I'm still working on Owen's birth story. It was easily the most powerful experience I've ever had so actually writing it down from start to finish has been emotional and really tough.
The amount of hormones still working their way through my body makes me struggle to get through the days sometimes. He's doing well but doesn't love to sleep in his crib at night so Adam and I are playing around with different things until we find a solution that works for us and allows us to get some much needed rest. With Owen being born just after 3:00 a.m. and me basically not sleeping for around 36 hours, it set me back a lot on sleep when we got home. I'm just now starting to have days where I feel human again and not like a total zombie. After bad nights, I spend most of the day falling apart and I started feeling feverish and awful on Monday night, I think due to some engorgement. My body has been through the ringer and it's taking longer for some parts (my ribs and back, strong little baby!) to heal than I expected. If I forget to take my ibuprofen, I'm miserable. But OH HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IBUPROFEN FREELY AGAIN, my friends.
I catch myself near tears at least 15 times a day when I remember something from when I was pregnant. It's not that I miss one second of being pregnant, but I do miss some of the freedoms that came from not being a mother. I'll never get another minute to not worry about Owen's well-being. I get nostalgic when I think of what life was like when it was just Adam and I. I would never trade this for the world but sometimes I have to catch my breath when I have a moment thinking about the days leading up to our hospital stay. The last things we did to prepare to meet our son. The feelings we felt both then and now about this entire experience. It's been the biggest life change that either one of us will ever have and sometimes I struggle with the magnitude of it and just how different my life was only 9 days ago.
Oddly enough, being pregnant was both the most uncomfortable I've ever been physically but the most comfortable I've ever been with my body mentally. It was so weird to not have to suck in my stomach to hide my chub when my belly first popped. I didn't really gain a ton of weight until the very end since I was so sick for so long. I was able to eat whatever I wanted mostly judgement free. It was such a strange experience for someone that has struggled with body issues for so long. I'm still adjusting to my post-pregnancy self but I have to say that other than my boobs being ridiculously big and hurting, my body has bounced back better than I ever could have imagined. I still have some weight to lose but I don't feel as hideous as I thought I would. I packed away the vast majority of my maternity clothes today, most likely never to be worn again. Weird. I sometimes have feelings about that. I am relatively certain that Owen is it for us but it does feel odd that I'll never share that special time with Adam and another child. I hated pregnancy with a fiery passion- why is it that I feel such weird nostalgia?
Mostly my heart has just grown and it takes lots of tears to accommodate that extra love. I always thought that I had the perfect relationship and marriage for me before but I never could have imagined what the last nine months and Owen's birth would do for my love for Adam. I worried needlessly that Owen would change things between the two of us but it's only changed them for the better. I never knew just how strong a rock he was for me to lean on until now. As for Owen, I see a little more of myself in him every day. When he was born, all I could see was Adam's face with my nose. I see some of the stubbornness that he inherits from me already starting when it's bedtime, although he is physically so much of his father's child. It still overwhelms me that we have a son. That we created him together. That my body grew his body and that he turned out so perfectly for us. I know all babies do but he really does look like a little angel when he's sleeping. As much as I love him now, I can't wait to see who he becomes.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Just so I won't forget
It appears tonight will be my last night being pregnant. Quite possibly ever! We are scheduled to check into the hospital for my induction tonight at 8:00. After what has been the longest month of my life, we made the decision with my doctor about 10 days ago to shoot for this scheduled induction at 39w2d. We had our last kidney ultrasound (BEST NEWS EVER- left kidney is good, right kidney is improving a lot) and he was still measuring 92%, which is an estimated 8lbs 15oz. These things are often off so we'll see, but from looking at that last ultrasound report, we were able to see that he's been consistently in the 90+ percentile for basically the entire pregnancy. Anyway, his mass in grams qualifies him for macrosomia (fancy word for big ole baby) and since I am a midget, it earned us a ticket to a scheduled labor and delivery.
I have had LOADS of time to process all of this and it's a very different end to our journey than I could ever have imagined (but let's be real and focus on the fact that NOTHING about this pregnancy has been the way I imagined it would go) and I'm comfortable knowing that my c-section risk is higher based on his measurements whether we go for this now or give my body more time. Thus far, my body is doing typical first time mom things and taking it's sweet time to progress. I have what I assume are contractions all the time but never with frequency to make them truly timable or productive. The irony in all of this is that I got very sick last night (what else is new!) and I've been feeling more in the belly area last night and today than ever before so who knows, Owen could make a fool out of all of us and just come on his own later today or early tomorrow before we even have a chance to really get going!
At any rate, when my doctor first mentioned induction tonight/tomorrow as an option and then again on Friday after we scheduled everything for sure, I have never felt such relief in my life. I am just not one of those people that enjoys pregnancy. For goodness sake, I've trained for and completed a marathon (injured!). At this time last year, I was days away from a 150 mile weekend bike ride. It's not like I'm not accustomed to pushing my body through physical pain is what I'm trying to get at. So why has pregnancy, something that so many people do and do well so difficult for me? I don't know if it's my inner competitive nature that hates the way I've been feeling in comparison to others or what. I'm in so much physical pain on a daily basis right now with Owen's head providing my pelvis and hips with loads of pressure and his feet/knees up in my ribs (OH MY RIBS, they deserve their own paragraph later) and his little butt pushing my stomach outward. And my feet just ache. I'm much more sore than the day after running 26.2 miles, y'all. I'm telling you, running a full marathon is easier than this. If I could have done that every day of this last month instead of being pregnant, I would have. As for my ribs, the skin around my bra line is so sensitive to the touch and has frequent spells of pins and needles sensations and/or almost numbness when it gets really bad. He frequently kicks me causing an audible pop in one of my ribs. The pain radiates all the way around my ribcage to my back. The worst is that it's not something I can make better by stretching. If you were one of the lucky ones who followed my marathon blog, you might remember that I got a huge burn on my skin from icing my IT band injury and since then, I've been horrified about icing anything. Yet, I'm icing my ribs, it hurts that badly.
All of this to remind myself what these last moments felt like. My last moments before getting to hold this baby, our son. I want to remember what this journey was really like before the hormones take over and help me to hopefully forget most of the bad parts. Before my complete and all-encompassing love for the baby wipes my memories clean (although, I am definitely looking forward to the fading of these memories and being able to look at pregnancy through the rear view mirror of life). Even though it's weird to have a hand in picking your baby's birthday, I've been thankful to have this deadline to get everything done that I wanted to. We're about as ready as we'll ever be. Our duo is about to become a trio and most likely our family is about to become complete. OH how lovely that sounds to someone who loves to complete projects! I can't wait to feel this strong little boy on the outside and to see what he looks like. More so than even that, I can't wait to see his personality as it develops and to see who he is and what he's like. I look forward to the day that he says his first funny word or phrase that brings Adam and I to tears laughing. I'm excited to show him the world through Adam's and my eyes and I can't wait to learn all the things he'll teach us by showing us the world through his eyes. After nine long months, I am so eager to start our adventure together.
There is a billboard at the exit to our hospital that advertises their infertility services. The tag line says "Change your name to Mommy". I can't drive by it without tears spotting in my eyes. Most likely tomorrow it will be my turn to change my name to Mommy.
I have had LOADS of time to process all of this and it's a very different end to our journey than I could ever have imagined (but let's be real and focus on the fact that NOTHING about this pregnancy has been the way I imagined it would go) and I'm comfortable knowing that my c-section risk is higher based on his measurements whether we go for this now or give my body more time. Thus far, my body is doing typical first time mom things and taking it's sweet time to progress. I have what I assume are contractions all the time but never with frequency to make them truly timable or productive. The irony in all of this is that I got very sick last night (what else is new!) and I've been feeling more in the belly area last night and today than ever before so who knows, Owen could make a fool out of all of us and just come on his own later today or early tomorrow before we even have a chance to really get going!
At any rate, when my doctor first mentioned induction tonight/tomorrow as an option and then again on Friday after we scheduled everything for sure, I have never felt such relief in my life. I am just not one of those people that enjoys pregnancy. For goodness sake, I've trained for and completed a marathon (injured!). At this time last year, I was days away from a 150 mile weekend bike ride. It's not like I'm not accustomed to pushing my body through physical pain is what I'm trying to get at. So why has pregnancy, something that so many people do and do well so difficult for me? I don't know if it's my inner competitive nature that hates the way I've been feeling in comparison to others or what. I'm in so much physical pain on a daily basis right now with Owen's head providing my pelvis and hips with loads of pressure and his feet/knees up in my ribs (OH MY RIBS, they deserve their own paragraph later) and his little butt pushing my stomach outward. And my feet just ache. I'm much more sore than the day after running 26.2 miles, y'all. I'm telling you, running a full marathon is easier than this. If I could have done that every day of this last month instead of being pregnant, I would have. As for my ribs, the skin around my bra line is so sensitive to the touch and has frequent spells of pins and needles sensations and/or almost numbness when it gets really bad. He frequently kicks me causing an audible pop in one of my ribs. The pain radiates all the way around my ribcage to my back. The worst is that it's not something I can make better by stretching. If you were one of the lucky ones who followed my marathon blog, you might remember that I got a huge burn on my skin from icing my IT band injury and since then, I've been horrified about icing anything. Yet, I'm icing my ribs, it hurts that badly.
All of this to remind myself what these last moments felt like. My last moments before getting to hold this baby, our son. I want to remember what this journey was really like before the hormones take over and help me to hopefully forget most of the bad parts. Before my complete and all-encompassing love for the baby wipes my memories clean (although, I am definitely looking forward to the fading of these memories and being able to look at pregnancy through the rear view mirror of life). Even though it's weird to have a hand in picking your baby's birthday, I've been thankful to have this deadline to get everything done that I wanted to. We're about as ready as we'll ever be. Our duo is about to become a trio and most likely our family is about to become complete. OH how lovely that sounds to someone who loves to complete projects! I can't wait to feel this strong little boy on the outside and to see what he looks like. More so than even that, I can't wait to see his personality as it develops and to see who he is and what he's like. I look forward to the day that he says his first funny word or phrase that brings Adam and I to tears laughing. I'm excited to show him the world through Adam's and my eyes and I can't wait to learn all the things he'll teach us by showing us the world through his eyes. After nine long months, I am so eager to start our adventure together.
There is a billboard at the exit to our hospital that advertises their infertility services. The tag line says "Change your name to Mommy". I can't drive by it without tears spotting in my eyes. Most likely tomorrow it will be my turn to change my name to Mommy.
Monday, April 8, 2013
It's Go Time!
You think you're ready but there is nothing quite like hearing the words come out of your doctor's mouth that as soon as he's ready, they won't be doing anything to stop labor. No more worrying about having to go on bed rest, no more medications would be given. When Owen decides to get in gear, it's time.
We're "ready" in that we have the car seat set up in the car (and inspected), our hospital bags are packed and his room is ready for all intents and purposes. I've waited on buying some of the stuff that I know we'll need until after he comes just because we won't know until he's here how many newborn diapers we'll need and whether or not we'll need bottles or breast pump paraphernalia.
We set up his little stroller in the dining room on Friday and there it will remain until his arrival. It's that one little detail that consistently trips me up. I feel a little catch in my heart every time I walk by and see it. This is happening. And soon. So for all the preparedness that we ARE feeling, there is an equal amount of "how will we ever be truly ready for this next adventure in our lives?"
We're "ready" in that we have the car seat set up in the car (and inspected), our hospital bags are packed and his room is ready for all intents and purposes. I've waited on buying some of the stuff that I know we'll need until after he comes just because we won't know until he's here how many newborn diapers we'll need and whether or not we'll need bottles or breast pump paraphernalia.
We set up his little stroller in the dining room on Friday and there it will remain until his arrival. It's that one little detail that consistently trips me up. I feel a little catch in my heart every time I walk by and see it. This is happening. And soon. So for all the preparedness that we ARE feeling, there is an equal amount of "how will we ever be truly ready for this next adventure in our lives?"
Friday, March 29, 2013
Impatience
Tomorrow marks 35 weeks of pregnancy and the fun little 35/35 milestone. (35 weeks down, only 35 days to go until due date!) My appointments are always on Fridays so when I go next week, it will be considered my 36 week appointment. I'm really excited to see my regular doctor again. I think it's been something like 12 weeks since I've seen her because we rotated through all of the doctors in the practice. I'm both equally excited and horrified about potentially having my first internal check. Excited that we're really getting close and horrified about what the actual check really entails. I refuse to read about it and I'm just crossing my fingers that the extremely irregular contractions that I've had have started to make a little progress.
Given that it will be April on Monday, I'm getting really excited! I just have this feeling that we'll be welcoming him in the month of April and not going all the way until May 4th. Physically, I feel ready! Despite my limitations, I still feel really strong and each time that I workout, I just imagine that I'm training for labor and delivery. It's working really well for my mental status, it feels awesome to have a goal to "train" for. I've been going to some more arm-focused classes at Pilates and I am loving that I'm still able to feel good both during and after class (although being totally honest, it runs through my mind at least once during the 50 minute sessions that just maybe this should be my last class- this feeling usually snaps when we change moves to something a little more comfortable in my body).
I went to prenatal yoga last night and it's getting CRAZY up in there. When I started, I was only 25ish weeks and I remember thinking how awesome the ladies were that were 38/39 weeks. Last night, there was one other lady that is 39 weeks and one that is 37 weeks and then ME. I will be one of those ladies that the 20ish weekers will be looking at in just a couple of weeks.
Adam and I went for a little swim the other night and honestly, other than my shortness of breath, I was able to forget that I'm huge for the time we were in the water. When I got on the ladder to climb out, I felt gravity kick back in and remembered that Oh Yeah... I'm 34 weeks pregnant. In the last week every time I stand up, I feel like gravity is pulling him and my belly downward (YES!) and it's kind of amazing to think we're in the last legs of our journey together.
I'm so glad that we decided to share Owen's name. It's made him seem like a person to me already. So much so that, I've noticed that even in the car, I don't feel like I'm completely by myself. I wonder if other pregnant ladies ever feel like that... but I just feel less alone, kind of? It's an almost impossible sensation to describe but he's so active all the time in my belly that I always feel like I'm with someone even when I'm not.
I've said it a hundred times and will probably say it at least that many more but I am so excited for him to finally be here and to get to know him and his little personality. The little face shot we got at our last ultrasound reminded me of my brother when he was a baby so I wonder who Owen will look like and what traits of ours that he'll take on. I'm sure that mentally we'll never be fully ready for him but I think we're about as close as we can get at this point!
Given that it will be April on Monday, I'm getting really excited! I just have this feeling that we'll be welcoming him in the month of April and not going all the way until May 4th. Physically, I feel ready! Despite my limitations, I still feel really strong and each time that I workout, I just imagine that I'm training for labor and delivery. It's working really well for my mental status, it feels awesome to have a goal to "train" for. I've been going to some more arm-focused classes at Pilates and I am loving that I'm still able to feel good both during and after class (although being totally honest, it runs through my mind at least once during the 50 minute sessions that just maybe this should be my last class- this feeling usually snaps when we change moves to something a little more comfortable in my body).
I went to prenatal yoga last night and it's getting CRAZY up in there. When I started, I was only 25ish weeks and I remember thinking how awesome the ladies were that were 38/39 weeks. Last night, there was one other lady that is 39 weeks and one that is 37 weeks and then ME. I will be one of those ladies that the 20ish weekers will be looking at in just a couple of weeks.
Adam and I went for a little swim the other night and honestly, other than my shortness of breath, I was able to forget that I'm huge for the time we were in the water. When I got on the ladder to climb out, I felt gravity kick back in and remembered that Oh Yeah... I'm 34 weeks pregnant. In the last week every time I stand up, I feel like gravity is pulling him and my belly downward (YES!) and it's kind of amazing to think we're in the last legs of our journey together.
I'm so glad that we decided to share Owen's name. It's made him seem like a person to me already. So much so that, I've noticed that even in the car, I don't feel like I'm completely by myself. I wonder if other pregnant ladies ever feel like that... but I just feel less alone, kind of? It's an almost impossible sensation to describe but he's so active all the time in my belly that I always feel like I'm with someone even when I'm not.
I've said it a hundred times and will probably say it at least that many more but I am so excited for him to finally be here and to get to know him and his little personality. The little face shot we got at our last ultrasound reminded me of my brother when he was a baby so I wonder who Owen will look like and what traits of ours that he'll take on. I'm sure that mentally we'll never be fully ready for him but I think we're about as close as we can get at this point!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Anxiety
From the moment I found out that I was pregnant, it was like a switch inside me went off and I started to become more like my mother. I used to think it was so funny that she worried about ever-y-thing and now the joke is most definitely on me. I worried because my only pregnancy symptom at the beginning was period-like cramps and that they made me come in for an exam and an early ultrasound to make sure I wasn't either miscarrying or having an ectopic pregnancy. I've worried about Owen dying before being born countless times, with the most recent gripping fears coming this week when he was having a lazier than normal day. I worry about his kidneys, I worried when they told us that they were a soft marker for Downs, I worry that he's too big for my body to handle, the list of worries regarding him goes on and on. The worst part is that I worry about how much I'm worrying and he's not even born yet! Damn it. The mother's curse.
As I said, he had a particularly lazy day on Monday. Adam's busiest time at work is right now and he's been out of town for almost every weeknight during March so far. He's actually been out of town almost enough nights to earn gold member status for his hotel points this year and it's not even half way through the third month of the year. I'm not normally afraid to be at home alone (while I'm not in love with it) but the fact that we had a backyard raccoon invasion last week that tormented Higgins and I combined with a murder of an elderly widow in her home only two blocks away over the weekend that was all over the news this week had me a little spooked. When you add that to the fact that I'm already getting up anywhere from 5-10 times a night to use the bathroom, I've not been feeling so great and humanly with the lack of sleep. Owen is normally insanely active and when I struggled to get him to move around on Monday, my mind went in a million different directions and 999,999 of them weren't good places to go. I think the lack of sleep goes a long way to explain the heightened anxieties but it doesn't help that the already Crazy Dog has been extra neurotic of late with Dad's travel schedule, Mom's giant belly and the middle room being flipped upside down in preparation for the baby. He spent a solid hour pacing the house on Monday night as though there were someone outside. We made a fabulous pair, Neurotic Dog and Anxious Me.
I'm also wrapping up work on Sunday and teaching my last two yoga classes next week, and while this is a very, very good thing, it's also a huge life change for me at a point where I'm grabbing for any strings of normalcy before Owen's arrival. To add into the mix, we have our appointment with the perinatologist tomorrow for what we're not sure will be the last ultrasound of his kidneys before birth or not. Since we started this process, they've mentioned over and over this is our time that we'll be recommended to the pediatric urologist but we haven't really discussed what exactly that means or what our next steps might be with either him or the perinatology team. I don't have particular anxiety about the appointment but I am stewing over what kind of answers we might or might not get tomorrow. I'm also nervous that he'll continue to be a giant baby in there, which may lead us down some different roads than expected.
While I'm being all poopy and venty, I might as well also include that I mostly feel like first trimester icky now. It's not nearly as bad but I am back to the world of getting sick multiple times a day and the worst part is that I have regained my previous aversion to coffee, such sadness!! This time is easier though because I already went through the never ending 22 week all-day every day sickness but also because I know how close we are to the finish line and to me regaining my body back from the hormone shitshow. HORRAY for pregnancy. I have no idea how people do this more than one time.
To end on positive and non-anxious notes, I'm still working out. Pilates has been my pregnancy godsend, and while I have to modify lots of it at this point, I'm still able to rock out a good portion of the classes. Prenatal yoga gets more relaxing as I get more uncomfortable. Every day is a day closer to holding that sweet boy and we are both really excited about that. Being done with work means being home more and will give us some stability that we haven't had with our schedules in the last year and a half. I'm also going to take up some water aerobics classes in these last weeks for fun! And I have a few more weeks to be totally gluttonous without feeling terrible about myself. WOO HOO!
As I said, he had a particularly lazy day on Monday. Adam's busiest time at work is right now and he's been out of town for almost every weeknight during March so far. He's actually been out of town almost enough nights to earn gold member status for his hotel points this year and it's not even half way through the third month of the year. I'm not normally afraid to be at home alone (while I'm not in love with it) but the fact that we had a backyard raccoon invasion last week that tormented Higgins and I combined with a murder of an elderly widow in her home only two blocks away over the weekend that was all over the news this week had me a little spooked. When you add that to the fact that I'm already getting up anywhere from 5-10 times a night to use the bathroom, I've not been feeling so great and humanly with the lack of sleep. Owen is normally insanely active and when I struggled to get him to move around on Monday, my mind went in a million different directions and 999,999 of them weren't good places to go. I think the lack of sleep goes a long way to explain the heightened anxieties but it doesn't help that the already Crazy Dog has been extra neurotic of late with Dad's travel schedule, Mom's giant belly and the middle room being flipped upside down in preparation for the baby. He spent a solid hour pacing the house on Monday night as though there were someone outside. We made a fabulous pair, Neurotic Dog and Anxious Me.
I'm also wrapping up work on Sunday and teaching my last two yoga classes next week, and while this is a very, very good thing, it's also a huge life change for me at a point where I'm grabbing for any strings of normalcy before Owen's arrival. To add into the mix, we have our appointment with the perinatologist tomorrow for what we're not sure will be the last ultrasound of his kidneys before birth or not. Since we started this process, they've mentioned over and over this is our time that we'll be recommended to the pediatric urologist but we haven't really discussed what exactly that means or what our next steps might be with either him or the perinatology team. I don't have particular anxiety about the appointment but I am stewing over what kind of answers we might or might not get tomorrow. I'm also nervous that he'll continue to be a giant baby in there, which may lead us down some different roads than expected.
While I'm being all poopy and venty, I might as well also include that I mostly feel like first trimester icky now. It's not nearly as bad but I am back to the world of getting sick multiple times a day and the worst part is that I have regained my previous aversion to coffee, such sadness!! This time is easier though because I already went through the never ending 22 week all-day every day sickness but also because I know how close we are to the finish line and to me regaining my body back from the hormone shitshow. HORRAY for pregnancy. I have no idea how people do this more than one time.
To end on positive and non-anxious notes, I'm still working out. Pilates has been my pregnancy godsend, and while I have to modify lots of it at this point, I'm still able to rock out a good portion of the classes. Prenatal yoga gets more relaxing as I get more uncomfortable. Every day is a day closer to holding that sweet boy and we are both really excited about that. Being done with work means being home more and will give us some stability that we haven't had with our schedules in the last year and a half. I'm also going to take up some water aerobics classes in these last weeks for fun! And I have a few more weeks to be totally gluttonous without feeling terrible about myself. WOO HOO!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Is it time yet?
I've reached the point in pregnancy where the fear of labor and delivery has been overtaken by the immediate need to evict this ever-growing baby from my body. My lungs are SMOOSHED and he insists on spending most of his days doing what feels like stretching and kicking my rib cage. The pain feels kind of like your worst ab workout soreness only without the satisfaction that you're working toward a six pack. I've also finally hit that point where I have to go to the bathroom approximately 1,000 times over the course of the day and night. Sleep is becoming ever more illusive as I struggle to get comfortable and eating an entire meal has become nearly impossible without feeling like my belly is a balloon ready to pop. Basically, I am about ready to trade all of those things for the still very scary process of getting him outta here and the aftermath of that (and I need to do myself a favor and quit reading about recovery, I'm kind of hoping to be bathed in a post-baby happy haze so much so that I won't remember most of that part).
Baby Owen is consistently measuring 2 weeks ahead and our last ultrasound (which I'm going to consider as our last reliably accurate sizing ultrasound as it was at 28w6d and they get less and less accurate as time goes on) had my due date at 4/24. I'D LOVE THAT!! We've moved into every 2 weeks at the OB and we still have at least one more kidney-related ultrasound with the perinatologist next week. On the kidney front, things have remained about the same, they are still larger than they should be but everything else is indicating that they are functioning as they should be. This 32 week appointment that we have next week should give us some more clarity about where we go from here. We haven't really talked much about what happens next other than potentially meeting with a pediatric urologist.
We did our L&D tour and we start our baby classes this weekend. I have everything from childbirth class to our car seat inspection scheduled and we are inching ever closer to being "ready" for his arrival. I think both Adam and I are just ready to move on into this next stage of our lives and enjoy watching our sweet little dude grow on the outside of my body. My last day at work is on St. Patrick's Day and I know we are both looking forward to more meals cooked at home and a more peaceful schedule. After next week, I'll be doing prenatal yoga, water aerobics and walking until after Owen comes. Doing my regular regime of normal people yoga and Pilates is starting to become more trouble as I have to modify nearly everything I'm doing.
Owen is still kicking and hiccuping away in there! Other than a couple of less-than-fun Braxton Hicks contractions that kind of freaked me out, I think he's firmly ensconced in there and it seems like he's in no mood to escape just yet.
Baby Owen is consistently measuring 2 weeks ahead and our last ultrasound (which I'm going to consider as our last reliably accurate sizing ultrasound as it was at 28w6d and they get less and less accurate as time goes on) had my due date at 4/24. I'D LOVE THAT!! We've moved into every 2 weeks at the OB and we still have at least one more kidney-related ultrasound with the perinatologist next week. On the kidney front, things have remained about the same, they are still larger than they should be but everything else is indicating that they are functioning as they should be. This 32 week appointment that we have next week should give us some more clarity about where we go from here. We haven't really talked much about what happens next other than potentially meeting with a pediatric urologist.
We did our L&D tour and we start our baby classes this weekend. I have everything from childbirth class to our car seat inspection scheduled and we are inching ever closer to being "ready" for his arrival. I think both Adam and I are just ready to move on into this next stage of our lives and enjoy watching our sweet little dude grow on the outside of my body. My last day at work is on St. Patrick's Day and I know we are both looking forward to more meals cooked at home and a more peaceful schedule. After next week, I'll be doing prenatal yoga, water aerobics and walking until after Owen comes. Doing my regular regime of normal people yoga and Pilates is starting to become more trouble as I have to modify nearly everything I'm doing.
Owen is still kicking and hiccuping away in there! Other than a couple of less-than-fun Braxton Hicks contractions that kind of freaked me out, I think he's firmly ensconced in there and it seems like he's in no mood to escape just yet.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Time Marches On
It's really weird to completely measure your life in weeks but because I have approximately 86 pregnancy apps on my phone and every of our seemingly hundreds of doctor's appointments are constant reminders of how far along I am and that I am living week by week. Saturday marks 27 weeks of pregnancy and depending on who you ask, that may or may not be the third trimester. I feel like I spent the entire first trimester wishing my life away and until the sickness started to become more manageable around a month ago, I was counting every day, practically to the minute. I've found that the last month or so has flown by and here I am on the cusp of the third trimester when there were many times that I thought I'd never get here.
We're starting the month of February with a bang by painting Owen's room and next weekend we should have most of his furniture set up and ready (in case you were curious, dark blue walls with lots of bright colors and white furniture, with sock monkeys mixed in). Is that when it starts feeling really real? When you walk down the hall and see a baby's room set up next to yours? I know that there are feelings that are coming up for me with much higher frequency as each day passes, with each kick that shakes my whole belly, with every question they ask at my doctor's appointments (the other day it was: have you selected your pediatrician yet? um... oops. so now we have a consultation appointment). I hung up a bunch of his clothes as I was reorganizing the closets last week to prepare for the painting project and that was freaky. There's going to be a living, breathing little human filling those clothes in such a short time!
Only thirteen more weeks, three more months until his due date! How did this happen when I spent so much of my time guarding the time as it passed?
We're starting the month of February with a bang by painting Owen's room and next weekend we should have most of his furniture set up and ready (in case you were curious, dark blue walls with lots of bright colors and white furniture, with sock monkeys mixed in). Is that when it starts feeling really real? When you walk down the hall and see a baby's room set up next to yours? I know that there are feelings that are coming up for me with much higher frequency as each day passes, with each kick that shakes my whole belly, with every question they ask at my doctor's appointments (the other day it was: have you selected your pediatrician yet? um... oops. so now we have a consultation appointment). I hung up a bunch of his clothes as I was reorganizing the closets last week to prepare for the painting project and that was freaky. There's going to be a living, breathing little human filling those clothes in such a short time!
Only thirteen more weeks, three more months until his due date! How did this happen when I spent so much of my time guarding the time as it passed?
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