Five Things Friday

Five Things You Never Wanted To Know About Me

1. I have two scars just below my bottom lip from sliding headfirst into a toolbox when I was a kid.
2. Once someone loses my trust, it's gone for good.
3. I seriously hate the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. Something about seeing the logo and the team just makes me start snarling and makes my fingers twitch.
4. I don't really care what people think about me. I wasted a lot of time caring and trying to impress people and it was just that--a huge waste of time. If you don't like me for who I am, I don't want you liking me for something I'm not. Don't like what I have to say? ::shrug::
5. I don't consider myself "smart". If you asked, I'd say I'm of average intelligence. However, I'm smarter than a lot of people give me credit for. This has worked to my advantage a number of times within the last year--particularly at work!

If I went into labor today,

I'd be seriously screwed. I feel so far behind at work. I really wish one of my coworkers would find the time in her "busy, busy schedule" to sit down with me and go over this manual they had me type up for her. I'd feel a little better, if nothing else.

::shrug::

Oh well. Add that to the List of Things That Are Not My Problem. You don't "have time" to meet with me? No skin off my back. I'm not the one who will be clueless when it comes to doing my job for 12 weeks.

Karma sucks, don't it? :-)

Nesting, Ahoy!

Well folks, I think it's safe to say I've officially entered the nesting phase of pregnancy. Oh, joy! Just what Graham needs! I've gone from being a crazy, hormonal mess who sleeps a lot to a crazy, hormonal mess with a mission. What mission? I'm calling it Operation Clean Up The Crap, or OCUP for short. Greeeeeeat!

I've been so tired lately. I get home from work and I'm ready for a 6 hour nap. After our shower on Saturday I was really tired. Sunday I went to bed obnoxiously early. On Monday, the day we entered Week 34, something inside just clicked. Or snapped. Call it what you wish. Allow me to explain:

Our kitchen's been a bit of a sty lately and it had been bugging me but I was usually too tired or distracted to do anything about it. I wanted to fix it, but I've been exhausted. Growing a human is tough work, people! I'm barely done with #1 and I have to seriously question the sanity of those of you who do this two or three or four times. I can't imagine being this tired with another small person to take care of. Ya'll is crazy!

Anyway, back at the ranch...Monday night was a different story: that kitchen had to get clean and straightened and it had to be done NOW. So, we did a quick rearrangement of the "pantry" and microwave cart, shifted the table outwards, and a frenzied spree of organizing and inventorying what was in the pantry and BAM! I felt better about the kitchen and was able to sit down without my fingers twitching. After that, I dealt with a huge pile of junk mail I'd let build for a week or so and I made about 13 trips from the living room to the recycling bin as I found things to toss out. Jane was following me back and forth--probably hoping I'd feed her--and I think I wore that kitty out because she didn't decide to headbutt me until 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday--a new kitty record!

In new developments, last night I tackled the thank yous for the baby shower. I would have finished completely had we not run out of thank yous--and I swear I'd purchased enough, but we got some gifts we weren't expecting, so that depleted our thank you note stash temporarily. Tonight I'll address and stamp the thank yous and waddle them to the mailbox to get them out of my hair.

My nesting instinct has either triggered the same instinct in Graham, or perhaps he's scared I'll bite him or something; he's definitely kicked it into high gear, too. On Monday he finished the second coat of paint in the dining room--finally!--and made plans to rip out the carpet later this week so we can clean out the nursery for the electrician this weekend and painting next week. I came home yesterday and he'd already started ripping out the carpet in the dining room. A-freaking-men. Adios, ugly blue shag. We hardly knew ye, but we knew we hardly liked ye.

Tonight I'll finally be able to put my china cabinet back together and I won't have to haul my cookies back and forth to the basement to get baking sheets and other things I use often for cooking (but don't really have space for in the kitchen). Once the dining room is "put back together" (meaning: the china cabinet is back in its rightful spot and the closet is full; we don't have anything else to put in the dining room) we/Graham will move stuff in the nursery down to the dining room so we can paint, and then we'll haul it all back up so we can put it all together. Yahoo! This time next week, the nursery will be painted! I'll be well on my way to decorating and making it as close to perfect as it can possibly be. Hallelujah. Amen.

Another thing that's gotta get done this week? Getting the carseat installed in the backseat of the car. ACK. That's gonna be weird. "Okay, gotta change lanes. Lemme just check my rearview mirror and....HOLY CRAP! WHO PUT A CARSEAT BACK THERE?!"

Ah, life with a crazy pregnant chick. It's never dull! Next thing you know I'll have built an addition onto the garage or something ridiculous. I'm a little scared to see where this journey takes me.

Weekly Update: 34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks, 3 days.


How big is baby? 4 lbs, 15 oz. on Monday morning, so probably tipping the scales at a whopping 5 lbs. today. 17-18 inches long, give or take.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Too much. 25-30, if I had to guess based on my pre-preg weight and my weight at the doc's last week. Enough to be depressing.

Next Appointment: Next week.

Maternity Clothes: Obviously, but I miss my pre-pregnancy clothes. They had buttons and zippers.

Sleep: Eh. Kiddo likes to knock me out around 8:30-9:00, but then I'm waking up between 3 and 4 to go to the bathroom, and again at 5, and again at 6. And please don't tell me this is "preparing me for life with a newborn". That's crap I am not in the mood to hear these days.

Best Moment This Week: Getting to see baby on Monday morning. We didn't get to see her face because she's facing head down and she's pretty far gone already. She's past the point of no return, so the next time I see her face, she'll probably be in my arms. Can I get a "WHOA!" please?

Annoyance of the Week: Seriously. If I keep getting tickled, I will bite your hand off. Don't fuck with me on this one. You've been warned.

Movement: Decreased movement, but her active periods are still active. I just can't feel as much these days because her spacious loft apartment has suddenly gotten a little too small.

Planning/Preparation: Electric work is pretty much completed, so once that's done we can get the nursery painted and her crib assembled. It won't be anywhere close to finished, but it'll be a damn good start. This week I've been washing baby clothes and sorting them, and making a list of things we'll need to get before she gets here--ideally, before she gets here. Somedays, I think she's made up her mind to be fashionably early to the party.

Belly Button In/Out: It's "mostly" out. The bottom is still stubborn and staying put inside--thank you, God! Graham says that I'm "almost done" and that when I'm completely popped, baby is coming no matter what. Apparently my belly button is an indicator like the thermometers on a Thanksgiving turkey.

Gender: I hope she likes pink....

What I Miss: Something that resembles a good night's sleep.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Seeing the nursery completed before she's born. Please God, please God....

Contractions: Nothing major to report. B-H are really starting to be uncomfortable because Baby is so low in my uterus. When one of those hits and she's in the wrong position--YOWZA! I need to shift STAT because they usually trigger some round-ligament pain. Combine that with the middle of the night leg cramps, and I'm basically a big ole whiner from the hips on down.

Milestones?: Knowing that if she were born today--knock on a hell of a lot of wood--that she'd basically be okay as long as she didn't have any other health problems. I'd need some steroid shots to help her lung development, but unless there were other problems, she'd be fine. That definitely helps calm my nerves and keeps me settled. She might need a brief stay in the NICU, but nothing she can't handle.

Quick Baby-fied Update

1. Baby shower was Saturday. I had fun, Graham had fun, and it looked like everyone had a decent time. Got some kickass onesies that I will be posting pictures of soon(ish).

2. My sisters kick all kinds of ass. The end.

3. Growth scan and ultrasound this morning because Baby is measuring a little small (and so am I). Baby is head down (Woo! Stay that way!) and we got some pictures of some feet because her head is basically inside my pelvis. Baby girl wants OUT.

4. Basically, we need to prepare for a November baby instead of a December baby. That's fine with me--they we don't need to deal with everyone saying crap like, "Aw, too bad she's not a St. Nick's baby!" (I don't care) and "Aw, she IS a St. Nick's baby! Name her Nicole!" (No) and "Oh man, a Pearl Harbor baby, that sucks" (by the time she's old enough to realize that, she probably won't even care) and my personal favorite, "You should wait to have her until your anniversary! Then you can have one big party!" (Heeeeeell no. If I'm still pregnant by our anniversary, watch out. You will definitely not want to be anywhere near Ms. CrankyPants over here.)

5. Ultrasound was fine. FINE. (Fine, Mom! You hear me? No, you don't hear me because you've already left the computer and have run toward the phone....) We're all good. She's just about 5 lbs. and her head is measuring in the 48th percentile, so not too shabby. Her heartbeat is fine, the placenta is still attached firmly, and there's nothing showing up anywhere that gives me cause for concern. She's resting on my cervix pretty much all the time--not comfortable--so we need to be realistic and prepare for a potential Thanksgiving or earlier delivery. As long as I'm 36-37 weeks, I don't see a problem with that, except that I'm 34 weeks today. If I have a baby in 2-3 weeks, holy shit....wait, Grandma reads this. I meant...no, I meant holy shit. Definitely.

Weekly Update: 33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks, 3 days.


How big is baby? Closer to 17 inches, if not longer, and 4 lbs, 5 oz. according to last night's ultrasound.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up 20, roughly. I'm not sure anymore. Enough. Enough is enough, I say!

Next Appointment: Later this week.

Maternity Clothes: I don't know why I'm trying to wear maternity pants anymore. Yoga pants are so much more comfortable.

Sleep: Last night was rough, but generally I'm waking up a few times a night for one reason for another. I guess third trimester really does prepare you for parenthood, eh?

Best Moment This Week: Finding out my placenta did NOT abrupt like the on-call doctor thought. WoO!

Annoyance of the Week: General sameness. This soreness on the left side of my abdomen really freaking sucks because there is literally no position that is comfortable for me for longer than 90 seconds.

Movement: Definitely. She likes attention.

Planning/Preparation: Electrician coming on Saturday so we can get some things looked at and some light switches installed upstairs.

Belly Button In/Out: Definitely out. It's gross to look at.

Gender: "Definitely still a girl" according to the u/s tech last night. That's still a good thing, because otherwise my son would be wearing a lot of dresses.

What I Miss: My favorite fall sweaters.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Eating a full meal again. Someday I will reclaim my digestive tract!

Contractions: Braxton-Hicks are pretty much happening all the time now. Depending on the time and place, they can stir up some round ligament pain. I'm trying not to be a crankypants about it, but when crossing your legs sends shooting paints up your thigh and into your stomach it's really hard not to be a big ole whiner.

Milestones?: First freak-out trip to Labor & Delivery! I'd had some general soreness on my left side for about a week, but I was ignoring it because I thought I did something stupid or twisted funny. I'd take Tylenol and I'd be fine. I was sore on Monday, but fine until Wednesday or so, then sore again, then fine...nothing I was concerned about. All day yesterday I was sore. It hurt to take a breath or switch positions, and it was pretty obvious I was in pain by the end of the day. I called the doctor's office and they sent me to L&D to get checked out. I went in and they hooked me up to some fetal monitors and all that--the second time we've gotten to hang out in L&D like that. Baby looked "great" on the monitor, but I still had these really intense waves of pain shooting through my side from right below my ribcage to roughly my belly button. They did a pelvic exam with a speculum that must have been from the dark ages--I'm no weenie when it comes to those exams and this was by far the worst one I've ever had. According to the on-call doctor, my cervix was "remarkably soft" and I was spotting a little bit (though I am fairly certain the spotting is the result of the Speculum of Doom). I wasn't dilated at all, nor was I contracting, but my cervix has started to efface. Um, yay? I've got a good 4 weeks to go before this kid is ready to come out!
 
They did some blood work and ran an "abruption panel" to see what was going on. I had an ultrasound and everything looks really great, so we can't quite figure out what was causing all that pain. I haven't been allowed to do anything remotely exhausting or physically engaging for months, and I don't carry or lift heavy boxes at work. I don't remember doing anything that would have caused a muscle spasm or pulled muscle though it definitely feels like I pulled a muscle. Basically, the cramping and pain is the result of me spending so much time on my feet and being under a lot of stress at work. Oh goodie. I need to stay off my feet more at work and at home. It's going to be hard, but it needs to be done. If I'm already starting to efface, it means Hannah-roo could come earlier than expected. I'm not afraid of a 37 week baby, but I'd like her to stay inside until it's safe for her to come out.

Wonderful.

Jumping in a big pile of leaves? Heaven.

Pumpkin leaf bags? Awesome.

I really do love Autumn.