Hello Sad, Neglected Blog!

Today is 1.3.2011 I haven't posted in almost 2 months. Sorry about that. Thanks to a round of pregnancy insomnia followed by a few contractions (that are currently spacing out) I'm up and decided to take a quick moment to post a few photos.

Here's my absolute favorite family photo taken Thanksgiving weekend by Pop.

And one month later....
The pregnancy is treating me well. I don't mind being 38.5 weeks pregnant. I know it's my last. Baby girl is growing and growing and growing. As is Princess Jenna. She's so excited to meet her baby sister 'Tula' (her nickname for baby number two, likely named Tula because we kept saying 'baby number two).

I've been holding out

So, it's been months. MONTHS since I've updated the blog. The new job is great, and keeping me beyond busy. Which I love. I haven't written on the blog for another reason, however.

I tried to document it in photos, though.

What's that, Jenna? What are you holding? Trying to take away? Ohhhh.... it looks like one from about 2.5 years ago.
She did eventually warm up to the idea. Well at least long enough to let me take a photo while she was eating in her new shirt.
AND I became an Aunt! To a beautiful baby girl, Annika.
And we got an opportunity to see our little one shortly thereafter.
And the belly shots began. Shortly after I was LAID OFF. Pregnant, unemployed and job hunting.
As the belly grew, so did my need for maternity wear (still unemployed here)
And still job hunting (hence the time available to shoot belly photos)
My last unemployed photo. I accepted a job shortly after this image was taken. Thank goodness. It's a fab position with a great company, too. I'm really, really excited and enjoying it.
And shortly after accepting, we celebrated with a trip down to Disneyland.
:)
And my most recent photo. I've been at the job about 3 months now, I'm happy as can be, the pregnancy is treating me really, really well. I continue to forget I'm pregnant. The fact that we're expecting another GIRL in January really blows my mind. I'm excited, anxious and nervous about the whole thing, but it feels good to be completing our family.

I hope to do another update shortly regarding life, Jenna, the household craziness... and I'll get there. Hopefully before this one is born :D

Photo Post!

So, for my birthday, Nick got me a fantastic little point and shoot camera. As much as I love my SLR, I can't exactly throw it in my purse for snapshot moments. And, with the baby coming up, I know that I'll want to have something small quick and easy on hand for all those photo ops! 

Here's how I've been entertaining myself at home... 10 minutes at a time (roughly). Though, I have to be careful, because hoola hooping automatically brings on a contraction or two, and makes it more difficult to increase my score on wii fit :)

Ah, here's a "myspace" type belly shot. I'll take another one soon enough, but I'm getting sick of seeing my face in these pictures as it's a little more round than I'm used to. 
Last night, we drove up to the Berkeley hills for the sunset... how pretty is this?! 
Ah, my poor ankles! At the end of an evening, they swell up so bad I can't bend them. They really hurt now... I don't think this shot does them justice, but it's a friendly reminder for the next pregnancy what's to come: 
AND, Nick and I... not the most flattering shot, but I like to keep any picture of the two of us, as we don't take them as much as I'd like to. 

So, there goes the first batch of snapshots off the camera... I love it! 

39w, 4d

Update (um, grossly detailed)

So, I saw my "regular" NP today. She looked at my poor swollen ankles, and I briefly discussed my symptoms with her. Then, she said "Are you at the point where you're saying 'just get this baby out of me?' yet?" My response: Yes, do you think stripping membranes is a good idea?" 

"Yes, it doesn't guarantee anything, but it's worth a shot at this point"

OK, good. So, I had my membranes stripped. It wasn't comfortable, especially on my bladder, but hopefully it will get things going. I also told her I've been a bit constipated, and she said that that may be keeping the baby's head off my cervix, preventing it from getting enough pressure to trigger labor. She described labor as a big puzzle, multiple pieces must come together for everything to get started. She told me to help with the constipation, to go get an enema (I was SHOCKED!) 

She also said the most comforting thing I've heard in the last month: "I think this baby knows right when to come out, and she's aiming for her due date." Kaiser has my EDD a few days after I do.... 6/26. One week from today. But just having her state that the baby's still likely a week away really takes some pressure off and doesn't have me on my toes so much. Does that mean that I'll freak if I go into labor now? No, it just means it happens sooner than she thought. I really, really needed to hear that, as my last two encounters with health care professionals left me with anticipation of birth being within a few days... a couple weeks of that will truly drive you crazy! 

So, I'm still pregnant, and I'm OK with that. Bummer is, my parents are in town until Sunday, then they'll be gone until the following weekend, but if I deliver in a week (Thursday) then they'll be here just as we're coming home (though my mom will travel sooner, and my dad might figure out how to do the same). And that wouldn't be to bad. 

39w, 3d

I'm happier now...

I'm still pregnant. I'm not as irritated as I was last week. I think I was just sick of waiting last week. This week, my parents are in town, and I just have a better outlook in general. I had an appointment on Friday and the midwife informed me that I'm 80% effaced and dilated to 3cm. I know that all of this false labor (another big bout on Saturday night, 4.5-5 min apart for 5-6 hours with pain and another shorter session this morning) is just getting me ready for "the real deal" and I can't change what's going to happen, or when it's going to happen. So, I'm at peace with that. 

It's good to have my family in town, even if I don't get to go out and do all the super fun stuff with them. It's just nice to have others around while I sit and wait. 

39w even!

Yankee Game!

So, we made it to the game! We got there early enough to see the Yanks warming up. Oh, and when we got to the parking lot, we asked if there was any close parking as my due date is "just a few days away". They immediately pointed us to the front of the stadium! Woot!

Here's Andy Petite warming up :)

All "the boys" out for the Star Spangled Banner. 

AND, here we are in our full Yankee regalia! 

We had a great time. The contractions fired up for a good part of the game and continued to do so until I went to bed. They weren't terribly uncomfortable, but I can tell they're getting stronger and stronger. 

The best part? We got to see Matsui hit a GRAND SLAM and we won! 

(at the time of the game) 38w3d

We made it to the Yankee game! 

Acceptance

Two days ago I was nervous. Yesterday, after a half of a day of 'false labor', I was ready, anxious and excited. Today? I need to accept that I'm still about 2 weeks away from my due date and a majority of first time moms deliver AFTER their estimated delivery date.

But, that doesn't mean that I'm happy about each new level of discomfort that I have everyday when I wake up. I've realized I have a moving bowling ball in my abdomen. And it hurts.

37w,2d

Getting Nervous

So, this yesterday morning like a loon, I decided to go to Rite Aid to take my blood pressure because of the dramatic increase in swelling this week despite rest and fluid intake.
155/79
So, I called L&D and they said if I just called to complain about the swelling, they'd say just to continue what I'm doing, but because I had my BP taken, and it's high, they had me come in. Long story short? I ended up taking it wrong at Rite Aid and my BP is really running about 130/80 which is high for me. I have gestational hypertension but my BP isn't bad enough to have pre-eclampsia...
They did check my cervix because of the patterns they were seeing on the monitors: 1-1.5 cm dilated, 80% effaced So, she said I'm probably in the nesting phase, but I need to take it easy and ignore the nesting instinct (I didn't even mention my crazy cleaning spree the day before!) and, that I'm probably in super duper early labor... So, I rest. Whew!

Now, I'm at the point that it seems so real. SO REAL. Suddenly, I have to preserve my energy for labor. It's that close. I'm kind of freaking out. Kind of. All along, I've been trying visualization to prepare my body and (more so) my mind for labor. "I can do this, giving birth is normal, contractions are like waves, they always come back to shore, at that point, you rest and your baby rests" (there's more, but I won't go into it). In any case, last night I had a painful contraction and as I was breathing through it I realized it's coming and I'm not sure I'm ready.

Can I really be ready? No, I know that. It's just weird to go through the last few weeks really, really uncomfortable and just thinking "When will this be over and when can I meet her?!" to suddenly thinking "Maybe she can stay in there a little longer". When I lay on my side, I can feel the weight of the baby hanging (or resting on the bed) and I can picture her curled up next to me. It's a good image, it's as though she's already here.

I'm excited to be a Mom. I'm even more excited to see Nick as a Dad. But I know the first three months are trying as a new parent and I feel like I'm standing at the door to that life transforming event.

OK, enough in depth thoughts for today. Today is to include resting up, a short visit with friends and more rest.

37w,6d

Nick's Work threw him a Baby Shower!

AND, while snagging a few pics from the shower, I raided his iPhone for some pics he took awhile back! 

Look how entertained the guys in the background are watching Nick open his gifts ;)

Nick's never had a shower "just for him". We had a couples shower back when we were getting married, but this whole "all eyes on Nick" thing is not something he's used to. However, he said he was really surprised and had a great time. The office was overly generous! 

Such a pretty hand crocheted blanket! 

I call the above picture (from a ways back!) "Preggo Pizza" :) I'm waiting for our TJ's pizza to brown 'just enough'! 
This is Nick and I a couple weekends ago at a wedding. We were supposed to go to 2 back to back weekends, but sadly, due to the preterm contractions we had to skip the first wedding :(

Still here, still pregnant. Lots of swelling (puffy feet picture coming up soon!) 

37w, 3d

Ready? Maybe not!

OK, so the last few days have been surreal. I'm full term. Wow, that pregnancy sure did fly by! 

Here are my reasons I'm not ready to have her yet: 

- Nick and I's 10 year dating anniversary is on Thursday. We have a date night planned for 

Friday (6/6) and I'm getting my hair cut that day (I figure it will be many, many months before I get back to the hair dresser) along with a manicure and pedicure. I'm due for the pedi and I was very generously given a gift certificate for both! Yay!

- Thursday, 6/12 we have tickets to see the Yankees play the A's. Since the Yanks rarely come to town, we wanted to make sure to grab some good seats! I'm super excited to go! 

- Friday, 6/13 is my birthday. I really don't want her to share my birthday, just because I want her to have her own day. 

- 6/17 is Nick's Mom's birthday. Ideally, not that day, either, for the very same reasons listed above. 

Though, strangely, I'm fine with her coming on Father's Day. I think that'd be a great Father's day gift for Nick AND both Grandpa's :)

Here's why I want her here sooner rather than later:

- Um, I'm uncomfortable. My hands and feet swell up like balloons and my right arm is getting some neurological symptoms (shooting pains, achy pains). That and, this peeing is really getting ridiculous! 

- We're ready. Really. Everything is in it's place, ready to go. We just need a baby. 

- If I *did* have her before my birthday, I could enjoy a glass of champagne on my birthday! Wahoo! 

-Did I mention I'm uncomfortable? When sitting, it really feels as though I have a basket ball in my lap. I can't cross my legs, lay down comfortably, sit up comfortably or walk comfortably. My favorite position? On all 4's on pillows in the living room. There's a visual for ya! 

So, we shall see how much longer this pregnancy lasts.... (ha! Watch me deliver in July! ugh!!) 

37w, 1d

Belly pics!

This is what happens when you've recently been to BRU (Babies R Us) and JoAnn's fabrics and discovered the cute little iron-on's. So cute! Hey, at least it kept me at home!
My first attempt at a self belly shot.. I haven't done this since the beginning, now I know why! 
Oh, why not... here's my fully exposed belly with a really stupid expression on my face! 
And, the traditional one, to compare with the others. 

To compare to my pre-pg stats: 

Weight - Then: 130, now: 173

Bra size - Then: 34B Now: too scared to actually go get fitted properly... something larger than a DD. 

Waist - Then: 27 inches, Now: 43.5 inches. 

I really don't think it will be that much longer. Today, at the appointment, the Midwife had me lay down to measure the heart beat and she said "Oh! You're having a contraction." I told her this was mild in comparison to my normal contractions. Before the end of the appointment, I had a firmer contraction and after confirming that it didn't really hurt (though I have had a few that did!) she said "Well, at least you're body will have lots of practice!" One can only hope! 

36w,4d (almost full term!) 

Holy Cow!

Um, the ticker says 24 days! How did THAT happen?


36w,4d

Grrr

So, at my appointment today, the NP didn't check my progress. This isn't the NP I loved, it's the one I'm seeing since my fav NP is out on vacation. She doesn't think baby's dropped (based on measuring my uterus from the outside). I think it was a total waste of time, my copay and a pee collection. LAME! 

36w

So, my hips are spreading. It's not very comfortable, let me tell you! I must now sit either "indian style" or like a teenage boy slumped back in a chair to avoid hip/pelvic pain. I can't sit in my computer chair anymore because the arm rests keep my knees too close together (what a visual did I just give you!) Nope, it's the exercise ball for me. That, or the couch, or the floor. Those are pretty much my only "comfortable" options. 

The contractions are fewer and farther between, however they're getting stronger and stronger by the day. I'm interested to see how much progress (if any) we've made since my appointment a week ago. I'll find out tomorrow morning. I did get a scary contraction that left me speechless and by the time I hobbled to the couch and laid down it still took ~ 30 additional seconds to go away. Back pain, hip pain, all kinds of un-fun feelings.... 

My body is getting ready. This is good. (ha, that's what I keep telling myself). I'll see if I can snag Nick to take a picture, since it's been a couple weeks since the last one. 

36weeks! 1 week until I'm full term! 

Nursery & Gear

So, we have pretty much everything we need for Baby O to arrive. I thought I'd share some pictures of the 'fun' gear I can't wait to use :) Also, there are some pictures of the Nursery as well. OK, so I still haven't figured out this whole picture order thing (um, it's backwards!) We've officially gone through over 80 hangers. I have to add more hangers to the shopping list... here's her closet thus far. 
Our stroller with the infant car seat and my diaper bag attached. I keep trying to remember to practice breaking it down and putting it back together so I don't look like such a rookie on our first trip out of the house... we'll see how it goes in the long run. 
Here's the bassinet portion of the stroller. We're going to use it on this stand for the first few weeks/months. 
Here's a pic of the nursery :) In the front of the pic is our guest bed. To the left is the dresser/diaper changing station, the crib (um, duh) to the right of the crib is a blue swivel rocker that was my grandmothers and to the far right is my 'feeding station' with a night light and it'll have water and other necessary goods (I'm sure I'll figure that out as I go)
If baby isn't sleeping in the bassinet or in the crib... we're hoping this will be our saving grace :) The teddy bear that we've used to demonstrate it's abilities was diapered by Nick. 
Here's a shot of her closet from afar. 

Whew! Let's see how long all this stuff stays as organized as it is right now! 

35w2d

This is me, keeping "busy"

Wow, this stayin home stuff is something that's a bit of a challenge for me. So, at my appointment, the NP (not my normal NP, another one, which I don't like very much.... her bedside manner is weird) checked my cervix and the good news is there's not been any additional dilation. 

As for work, she wants me to continue to rest and offered me a "note" for work. I told her I wouldn't need it due to the nature of my company (um, it's a small company). I also told her that I was still having contractions, and, that morning, I had 8 in an hour. She told me that up until 36 weeks, I'm supposed to call L&D EVERY time I have more than 4 in an hour. 

Yeah. Right. 

So, like a good girl, within 45 minutes of leaving the office, I'd had 6 contractions. I called L&D. After a 30 minute conversation, I explained the situation and after her asking me ~ 3 times "Do you want to be seen" of which my reply was "No", we agreed. The only time I'd call is if the contractions become painful, if my bag of waters breaks and/or is leaking or if any of the other signs (rapid swelling in hands and face, along with a few others) occur, then I'll call and they'll get me right in (as I've been seen before). Whew... that phone call saved a lot of future hassles. 

So, now, I sit. Sort of. I've got a couple work related tasks I'm finishing up, but I take my time and as needed I take breaks to decrease swelling and/or 

contractions. I think I'll officially go on disability next week, as to avoid any unnecessary stress. 

So, to occupy my time, I've continued to read, but Becki 

was kind enough to find me a super cute knitting pattern. Here's the final result: 

Quick update

I've been a very, very good girl. I don't normally do that thing called "rest" all that well. But, with the fear of having this baby be born too early, I've been pretty good at taking my time and resting. It helped that I picked this book this weekend. I heard the author speak in one of my pregtastic podcasts (I highly recommend them for those that are pg that read this blog!) And when I saw it in the store, I figured I might as well pick it up. 

In any case, the actual update: I've been able to rest quite a bit. I threw a tiny bit of work in there (ducking so Becki doesn't hit me!) and the contractions have come down to a normal 'pace'. At most, I have maybe 1 or 2 an hour, and it's primarily when I'm getting up to go pee (which is A LOT!). I've been drinking at lest 8 oz. of water or gatorade per waking hour and I'm doing much better. 

My next appointment is tomorrow, at 11:30 to check my cervix. If it hasn't progressed any more than it presented with on Thursday, then we're in the clear. Though I do note the fatigue quickly coming back. a 2-3 pm nap is really good for me, and I'll see if I can keep it up, even if I go back to work. 

The good news? I sent Nick out to get all the stuff we didn't have yet for the baby that we NEED. Um, like an infant car seat. Now we can bring her home from the hospital! And, I started packing the hospital bag. I've already put those forms we were supposed to bring with us in the bag, and I'm working on the smaller items. 

Thanks for all of your support! 

34w, 6d

A lesson in patience

So, I've been having Braxton Hicks (BH) contractions on and off for awhile. They increased a bit on Wednesday, and I left work early and vowed to start leaving by 3pm every day to do some work from home in the afternoons. I figured this would be good on a couple of accounts 1) allow me to get used to working from home 2) help with the increased swelling in my legs and 3) I needed to start taking it down a notch per my NP (I had an appointment on Tuesday). 

Well, that night, it was really hot and I didn't sleep all that well. Probably due to the "normal" reasons (needing to pee, uncomfortable) but also because I was having some BH contractions throughout the night. 

Yesterday morning, I woke up and was really thirsty. I knew it was going to be the hottest dad of the year thus far (100 degrees was what they were predicting) and so I started with breakfast sucking down water. 12 ounces before I was out the door for work. At work, between 8:30 and 12, I drank 32 oz. I was having about 2-3 contractions per hour. I know they say if you have more than 4, to call Labor & Delivery (L&D) so I was keeping an eye on it. These contractions aren't painful, but they are annoying. 

At noon, I noticed they increased to one about every 10 minutes. I walked a short distance (~1/8 of a mile) down to a cafe to pick up lunch and back. I bought 2-25 oz. water bottles, knowing I'd need to stay hydrated. I came back to work, ate my lunch and by the time I counted up the number of BH's in the last hour, it was up to between 6 and 8 an hour. I called Nick and had him come pick me up (he had the 4Runner today). I went to lay down on one of the treatment tables, hoping no one would ask what was going on. I didn't want anyone else to freak out because I was becoming more and more concerned as time went by. 

Nick came, we went home and promptly called L&D. They said with the hot temperatures, it can make some uterus's 'irritable'. She said to keep downing the water, lay down for a bit and call back if it wasn't better in a couple of hours. I did as she said, ended up falling asleep for an hour. When I woke back up, the contractions persisted and I had 8 in an hour. Crap. 

I called them back again, and they told me to come on in. Oy vey. We went straight out to the car and headed to L&D. I thought about trying to pack a 'just in case' bag...well, just in case, but didn't. We got there and they put us through to triage. I realized I didn't bring the birth plan or my advanced directive. (Note to self: add to hospital bag!!!) 

They hooked me up on the monitors, and because of the position, I couldn't really feel like I was having contractions, so I thought the nurse thought I was 'faking'. I said something, and she said "Well, you're stuck here, you've had more than 4 in the hour. I'll have the doctor come and check to see if you've dilated."

The doctor came in and said my cervix looked good (i.e. relatively closed, and the baby hadn't dropped) and she took a culture to see if there was something that the cervix releases to prepare for labor. She said as for the culture, if it came back negative, there would be a less than 5% chance of delivering within the next two weeks, if it came back positive, then that really wouldn't tell us much, just that we'd have to keep a close eye on it. 

She came back 2 hours later to see if there were any changes in the cervix. Good news? There wasn't. Bad news? the culture came back positive, which means that I'm kind of in limbo. She said it doesn't matter how frequent the contractions are, how painful they are, how strong they are, if there's no progress with the cervix, that's a good thing. She said at this point, if I went into labor, they wouldn't stop it. The baby would have to stay in the NICU for awhile, but at this point our little monster is developed enough to make it and be healthy. 

So, that's where I'm at. I'm to stay at home, try to stay out of the heat, and I'm not supposed to stand all that long. Lots of rest and water. I'm not supposed to go to work today and I'm not able to go to a wedding on Saturday. I'm pretty bummed about that. I've officially become one of "those" guests that cancels AFTER the deadline is given to the caterer. I hated it with my own wedding (then again, people cancelled for lame reasons, IMO, I can only hope this isn't a 'lame' reason).

So, here I sit. My goals for today are to try to relax (um, I'm not the relaxing type) and keep this bun in the oven for at least 3 more weeks. I'm going to get the hospital bag together, and I'm sending Nick out to pick up our infant car seat and other essentials before I go into labor for real. 

Keep those fingers crossed for me! 

34w4d

I've been bamboozled! HOODWINKED!

So, my parents came down for the second weekend in a row. I thought it was so my Mom could help prep the house for a shower that was to be held at my house next Sunday, after I would've attended a wedding the night before. I told her if she wanted it on that date, she could have it, though I'd prefer another date in order to prep the house for the shower. She wanted to come down this weekend and who am I to stop my Mom for coming down on Mother's Day weekend?

Then, she says she wants a pedicure. OK! Fine by me! A little early according to my pedicure schedule, but my feet have been getting REALLY sore throughout the day, so I jumped at the opportunity. We went, got a pedicure, ran over to the nurture center to pick up a breast pump and peruse the other goods they had there. I did notice she was doing an awful lot of texting, but I was thinking to myself "guess that just comes with the territory of having an iPhone... everyone that has one (including Nick) can't go a 1/2 hour without breaking it out to play with some feature."

Well when we got home, I found this:

out on my back deck! What? A shower?!?! Isn't that NEXT weekend?!!? Wait a second...

Yes, they fooled me! I walked out and stammering I said "But I have a dress!" So, I ran inside to change, and went out and enjoyed the beautiful decorations and good company. They got me GOOD!

I'll take any opportunity for a champagne picture, even if I can't drink it!
Bella even came out to surprise me :)
How cute are these cakes?!?! Yummy, too!

Nick's Mom, me and My Mom The favors Nick's Grandma put together. They were super cute little Lenox vases with a sucker ad personalized ribbon attached.
My other hostess, the future Aunt to be!

Diaper cake, complete with Monkey on top!
No, this is not a clothing store! Here's one of the 3 clotheslines that our little monkey's clothing was hung on! She'll be the fashionable one for sure!
Um, I'm getting BIG! I love their faces :)
My Mom playing a shower game This week's belly shot :)

34 weeks, even!