Went to see my midwife this morning. She is positive that the baby is HEAD DOWN now!!!! The baby is Right Occiput Transverse, which means its head is down with its back against my right side, he/she is facing my hip and is kicking my upper left abdomen. Yay! Before the midwife felt around and determined the baby's position, she said that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get an ultrasound. After she determined the baby's position she said that there's no need to waste our money on an ultrasound because this baby is most certainly vertex. I guess our sweet baby just wanted to play with mommy and daddy's heads a little bit. When DH left for work this morning he put his face to my belly and sternly said, "Okay Baby, today's the day!" Well, what do ya know? He/she already listens to daddy.

My sister looked in her second child's baby book and saw that he had turned breech @ 34 weeks and flipped back over one week after that. This one just thought it would be fun to follow suit, I suppose. (albeit at 37 weeks)

I'll be at 38 weeks on Monday. I'm getting so excited to meet our baby!

My midwife suggested that I keep doing those crazy baby spinning exercises because they will only encourage the baby to stay head-down. Also, she recommends that I keep going to the chiropractor for the remainder of the pregnancy because it may very well have been the Webster adjustments to my sacrum that made enough room in my pelvis for Baby's head to feel comfortable dowm there again, and we want to keep it that way. That's fine with me.

I am so thankful to the Lord. My Father is a good Father that gives good gifts to His children.

Labels: pregnancy milestones, prenatal appointment

Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement! I'm a lot more positive about the whole situation today. (If you couldn't tell, I was a wee bit crabby when I wrote my last post) I am more optimistic that the chiropractic adjustments will work and feeling less freaked out about the money we are spending on them. I suppose we don't have a choice. We need to try everything possible to turn this baby and don't want to regret not doing something that could've worked just because we can't afford it. DH has been so wonderful. He probably doesn't know it, but his attitude and calmness has really grounded me and is making me more confident and relaxed.

To answer your question....No, unfortunately my midwife will not deliver a breech baby. She is licensed and bound to all sorts of silly state laws that keep her wrapped up in red tape and a trail of paperwork. She really has to watch her step when it comes to things like that. She did tell me that if she is unaware that a baby is breech and labor is in the pushing stage, she will go ahead and deliver it. At that point, of course, she wouldn't really have a choice anyway.

I hate talking about the what-ifs because I just don't want to give any room for them, but here's what would happen if the baby is breech when I go into labor: I would end up having to go to the hospital and my back-up doc would perform a c-section. One of the many wonderful things about my back-up doctor is the fact that she is very passionate about natural birth and is happy to perform VBACs. Apparently, when she does a c-section, she "double stitches" the incision in such a way that the uterus is more likely to remain strong during subsequent vaginal births. I have also been told by our doula (she has worked w/ our back-up doc before) that my doctor lets women w/ breech babies labor for as long as possible before wheeling them into surgery. She has seen babies turn vertex during the labor process just before a c-section would've been performed and wants to give mommas every chance for a vaginal birth. I don't even want to think about that right now, though. I realize that having a c-section is not the end of the world. All I want is a healthy baby and if that's what it takes to get him/her here safely, then I thank the Lord for the marvels of modern medicine. But this option is obviously one that I am not willing to just bow down and except. Did I mention that we don't have any health insurance? Of course, that's certainly not the only reason I don't want to have a c-section....but it does factor into the equation.

I believe that the baby will be vertex before my labor starts and I will be able to deliver him/her vaginally. There's still time. I imagine this will just be a funny little thing to write in the baby book that I can tease my son or daughter about later - that he/she was naughty and caused mommy and daddy stress even in the womb.

I feel like my time doing weird baby-flipping exercises will prove to be fruitful. It seems like there is a lot of movement when I am laying with my lower body elevated on the ironing board, which is a really good thing. One of the things that was on the list of baby-turning techniques that the chiro gave me was that frozen veggie trick. I tried it this evening, but I think I caught the baby at an inactive time because the cold didn't seem to phase it. Although at this point, I'm not entirely sure that he/she hasn't already changed positions. It's really tough to tell what's what. The lump that did feel like a head to me is now feeling more like a butt. Eh. What do I know?

I go see my midwife tomorrow and she is going to feel around and check the baby's position again.

Labels: labor/birth, prenatal appointment

Crud. Guess whose baby turned breech?

I was a little stressed and emotional yesterday after my midwife confirmed what I had already suspected. Since last Tuesday, the booger flipped. I am trying to keep a positive attitude and visuallize this little one with its head down and tucked under nicely, its back against my belly, and one of his/her heels jammed up in the left side of my ribs, like it used to be. My midwife and her assistant (as of yesterday) believe that not only is the baby breech, but it's back is to my back.

I have been talking to him/her and telling it nicely to get in head-down position. I even give it little pep-talks. "I know you can do it! Yay! Go baby!"

After the appointment w/ the midwife, I went to a chiropractor for my first Webster adjustment. Let me tell ya, I'm a little torn about what to do. On one hand, I'd like to try everything I possibly can to get my baby in the vertex position....including horribly expensive visits to the chiropractor. On the other hand, I don't know much about chiropractors and frankly, I'm a little skeptical. I'm afraid that it may not work and all we'll end up with is an empty bank account. I am trying hard to keep an open mind because I know that if I think it's not going to work, then it won't. If we decide not to go ahead with the chiropractic adjustments because of the money, and the baby doesn't turn on its own, I will be left wondering if the Webster adjustments would've worked and I'll be angry at myself for not giving it a try. I expressed my concerns w/ the chiropractor (I didn't go as far as saying that I'm skeptical, but I'm sure I was throwing out that vibe) and she said that she doesn't want me to miss out on the benefits because of money and that she'd "work with us". I have another appointment tomorrow and DH is going with me so we can discuss payment with her.

In addition to the chiropractic adjustments, I am also doing lots of exercises that are suggested at SpinningBabies.com. I walked for almost an hour today, I've been rocking my pelvis on an exercise ball, and whenever I feel that the baby is being active, I lay down with my whole lower body elevated (on an ironing board propped on a couch) for about 30 minutes. The chiropractor would also like me to try moxibustion....which I'm not very familiar with, but I know it is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't want to get into anything all mystic and New Age-y.

No matter what we decide to do, I know that God has his hand on this baby and I know that it is not His will for me to fret and worry. The most powerful and effective thing I can do to help this baby turn is to trust in the Lord.

Okay, I just needed to vent. Please, no stories of people who tried to turn babies and did not succeed. Please, no horror stories. And please, no comments that are along the lines of "Whatever happens, happens and it must be God's will". I don't really want to get into why, but I do not subscribe to that way of thinking. I just wanted to write what was going on in my head so that WHEN our baby turns over in a perfect little vertex position, I can share it and you can be excited for me.

Turn head down, baby! You can do it!

Labels: labor/birth, pregnancy whining, prenatal appointment

The belly is getting enormous! I like it, though. It'll be weird when it's gone and there's just a jiggly stretched out wad of skin in its place. Nice mental image, eh? Okay, I know this will sound like I'm being naive to you mommas who have BTDT, but I am getting EXCITED about the whole birth experience. I've been reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and it is totally getting me pumped up and ready for this thing. I especially enjoyed the chapter about the mind-body connection and how labor can stall out and even regress simply because of our thoughts and state of mind.

She compares elimination (peeing/pooping) with giving birth, since they both require relaxation and the opening of sphincters. (Side note: I must be a child of the 80's/90's because I can't say or read the word "sphincter" without thinking of Wayne's World.) "Asphintersayswhat?" ....... Anyway, it makes complete sense. Many people are physically unable to urinate in the presence of others. Doing #2 requires even more privacy and some have trouble doing their business away from their own bathrooms or when there is something stressful going on in their lives.

When I took a 2 week trip to China as a senior in highschool, I can remember being constipated for the entire first week....maybe even week and a half! As much as I wanted to "go", my body just wouldn't. I was not the only person on the trip to have that problem.

So, it stands to reason that in order for a woman to be physically able to open the birth sphincter (the cervix), she must feel free from inhibitions and completely comfortable in her environment. The presence of an unwelcome guest can be extremely detrimental to her progress in labor. The presence of a negative thought or emotion can also be detrimental. Ina May also points to nature in her explanation of the mind-body connection during birth. Gazelles and other animals in nature are known to be able to reverse their labor progress and "retract" their young back into their womb if they sense the sudden presence of a predator. It is a fight or flight response and Ina May proposes that we humans also have this ingrained in our psyche. She also told a story of a laboring woman who was given a rough and unsympathetic vaginal check by a male doctor with a cold and indifferent attitude. Prior to the examination, the woman was dilated to 7 cm and after......4 cm!

Most modern doctors do not acknowledge the existence of this phenomenon, which is a shame. Many medical interventions could be avoided if the laboring woman's comfort and state of mind were taken into account during labor and birth.

Labels: belly pics

It is almost 6 AM and I am wide awake. I have been since about 4 AM. Oh well.

So, you mommas are thinking girl, eh? That would be just fine with me.....I LOVE the girl name we have picked out. But, I also LOVE the boy name. I know it sounds silly, but no matter which gender we end up having, it'll be sort of sad that we didn't get to use the other name. Too bad it's not fraternal boy/girl twins! Just kidding, DH.

The swelling in my feet has almost gone away. Last night they were so bad that I wondered how the skin on my left foot would hold out. It felt so tight and uncomfortable. It sort of scared me. I should've called my midwife, but it was late and I didn't want to bother her.....although I'm positive she wouldn't have minded one bit. I should listen to my DH sometimes. He had been telling me to call for 2 days. My feet were a little less swollen when I got up this morning, but I called her to let her know about the swelling anyway. She told me to get some Epsom salts and soak my whole lower body in a tub of lukewarm water. It sure did help.

I was trying to think of a change in diet or salt intake that may have caused this when I realized that DH and I had Thai food Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday morning at my 36 week appointment, my feet were not swollen. By Tuesday night they were extremely puffy. My midwife thinks if there was MSG in the Thai food, that could've triggered the swelling. I don't doubt it. I wish I would've thought of that before eating the giant bowl of panang tofu curry.

Some other nuissance happened this week as well. Actually, I don't know for sure if it really happened or not. I was laying in our recliner one evening, when the baby felt like it was trying to crawl out through my bellybutton. The baby is usually very active, but this felt out of the norm even for my little acrobat. Not long after that crazy jolt, he or she got hiccups and the hiccups felt like they were up high instead of down low. Every other time I've felt hiccups, it has been VERY low, up against my pelvis. I started feeling around and realized that the heel that's usually lodged under my left rib was not there anymore. Things just felt different in there. I started getting paranoid that the baby had flipped.

I told my midwife about this and she didn't seem concerned at all. She just said it's still relatively early and if the baby did flip, he or she could just as easily flip right back around. She also reminded me that she knows a chiropractor's wife who is very successful at turning babies and we could use her as a last resort if need be. Until I see the midwife this Tuesday and she can assess the situation, I am to continue my pelvic tilts as often as I can.

I talk to the baby all the time and tell him/her to get its little head down by my cervix, with its back against my belly and its little feet jammed up in my ribs again. Who knows? Maybe the baby didn't flip at all and I am just crazy. At any rate, I'm not fretting about it. I know he or she will tuck its head under again and everything will be fantastic.

Oh yeah- P.S. No, I'm not joking about the hairy pits. I thoroughly enjoy them. Tre European! :) LOL

Labels: baby names, pregnancy whining, prenatal appointment

Yowza. I have cankles bad. I haven't had much swelling until just recently. Dang.

**ETA**
My friend just called and asked if I would like to come over to her salon for a free pedicure this afternoon. Yay! I hope she doesn't mind handling giant ugly puffy feet. I'm glad I shaved my legs yesterday......after not shaving for almost a year!!!!!!! I guess the hairy-man legs were annoying me enough as it was. Swollen hairy-man legs is where I draw the line. I REALLY enjoy not shaving, though. It's going to be irritating getting used to the whole shaving thing again, especially now that I can't bend very easily. I left my armpits alone, though. I can't help it - I love having hairy pits. The hair is nice and soft and I don't have to deal with razor rash and stubble.

Labels: pregnancy milestones, pregnancy whining

Thanks for all of your wonderful tips and advice re: packing for the birth! It is such a help to pick the brains of mommas who have been-there-done-that.

Oops, I'm due for another belly pic - I forgot. Maybe I'll look cute enough for that tomorrow. I had my 36 week appt w/ the midwife this morning, as well as my final evaluation w/ my doc. I have the green light to give birth outside of the hospital. Woohoo!

This appointment sparked some big excitement in me. Everything is coming together. DH and I will be somebody's daddy and mommy in a matter of weeks. Okay, so I guess it could end up being like 6 weeks from now....oh gosh, I hope not....but still....it seems sooner than later at this point.

We offically have boy and girl first names picked out for this unknown little booger. I'm hoping that he or she "looks" like the names we have chosen, 'cause it took us FOREVER just to come up with one boy name and one girl name....I don't want to start at square one again. But hey, if the name doesn't seem to fit once we see the baby's face and catch a glimpse of his/her personality, then I am certainly not opposed to finding a more suitable name. I don't think that'll happen, though. These names are perfecto. Middle names are still up in the air. Oh well. I feel like we've made a major breakthrough just coming up with the first names.

If you are interested in knowing our sweet baby's name after the big day, feel free to e-mail me at eipwek@makingaperson.com. I am happy to disclose that kind of info to my loyal readers. Heck, even if you aren't a loyal reader, I don't mind sharing. I just don't want to publish the name in case friends and relatives would happen to Google it for some strange reason and end up finding me here. I dig having an anonymous blog where I can spout things off that I may not necessarily share with people in my "real life", and I'd like to keep it that way.

Labels: baby names, pregnancy milestones, prenatal appointment

I've been thinking a lot about 2 things:
Baby names, and what things we need to bring to the birth.

The baby's name is still unsettled. But I finished a pretty extensive list of things we need to bring to the birth center when I go into labor. I guess it would be a good idea to pack as much of this stuff as we can pretty soon, just in case.

Things to Pack for the Birth
+++++++++++++++++++

IN THE CAR:
Birth Kit
Bradley Handbook
Car Seat
Pillows (3 or 4)
2 towels
blanket
big metal bowl*
rubber gloves
chux pads*

FOR BABY:
1 Gown
2 Newborn undershirts
5 Receiving blankets
1 thicker blanket
1 pack newborn diapers
Outfit to wear home
Hat
Booties
Mitts
Baby book & ink for footprints*

FOR ME:
Old big blue nightshirt
New green gown
Light robe*
Heavy robe
Slippers
2 nursing bras
2 pairs socks
3 pairs underwear
chapstick
toothbrush
toothpaste
travel size shampoo*
travel size soap*
postpartum care kit (Thanks, Wendy!!!)
Clothes to wear home
Hair clips
Pack of maxi pads
Bible
Book/Magazines*
Phone
Phone charger
Nursing pillow
bathing suit top*
Nursing book

FOR DH:
Laptop
Video camera/tape
Digital Camera
Batteries for both*
USB camera cord
Swim trunks for the pool
clean clothes
toothbrush
CDs
CD player
Phone
Phone charger
chapstick
Watch for timing contractions
Tennis Balls for massaging me*
Lotion/Oil for massaging me
2 washcloths

OTHER:
Ice Chest
Ice*
Gallon of OJ*
4 protein smoothies*
4 apples*
whole grain crackers*
bottled water*
4 Kashi frozen dinners*
other snacks*
straws*
energy drinks for DH?*
Our list of potential baby names
Extra copies of birth plan

* indicates things we still need to buy

So yeah, I know it seems like we're packing way too much for just a couple days, but I'd much rather have too much stuff than leave something behind that I wish I would've brought. The birth center is an hour and 45 minutes away. Besides, I got most of my ideas for the list straight out of the Bradley Childbirth handbook....so if it's too excessive, it's their fault. I feel a little silly packing as though I'm going to give birth in the car (that's what the metal bowl is for, in case you were wondering..... to catch the placenta), but the book told me to do it.

I bought the perfect little summer gown to labor in. (Okay, it's not "little" - it's a huge tent) It's light, sleeveless, and it buttons halfway down the front for easy nursing. I'm sure the gown will come off at some point - especially since I plan on laboring some in the pool, but it'll be nice to walk around the birth center in something comfy and convenient for occasional vaginal checks and whatnot.

DH is going to be able to use his fancy phone as a modem, so we'll be able to update my blog from his laptop while we're there. I'm sure we'll be a bit preoccupied, and I'm not sure how detailed the updates will be, but I'd like to at least attempt to keep y'all informed through the process.

I'd love to have someone other than DH take photos and videotape, but we don't want any family or friends there, so that's out. Our childbirth class instructor is invited to the birth. I don't want to make her feel obligated to be our photographer, since she will be supporting us and sort of filling the role of a doula.....but I might let her know if she has a few moments here and there to pick up the camera, then that would be great. If not, that's fine too.

DH may have stuff he wants to add to the list. I posted it on the fridge, so we can start working on it soon.

Labels: baby names, labor/birth, pregnancy milestones

Today is my last day with Bob. Woohoo! He really is a good kid....I'm just ready to be done. I don't think he's feeling well, so he has slept most of the day, which has given me time to pack up his toys, stroller, sippy cups, etc, and have them ready for when his daddy comes to get him. He did have a little inflatable pool here that his mom brought over last summer, but I'm an idiot and I threw it away. I let it get all nasty and moldy in the yard 'cause I was too lazy to clean it out. One day when DH and I were cleaning out the garage, I just chucked it in the garbage because I didn't want to deal with it. In my defense, we don't have a garden hose, so it would've been a pain in the rear to wash out. Whenever we used it, I filled it up with a bucket. Fun. I feel bad that I let it get ruined, so I told Bob's mom I'd buy a new one.....which stinks, because we really don't have a spare $20-$30 lying around to spend on something like that. Plus, I know full well that if the pool would've been left at Bob's house it would've been allowed to rot and get ruined....and would probably still be outside, along with the other weather-beaten toys in their front yard. I wish I would've just taken good care of it.

Labels: babysitting

(Sigh) I am wide awake, which makes no sense because just a few hours before bedtime, I felt like I got shot in the rear with a tranquilizer dart. I get in bed and suddenly, I feel like I just drank 3 cups of coffee. Pregnancy is strange like that, I guess. I laid in bed for about an hour before I decided to empty my teeny bladder and attempt to make myself tired by staring at the computer screen.

Thursday is my last day of babysitting Bob. I am pretty pleased about that. I have learned a lot from my time as his babysitter.........Mainly, that it sucks to watch someone else's bratty toddler while you're pregnant. LOL :) No, really, he is not bratty. I think watching the most angelic and well-behaved toddler while pregnant would be trying if he/she is not your own. But let's face it, it was better than having to go to a "real" job.

I had a lot of VERY intense Braxton-Hicks contractions today. Not sure why. One got so strong while I was walking our dog this evening that I had to stop mid-stride and wait it out. That's fine with me - it just means my uterus is getting all geared up for the big job ahead. Way to go, uterus! Do your thang!

I may or may not have mentioned in previous posts that I sing and lead the praise & worship service every Wednesday night at our church. I am also sort of the fill-in praise & worship leader on Sundays whenever the regular P&W leader is absent or just asks me to take over. Lately, it's been getting harder and harder for me to breathe when I'm singing.....while I've been asked to lead song service more and more. I've noticed it progressively getting worse over the last month or two and now it is almost unbearable just to get through one song. (Our song services are pretty loud and intense by most people's standards) A couple Sundays ago, I got so winded and overheated that I felt like I was going to pass out. Our sweet baby is officially squishing my lungs. I talked to the P&W leader about it and told him that I could probably no longer sub for him until I return from having the baby. He totally understood. I also e-mailed my Pastor about it to make sure it was alright that there would be no song service on Wednesday nights until I return from having the baby. He was also very understanding and even said that he has noticed I've been struggling to sing lately. I'm glad he said that - it made me feel like less of a whimp. "Oh boo-hoo, I'm too pregnant to sing, please don't make me. Oh, the poor pregnant girl needs sympathy, wah wah".....is how I feared my request would come off. But it didn't, and I'm glad. It'll be nice to have a little break and not get so physically drained every time I go to church.

I think my eyelids are finally heavy enough to attempt sleep one more time. (yawn)....but not before I grab a snack from the kitchen. Dang. We seem to be fresh out of the things I'm craving: pot roast w/ mashed potatoes and gravy and orange creamcicles for dessert. Yum.

Labels: babysitting, pregnancy whining

Did some stuff in the baby's room.....

We bought a dresser, so now there's a place for the tiny little undershirts and socks. I had fun folding things and putting them away. I hung the wall decorations and fixed/cleaned up the vintage lamp (the dog's ears and the balloon strings were missing). I hung the crib mobile....although, I'll probably be moving that to the co-sleeper bassinet in our room since the baby will be in there. I kind of suspect that the crib will not get used at all. We'll see. It won't bother me if it doesn't get used, since we didn't buy it - it's my old crib from when I was a baby, so I just love it being in the baby's room for sentimental reasons.

DH says the baby's room is looking like a boy's room. I have to agree. I didn't mean for it to end up that way, but it really is a little on the masculine side. Oh well. If we have a girl, I doubt she'll mind (or even notice).

The jack-in-the-box on the dresser isn't going to stay there. I just thought it was eerily fun to look at it next to the lamp w/ all the other lights off. I have a weird thing for creepy circus stuff. I kind of like spooky vintage clowns and demented carnival music. I know, I'm strange. I don't want my kid to have a scary room, so I'll put the evil-looking jack-in-the-box away before he/she has a chance to get freaked out by it.



Total tangent here: There used to be a pizza parlor in Toronto, Canada called The Organ Grinder. This place was weird. It was all dark and creepy in there....had the feel of an old fun house that hadn't been updated in years. There was a giant Wurlitzer organ in the dining room and the guy who played the organ would take song requests from guests. It was funny to hear modern pop music played on a huge organ. When the organ was playing, a disco ball would spin and colorful stage lights would flash all around the dark restaurant. The place had ski-ball and video games, if I remember correctly...it was definitely geared toward kids.....but oh-so creepy! I loved it. It has since been closed, which makes me sad.....not that I get as far north as Toronto very often. LOL.

I'm a nerd. I searched the web for pics or articles on this place, but didn't find much. Oddly enough, I found a few restaurant guides that still included reviews of The Organ Grinder....but I know for a fact that it is long gone. Rest in peace, scary pizza place.

A restaurant in Madison, WI that DH and I visited once has a similar, albeit not-so-dark, feel. Ella's Deli is a fun place to eat if you're ever in that area. All kinds of toys and figurines have been made into weird mechanical monstrosities and do acrobatics all along the restaurant ceiling. Lots of vintage circus/carnival signs and memorabilia clutter the atmosphere. Tables contain strange interactive scenery like Legos, trains, and Wooly Willy magnetic hair characters under thick pieces of glass. (I dig the Wooly Willy table 'cause there are actual magnetic pens strapped to the table so you can "draw" mustaches and mohawks on the bald heads while you eat your reuben and ice cream sundae.

Labels: baby gear, food

We had an appointment with the midwife today and all was well. My limbs aren't very swollen at all. My fundal height is measuring pretty much right on target. (My midwife's assistant measured it first and got 38! Holy cow! But then my midwife went behind her and got 35.5..... Whew! That's more like it. I think the assistant was starting the measuring tape a little lower on my pubic bone than the midwife was) My urine checked out fine. I'm up to (gasp!) 228 lbs. (I started out at 178 lbs) but my midwife is thoroughly unconcerned with my weight. BP was 117/74. Yeehaw. Baby's heartrate was 144 BPM.

We discussed all the not-so-fun scenarios today, such as......how far a client can go past her due date before my midwife cannot legally attend the birth.....how many hours a client is legally allowed to labor before hospital transfer is imminent, etc. Even though I don't enjoy discussing the what-ifs, it was pretty encouraging. My back-up doc is VERY lenient with the midwives she works with and gives a lot of leeway when it comes to time constraints. I'm not going to let the thought of possible complications cloud my optimistic attitude. It is good to be prepared and I'm glad DH and I are informed of what will happen in case things go awry......but I feel extremely confident in my body's ability to do this thing on its own. I come from a family of easy birthers.

I startled you with the title of my post, didn't I? No, there's only one little person growing in my belly, I promise. Every week at church, I am bombarded with people telling me I must be having twins and that I'm so huge, yada yada....ya know, the typical dumb stuff people say to a pregnant lady with a big belly. When I told my midwife that, she thought it was totally laughable and said that if I'm having twins, then she needs to go back to school and relearn how to be a midwife. Keep in mind that she is a seasoned woman in her 60's who has attended 600-700 births and was the education director at a local midwifery school. I can't wait to quote what she said to the next fool who tells me I'm having twins. Gees. I've gotten to the point where I dislike going to church these days because I'm tired of all the comments about my size.

Today, DH and I went to lunch after our appointment and we ran into one of his ex-coworkers whom I had never met. Before we were even formally introduced (DH is sort of bad about remembering introductions) the guy looks at DH and asks, "So, you havin' twins?" I started laughing hysterically. I'm sure he wondered what was so funny.

Labels: prenatal appointment

Here I am at 34w3d. I figured I should post a halfway decent pic of myself to balance out the horrific shot I subjected you guys to a couple days ago. I'm still having some yucky allergy/sinus issues, but I atleast felt motivated enough to put on a little make-up and get dressed.....mostly because I actually have to leave the house today. LOL :) Tonight is our birth class and I have to meet up w/ DH in a little bit.

It is super nice outside today. Mid-60's. I love opening up the windows to get a breeze through here. In fact, if I didn't open up the windows, it would easily climb up to 75-80 degrees in here.....even on a 50 degree day. I think our house is very well insulated (which is good!), so when DH cranks the heat up to 73 degrees in the morning when he's getting ready for work, it seems like the heat just gets trapped in here, even after I turn it down. Then, the sun beats on the front of the house and produces a greenhouse effect. By 10:00am, I am ready to rip my clothes off and take a cool shower. Last night I got up to pee (well, one of the many times I got up to pee) and I was sweating. I didn't have a single stitch of clothes on (sorry for the TMI :) and I was SWEATING! DH either needs to get some meat on his bones or put some cozy pajamas on before going to bed. I've got a furnace in my belly that I can't adjust!

Lately, I have been horribly hungry, but nothing sounds good!!!! Well, occasionally, something sounds good, but it's usually an item that is not to be found within at least 20 miles of here. I end up being lazy and just choking down a piece of bread with peanutbutter on it and chugging a glass of milk. I FORCED myself to eat a spinach salad yesterday and let me tell ya - it was NOT yummy.

Labels: belly pics, childbirth classes, food, pregnancy whining

I'm making a ring sling for the baby today. I found some $1-a-yard fabric at Wal-Mart that would work perfectly, and bought some 2" metal rings from the hardware store. (I wanted 3" rings, but they were way too thick and heavy. My fabric is relatively thin, so I think 2" will work just fine) I have a pattern for a padded sling, but I decided that I'm going to make a simple unpadded one instead. I'll post a pic when I'm finished.

I'm starving and nothing in my kitchen sounds good. I think this cold or allergy junk (or whatever it is) is throwing my taste all out of whack. What sounds REALLY good is a gigantic sub sandwich with all those delicious sodium nitrite-ridden italian meats, like salami, peperoni, prosciutto, and ham. YUM!.....and provolone cheese, onions, lettuce, peperoncinis, and italian dressing. I'm not talking about a wimpy Subway sandwich.....I mean a gigantic monstrosity from some place like Lenny's Sub Shop. Oh gees. I shouldn't have started thinking about it.

***ETA***
Well, I sort of satisfied my craving for a gigantic sandwich by eating some (all natural) ham w/ cheddar and honey mustard dressing on whole wheat bread. I admit, it was sort of a let down after day dreaming about the best sub in the world....but I was hungry and it was in the fridge.

Twolinesonastick, thanks for offering to help with the measurements on the sling. I really appreciate it! I ended up sort of combining the pattern I already had with the instructions on the MayaWrap website. I'm hoping it'll turn out alright. The sling is done, all except for attaching the rings. Turns out that the rings I have are a little too small. I could've made them work, but then I think the sling would've been super difficult to adjust. I just ordered some large rings from SlingRings.com. When it's all said and done, I will have made 2 slings for a grand total of $14.50. Not bad! Gotta love discount fabric.

Speaking of fabric, I recently bought a Moses basket that has really cheap crappy (not to mention, frilly) padding. My mom has a pattern to make the bumper pads and bedding, so she is going to make them out of this fabric:



I'm thinking that the back of the padding and any trim could be red or yellow. I love baby stuff that isn't baby stuff, ya know?

Labels: baby gear, food

My poor DH. I cried over something really stupid yesterday. I don't want to get into details, but trust me, I know him well enough to realize that it was really dumb of me to get upset over what he said. Sorry, sweetie. I'll try not to be such a weirdo in the future.

Speaking of being a weirdo, here is my 34 week photo. I am battling some sinus crud, I feel exhausted for absolutely no reason, I have no bra on, my teeth aren't brushed, my hair is wacky, and I have volcano-sized zits all over my chin. Oh yeah, and there is yellow paint all over my pants because one of the few pairs of pajama pants that actually fit me these days are the ones I use to paint and do yard work in. I didn't even have the energy to clear off the bathroom sink or clean the mirror for the photo. A true pregnancy pic.



I know, I'm a total hottie.

Labels: belly pics, pregnancy whining

Major epiphany here: It is March and our baby is due in April.

Yeah, I know that's a big "Duh!"....but it just hit me all at once that we will have a child very soon. We are currently on the chapter in our Bradley class that involves writing out a birth plan and a checklist of things to take to the birth place. I can hardly believe that I will be 34 weeks pregnant on Monday.

The co-s1eeper bassinet is already set up because I wanted to see how much taller it needs to be. (had to order leg extender-dealies online 'cause our bed is too tall) The bassinet is not attached to our bed just yet. Don't worry, I'm not quite that neurotic. I just figured it would be stupid to fold it up and pack it away just to put it back up next month...so now, it's just chillin' in the corner of the bedroom.

I'm on a quest for a rocking chair to put in our room that can later become living room furniture. I LOVE old wooden rockers, but I think it would be more practical for us (and comfy!) to find a rocker/recliner. DH brought one home today that he got for free from our friend's employer, but it turns out that it totally reeks of cigarette smoke. It's not in wonderful condition cosmetically either, but I could've dealt with that. Toss a blanket on it, and no big deal......but I'm not naive enough to think that we would ever be able to get the smoke odor out of its funky vinyl upholstery and foam padding. That thing is staying in the garage until we can find a place to dump it. Too bad. I'm all about free stuff! Good try, DH. Wish we could've made it work.

***ETA***
DH and I went and bought a brand new rocker/recliner. Woohoo! We moved our old rocker/recliner (NOT the nasty smoky chair mentioned above, but another one we already had in our office/t.v. room) into our bedroom, and put the new one in the office/t.v. room. Now, I have a place to nurse and rock the baby on each end of the house. Yay! We spend most of our time in the office/t.v. room, but it will be nice to have a place to rock and feed the baby in the privacy of our bedroom as well. My friend said that he found a nice old wooden rocker that he is going to repair (the legs just need some glue) and give to us. I might put that one in the baby's room. Rockers galore!

Labels: baby gear, being sappy, childbirth classes