes, but even when its controlled, this is still a potential risk.

Oh, and no one mentioned the dreams about eating Milky Way bars either. I woke up and thought it had really happened and was scared for a moment that I had actually done that!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Progression

Things are moving forward!

Hope is spending the night with a potential family tonight. They wanted to have her over for a good amount of time to see if she will get along with their family. I am just going to enjoy a night free of barking.

I rearranged the baby's room again today. Somehow I doubt this will be the last time. But I do like how it is looking!

My stepmom, Kathy, sent me and Dan a really nice video baby monitor for an Easter gift and that got me thinking...

So much of his family is far away. California, Texas, Mississippi, and the list goes on.... I was thinking that it might be nice to set up a web cam in his room. I would say in the bedroom where his bassinet is to start with, but I don't want a web cam in my bedroom and I know Dan feels the same. So, I am thinking I can put it in his room and let his far away family watch him grow up.

I would put it on a passworded web site, since I am planning on breastfeeding and I don't need strangers stumbling onto the site and watching that or watching him get changed. That would just be creepy.

I know Judy's Dan can help me get that set up if I can not figure it out myself. But I bet it won't be that hard!

That way, even family far away can see him every day. They can watch him grow, watch him smile and laugh. If they have insomnia they can watch him wake up in the middle of the night and I can promise that even in the first few days home we will go in and wave at the camera from time to time.

I think that would be a good way for family to feel connected to him, even those who are so far away. And I will be sure to get a higher quality web cam so the picture looks good!

Its one thing to take video and show that off, or pictures, but I think that live action Baby Cuteness would be something fun. Although it kinda makes me think of that Shiba Inu Cam or whatever it was... the litter of puppies that got put on the web with a live camera day and night.

I guess if nothing else I can try it. And it would be a way for Dan to see him when he is at work, and for me to see him when I go back to work. I might even get inventive then and put a second camera in the living room if we end up with a caregiver who isn't family.

In other news, I think he is moving around a lot more. He is squirming in the mornings now, and the kicks have given way to more jabs and shoves as his space decreases. I can't think about that too hard, it makes ME feel claustrophobic! If I am feeling right, he is head down and hopefully stays that way from here on out. No pun intended there.

Almost down to just 7 weeks left. It still feels like forever...

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Time, time, time

I need more ways to kill time.

I have crocheted through tons of yarn, watched 5 seasons of Bones and various other shows, I play games and lose my patience, and I have even lost patience with my books. I think I have read all my books too many times.

Waiting for each day to end feels like it takes forever. But each day does finally end, and then I am one day closer.

I wish time would just fly by, I wish I could go to sleep for a week and let it pass by. I want to see my little guy.

I have never been the most patient person, but this is like being a kid and waiting for Christmas and your birthday and a trip to the amusement park ALL AT ONCE. You know its coming, you know its going to be more fun than anything else in the world, but its still so far away.

There are just too many hours in the day.

Later on I am sure I will feel there are not enough hours. I wish I could save some of these excess hours for when I need more time.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

18 years from now

18 years from now, give or take a year, my son will graduate from high school. Right now, he is a grainy black and white picture, a orange tinted semi 3D blob on a picture that resembles a baby, he is a nudging kick in my abdomen, a pressure on my bladder that makes me cuss under my breath. He is formed, yet in a way so formless. He is open to interpretation, he is not yet of THIS world. He exists, but only because my body supports him. In about 8 weeks he will be his own person, a separate entity all his own, and his life will begin to take shape.

He will be helpless and small, dependent on me and Dan for each and every need, but he will grow. He will learn to talk, to walk, to read and write. He will learn to play, to run, to climb a tree.

I have no expectations of him, I want him to simply be a good person. To do his best in everything he attempts and to treat others with care and respect. No matter what he wants to do, I just want it to be something he loves doing.

Each day I imagine moments with him, chubby baby arms splashing in the tub, him and Dan in the kitchen cooking something, watching him go running off at the park toward the swings. I see these things and know they will happen.

I can't wait to meet him and find out who he is. To get to know the person he will become. I can't wait to watch him crawl and walk, to watch him grow into his own person.

And in time, watch him start his own adventure in life. I can only hope that I do a good enough job that he gets to that point and is able to meet life head on.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

8.5 weeks

I remember being 8.5 weeks pregnant. And thinking that this is NEVER going to end, this is going to take forever!! It's going to be NEXT YEAR before I see my baby, halfway THROUGH next year before I see him!

I had things to keep me busy, planning a wedding, working hard, moving, and everything else in between.

Now, its only 8.5 weeks to go. Until the due date. He might be early, he might be late... but its about that long.

It seems like a lifetime ago I was peeing on a stick and trying not to hyperventilate at 6:00 in the morning, walking around getting ready for work and looking at the stick with my eyes crossed to see that pink line. It was so faint, so pale. But one little line changed everything.

We went to our first of four childbirth classes last night. Some cheesy videos, some talking about things that made Dan make weird faces, some stuff that made ME make weird faces. And a little moment at the end showing us a relaxation technique that managed to get me a mini back rub out of it. All in all, not as cheesy as I was expecting it to be. And while its all stuff I already knew so far, it's good that its coming in a class and that I am not the one who has to talk to Dan and use all those words. Sometimes he gets so squeamish about body stuff. I wonder why... In the end its no big deal, but I did make him promise me that when I am giving birth, his eyes stay NORTH of the border.

Oh, and we also had a prenatal visit that day. All is well! Baby boy is doing fine, good heart rate, and hey, I finally put on ONE pound! Probably lost more than one in the process too. I am liking the results of this diet thing!

But for now, all is well.

I hope these two months go fast, I want to meet my little boy!
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