Sleeping Upright or Not Sleeping At All
June 12, 2003 - 10:40 a.m.
Last night I packed most of my labor bag. My friend has less than 5 weeks left before she's due and she's not even packed yet! I couldn't sleep and needed to feel like I had accomplished something, so I got out my list and packed all the essentials. There are still quite a few things left unpacked, things I need to use and grab last minute, and things I need to go pick up from the store.
My ribs are sure getting a work out this morning. Boo had a quiet day yesterday. I was laying on the couch, and Tim came up and laid next to me, resting his head on my side. Get this, SHE KICKED HIS HEAD. It was so funny. It hurt, really bad. Me, not him. He barely felt it. But she kicked so hard, and the sensation of her foot bouncing off his head hurt me somehow. It was super-funny. Later we used the doppler just to get an idea of where she was and she kicked the microphone. My whole belly popped out when she did. She's funny. She doesn't like us spying on her or intruding into her space. She doesn't have much space left. Man, I just thought about how weird this is...there is a HUMAN growing inside me - where my organs and stuff used to be. In a few months she'll continue to grow, and she'll have hair and pigtails and wear clothes, and I'll look at her, like, "How the heck did you ever come from inside me?" WEIRD! Then I'll remember the late night rib-fights and how my stomach didn't have any room for food in it even though I was starving, and I might just give her a time-out, you know, because.
My thighs are growing. Everything is growing. Sometimes I look in the mirror and can't believe I have 14 more weeks to go. It's unreal. How BIG am I going to get? How much more fatigue, morning sickness and heartburn can I take? The only way I felt comfortable was sleeping upright last night. I so can't wait until we get our new couch for the family room. We bought new couches for the living room, but they're more stylish than comfortable. So we're getting a wrap-around with recliners on both ends for the family room. half the room is Tim's office, the other half is a den that we'll turn into a play room. The playard and all the big toys will go down there. So I figure once the new couch is in (Sometime in mid-July) I will just move down there and start sleeping in the recliner. I slept in a reclining couch when I broke my arm and it was much more comfortable. I'm thinking it will help with the heartburn, firstly, but it will also be more comfortable to get out of. With the playard and bassinet down there, one of us will be able to sleep with the baby if she has a rough night or something. Can you tell I am really looking forward to it? I've already justified it's use for the next year. We're finally getting rid of the hideous set that we have down there. I've had it for the last 5 years, and my parents had it for 7 years before that. It's in terrible shape, it's a college couch. We're donating it to Tim's mom so she can put it in her basement for the cats to sleep on.
Not much else, I guess?
LOTS of COOL news
June 11, 2003 - 9:33 a.m.
Well finally some good news, and only good news. Our echo went wonderfully. We had a new fetal cardiologist, he was so less melodramatic and actually funny. The measurements that they took had improved from last time, meaning the ductis was open and everything was flowing as it should. Finally! After our appointment it was strange, we didn't have to meet with a counselor and we didn't have to make a follow up appointment. We could just...leave. So we did! We went to Red Robin to celebrate.
While we were there, the tech told us that they wouldn't be able to measure the nuchal cord again because they stop that at 22 weeks. At 22 weeks, the baby has enough body fat to throw off the measurements and give false results. That got me to thinking....I was 21.5 weeks at my ultrasound and the baby measured 6 days ahead. WELL DUH - I bet this whole DS thing was just because my baby's a chub! It makes perfect sense to me.
Baby Boo is still head down (going somewhere soon??) and is stretching out her little legs and pushing my rib cage out with them. No wonder I am in so much pain. She was very active during the echo, kinda frustrating the tech, but it was so funny to me. She's already stubborn, she's so like me!! The tech did say we've pestered this baby enough. Boo was pumping her little fists saying, "Leave Me Alone!!" Too cute. The tech also mentioned she was getting "huge". Oh oh. Betcha I'm still going to go early. My mom thinks so too.
I weighed myself last night, against my better judgement...126. Only 20 lbs so far. I'm pretty happy with that. Not thrilled but happy. I just know it's going to get so much worse. I've already retired some maternity clothes because I've grown out of them, and returned a dress I bought from Old Navy because I looked like a hippo in blue gingham. Not attractive. People have been commenting all week at how large I am... don't they know I have a LONG way to go?
I just opened a gift from a co-worker. Such a sweet gift! There was a little bunny rattle/teether, a pink sleeper and a green outfit that's kinda stylin'. It came with the little headbands!! hahah!
I also know we got the diaper genie, the toddler rocker (bouncer seat that turns into a rocker) and the walker/entertainment center. I only know because one of my friends was looking at my registry and TOLD me. LOL. I love it though, how exciting!!
Ugh! I think I am out of my pregnant funk. Though my back hurts really badly. I took a long bath last night trying to get it to stop, I slept well, but it's still sore this morning.
OH WELL! I have a healthy little girl, what do I care?
OH - the cutest thing last night. I was sleeping (pretty soundly) on the couch. I didn't even realize that Tim had come in from outside or that he was on the couch with me, but I woke up to him freaking out. He said he was pushing on my belly until he could feel her and she elbowed him! HOW FUNNY! He really thought it was weird but I thought it was so cute seeing as how he's barely felt her move and now he's gotten jabbed by her! So cool.
Names - need help!
June 10, 2003 - 8:18 a.m.
Well the big echo is today. Tim and I have the same feelings about it: Expect nothing. He really doesn't want to go. More so than I.
Babycenter says, "Weighing in at 1 1/2 pounds (Boo is already 2lbs.), your baby is responsive to touch now. Have fun with him by trying to tickle his foot when he kicks you or lying on your back and rolling from side to side to see how he reacts. Invite the rest of your family to join in, too. It's a great way to start bonding."
Well how about poking that little butt that pushes out my ribs until they almost pop? Just kidding. I can't pick out body parts yet but I have been playing little games with her. She kicks, I poke, she kicks back. It's cute. At night I also do this little Simon thing (gosh, does anyone remember Simon? It's a memory game) where I tap on one side of my belly at the top, then the bottom, then repeat on the opposite side over and over to see if she can follow me. She hasn't responded back yet but after I stopped last night she started kicking all over, maybe in an attempt to get me to do it again. We both woke up at 2am so we played again. It's kinda weird, but a lot of fun.
I feel like I am really shortchanging Tim out of reaction with her. He's barely felt her kick, mainly because we aren't patient enough. She'll kick a few times, so I tell him to feel and she stops. Last night she was kicking so hard my shirt was popping, so I told him to watch. He only saw it once and I think it freaked him out. I don't think he has any clue how much interaction we really have with her. She's more active when one of us is talking.
I slept much more comfortably last night. Some pillows under my legs and behind my back. Same arrangement as always but somehow, this time it worked. Huh.
So we have a list of names about a mile and a half long. Last night, we read through it, settled on the same name, different spelling. Marlee Nicole, and Marleigh Nicole. Obviously Tim likes the first spelling, and I like the second. We've liked this name forever but have been wavering on it since finding out the gender. A few weeks back Tim changed his mind (to Megan) but we managed to change it back last night.
I'll take votes on the spelling - just drop me a note!
Thanks much!!
June 09, 2003 - 9:05 p.m.
*sigh*
Thanks, Judy, I needed that!
Time for me to whine...
June 09, 2003 - 4:09 p.m.
Getting closer to the end, thank goodness. Only 15 weeks left. Please hurry, September. I can't wait for this to be over.
Nothing is really going right. I am in such a bad funk, with only my hormones to blame. I feel so unattractive and large. I can't sleep, my back hurts whenever I lay down and I can't even sleep on my sides because my hips are starting to hurt from the pressure. My boobs itch and hurt and burn and they are EVERYWHERE it seems. Always in the way. The morning sickness still comes and goes, the heartburn and reflux is constant. My cravings have taken a turn for the worse, I didn't eat one good meal this weekend, instead I ate an entire tub of carmel popcorn, a box of strawberries and a gallon of chocolate milk. I ran out of stretchmark cream, not like it helps. My ribs are killing me and it's only going to get worse.
Last night I noticed that the back of my knees is puffed out and swollen. It almost looks like I have a kneecap on each side of my leg. What's up with that?
My eyes were so puffy and swollen from crying all weekend that when I opened them at 2am it looked like my house was filled with smoke. I jumped out of bed and screamed for Tim to come running and told him there was smoke everywhere. He told me to rub my eyes and blink them and finally the "smoke" cleared. Sitting on the floor this morning, trying desperately to put on my socks, I just wished for this to be over. Of course I don't want a premature baby, I just want this to be done already. It sucks, has sucked and will continue to suck.
So I had the crib all set up in the baby's room, it just had the dust ruffle in it, no mattress or anything. I went in there this morning and noticed the crib ruffle was all bunched up and poke through the springboard. Looks like kitty found her way in there. Now I'll have to devise a plan to keep her out. I'm going to pick up the mattress this weekend and then I am going to get all the bedding and everything in there - maybe line it with double sided tape or spray some "Stay Off!" on a sock and put it in there.
Tomorrow is our echocardiogram. I don't have any expectations. How can I? Our track record isn't exactly the best. I just hope and pray that everything will be ok.
God, I am SO uncomfortable!
In happy news, my first shower is next week, Thursday. That means I actually get to go out to eat and open presents and get stuff for the baby. That sounds like a lot of fun!
In other happy news, I am planning a weekend for Tim and I to go away, we're thinking Door County in August sometime.
I wonder what kind of shape I will be in by then. It's still nice to have something to look forward to.
Ok, I am going somewhere to mope and massage my rib cage and my temples and maybe cry a little and maybe take a nap. No, not really, I am at work and I can't get away with any of those things.