Thirty

Yesterday was my thirtieth birthday.

And when you’re 40 weeks + 1 day pregnant, it isn’t smart to make a bunch of plans. Until the day finally came, I had no idea if I’d be at home recovering with a newborn, in the hospital, on my way to the hospital, or just sitting around waiting. Turns out, it was the latter. Despite my impatience, it definitely wasn’t a bad day.

We started the morning off with cinnamon rolls and coffee, followed by a sweet card from the husband and another little blue box from Tiffany’s. This time, the hubs surprised me with a gorgeous Tiffany Key necklace. It looks like this and I love it!:

Around that time, we got a text saying that the new outdoor furniture we ordered came in so we headed to Walmart to pick it up. Except, once we got there, we realized that we’d have to take the baby seat out in order to get it home. No bueno. Fortunately, my parents were on their way up to our house, so we asked them to meet us at Walmart first so we could haul it up in their van. We wanted a glider, or some sort of seat that we could sit outside and rock the baby in this summer and fall. I found this glider and matching ottoman online at Walmart.com and so far, I really like it.

The hubs also wanted some sort of canopy for shade, so we bought one of those too, which he’s still putting together. We have SO MUCH work to do in the back yard before I’ll post pics, but hopefully we’re able to get it spruced up and looking nice again over the next few weeks. I have a feeling we’ll be spending more time out there now that we’re essentially tethered to the house for the rest of the summer.

For dinner, my parents treated us to a nice Italian dinner at the newest Charlie Gitto’s restaurant. I love, love, love Italian food, and this was by far one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We started off with an appetizer of bread and garlic dip, followed by lobster bisque soup. I don’t know if other couples do this, but the hubs and I usually order things we can share. We have similar taste in food so a lot of the time, for example, I’ll say, “I’m debating between the seafood risotto or the filet with fontaine cheese and crab meat.” And typically, his reply will be, “That’s what I was debating between too.” So we’ll each order one of the items and share it  My main course was the seafood risotto and he ordered the filet. I’ve never had seafood risotto in which there were chunks of delicious, fresh seafood in every single bite. So good. And his filet was the most tender, buttery cut of melt-in-your-mouth-meat I’ve ever had. Top it with cheese and crab meat and I’m pretty sure I’m asking for that as my last meal. You know, should I ever find myself on Death Row and requesting a last meal.

To top it all off, our waitress brought out this:

 

Sadly, it looks so much better than it tasted. Italian-style cake is not my favorite. I’d much rather have some gelato. But I was so full from dinner that I wouldn’t have been able to eat it anyway. Instead, the hubs had picked up a DQ ice cream cake so we had that a few hours later, once our stomachs settled.

The rest of the night we just hung out on the couch watching Storage Wars and a few other mindless shows. I had hoped all that food and the spices would kick-start my labor but I’m pretty sure it just made us (and by us, I mean me and the baby) sleepy. I had several contractions, but nothing painful.

For a moment, I was disappointed that it was just another day. I mean, thirty is a big freakin’ deal. A new decade, a new layer of adulthood. Last year, I celebrated my birthday on the beach in Maui. Now that’s setting the bar pretty high. But I didn’t send my 20s out with a bang and I didn’t have a baby on my birthday (which I thought would’ve been kind of cool). Instead, it was just another day. But honestly, I’m glad I eased my way into 30. It makes the transition easier, because OMFG I’M THIRTY! That’s a hard pill to swallow. So when I really think about it, low-key was perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Read Full Post »

6 + 39

May 22 marked our 6 year wedding anniversary. It was also our 39 week appointment to check on Mr. Baby. I’ll start with the baby updates first:

I’m 2 cm dilated and about 50% effaced, which is good and means my cervix is doing its job right now, but the baby is still kind of floating because I have so much fluid. So until my water breaks or until my contractions get stronger, he’s not going anywhere. (Side note: previous exams to check dilation were uncomfortable but this one was downright painful – to the point where she had to remind me to breathe because I had stopped and was holding my breath through it. It took my body a few minutes to recover from it. Ouch!)

She also felt around on my belly and monitored his heartbeat for awhile. I guess she was just checking to see how responsive he was because she’d push on him a little and his heartbeat would go up and she’d smile, saying he was getting all excited by the movement. She also said she thinks he’s going to be about a 9lb baby (even though we were estimating 8lbs last week) but we didn’t talk c-section so I’m trying not to freak out about it.

So! With my due date a mere 4 days away, she scheduled me for an induction on May 31st. That way, she’s giving nature (and the baby) about 5 days of wiggle room from my due date to do this thing naturally. (Apparently most women have their babies within five days – before or after – their due date, so she wants to make sure I’m given that amount of time to go on my own.)

I mentioned losing my mucus plug on Saturday but her response – or lack of – indicated to me that it pretty much meant nothing. She was just like “Oh yeah, you’re going to lose a lot of mucus, and some falls out every time we check you.” And here I was all excited about it. Oh well.

I also asked about membrane stripping and if that would help. She said she tried to do that a bit while she was checking me, but there’s so much fluid that it was difficult to do all of it, or something like that.

Basically, when my water breaks, it’s going to be Niagara Falls.

After the appointment, hubs and I went to the Italian district of the city (aka The Hill) for a nice, celebratory dinner at Dominic’s. We were there so early that we joked about trying to get a senior special. For a place that normally requires reservations, we were the ONLY patrons. But it was kind of nice, having a fancy restaurant and multiple waiters dressed as butlers all to ourselves. We started with the calamari appetizer, and the hubs had a glass of chianti wine. I took a tiny sip – the first sip of wine I’ve had since finding out I was pregnant – and let me just say that it was one of the best things I’ve tasted in MONTHS! I’m craving a glass right now, just thinking about it.

They were featuring a veal and mushroom ravioli in a rich cream sauce so I ordered that (and it was amazing), while the hubs ordered lobster ravioli. Then they surprised us with a piece of Italian-style cake (chocolate with rum custard layers and something else, I don’t remember) with a candle and little “Happy Anniversary” card on the top. I only ate a few bites because I wanted to save room for the gelato place down the street. It’s hard to find good gelato in St. Louis but Gelato Di Riso on The Hill is fantastic. We were both too stuffed to eat anymore though, so we got a big container to go.

I know six years isn’t anything super fun or remarkable, and I was kind of sad we didn’t have a baby on our anniversary, but it was nice to spend some quiet time – just the two of us – before shit gets real around here. Sure, it wasn’t drinks on the beach in Maui at sunset like last year, but it was still a pretty good day and a reminder that I married the right man, and there’s no one else I’d rather be on this journey with.

Read Full Post »

And Now, We Wait

Saturday marked my official 39 week mark. And let me tell you, we are about as ready as two people could ever be to welcome a new baby into our lives. The hospital bag is packed, the car seat is installed, the nursery is set, we’ve pre-registered at the hospital, and even the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher, just in case we need to leave the house in the middle of the night.

Warning: TMI ahead!

In other exciting/gross news: My mucus plug came out Saturday morning. I had read that this could happen, and the sound of it completely grossed me out, but it really wasn’t that gross. I got up, went to the bathroom, and hey wait a second…is that…hair gel? No mess, no blood, just a clear gel like substance. At first I was all excited thinking labor could start within a matter of hours, but then I went back to bed, flipped to the pages in my “What to Expect…” book and read that labor could still be two weeks away. Boo to that, I say.

So the last couple of days have basically consisted of me over-analyzing every abdominal feeling – Is it gas? Is it a Braxton Hicks contraction? Is it a real contraction? Is it just the baby moving? Wait, were all those movements contractions and has the baby stopped moving? Why isn’t the baby moving?!?!?! OMG PANIC! Eat something spicy! Drink some caffeine! Oh ok there he is. Phew. Man, those hiccups are so annoying. Why do you hiccup so much, baby?

Yeah, I’m definitely ready to have this baby.

Read Full Post »

38 Weeks

Had my 38 week appointment today! Technically, I’m about 38 weeks and 3 days, but who’s counting? Oh right, I am. Every. Single. Day. And don’t you try to cheat me of a few days, miss nurse lady who had my due date as May 30. I will correct you.

So, the update: Due to baby’s suspected size, my OB had me do an u/s to check measurements. Head and legs are measuring right on target, but his belly is measuring big (a sign of my borderline gestational diabetes) so they’re thinking he’s about 8 lbs right now. I assumed as much. BP was normal (110/78 I think), I tested negative for Group B Strep (yay for no additional IVs during labor!), and my fluid levels were high (a little over 21 cm) but my doc didn’t seem worried. She thinks my fluid levels are also due to the gestational diabetes thing. I’m still a “solid 1cm dilated” but my cervix is still mostly closed and baby is still “floating” a bit up there. The hubs and I both think I’ve dropped some, but apparently not enough to indicate labor just yet. This uterus of mine still has some contracting to do before baby is firmly in place and ready to come out and meet the world.

So what does all this mean? Basically, nothing. Now, we just wait and hope my body and baby do their thing. My OB isn’t concerned that baby will gain much more weight – and I’ve been told that babies sort of taper off their weight gain after the 38 week mark anyway. Here’s hoping! My next appointment is next Tuesday (our 6 year wedding anniversary!) so I assume we’ll talk about scheduling an induction then. I know some docs let their patients go a full 2 weeks past their due date before induction, but she said she wouldn’t let me go that late. So either way, we’re looking at a May baby!

Total weight gain: About 38lbs. I even lost a pound at this week’s appointment. Woot!

How big is baby?: According to my u/s today, he’s about 8lbs.

Maternity clothes:  I have about 5 outfits I can wear – most of them dresses.

Stretch marks?: Sigh. Yes. Lower right side, I’m sporting some “tiger stripes”. Really hopeful that they’ll fade post-baby.

Sleep: Not great but not horrible. The hardest part is just rolling over from one side to the other. It’s much easier to just get up, go to the bathroom, and put myself back in bed on my other side. Rolling over is just way too painful.

Best moment this week: Well, it’s always fun to see the baby on the u/s machine and know he’s doing just fine. I think my favorite part was seeing him grab his little foot and hold onto it. He’s just chillin’ in there, practicing baby yoga.

Movement: Movement isn’t as forceful or obvious on the outside, but I still feel him doing SOMETHING in there, which puts my worrisome mind at ease, and most days he gets hiccups so I feel those too.

Food cravings: At the moment? Deviled eggs.

Food aversions: super hot or spicy foods because the heartburn later just isn’t worth it.

Labor signs: Lots of Braxton Hicks, particularly at night. Today I had a pretty intense contraction of some sort that stopped me mid-walk, but it was a one-time thing and probably a result of the doc checking my cervix a couple of hours before.

Belly button in or out: In, completely flat, and I check it a couple of times a day to see if it’s popped out. I don’t think it will, but it’s so close it’s scary.

What I miss: Too many things to list, but (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) I miss my squishy belly. A hard belly the size of a beach ball is even more uncomfortable than it sounds.

What I’m looking forward to: Having this baby!! I can’t wait to see him, hold him, snuggle him, spoil him, and show him off to all our friends and family. We’re just so excited to meet him! Now if only he would realize just how awesome life on the outside is, maybe he’d come on out of that comfy uterus and hang out with us.

Milestone: Knowing I could have this baby at anytime is pretty exciting. And the thought of having him here in less than 2 weeks is even more exciting. My OB says most women have their babies within 5 days of their due date (before or after), which puts my range at anywhere from about next Monday until May 31.

Other random thoughts: Remember when you were in grade school and how stir crazy everyone got in the last month before summer started? How you would just sort of check out mentally and spend your free moments daydreaming? Yep, that’s me. I’m ready. Physically, emotionally…ready. I used to be afraid of labor. I thought I would be a nervous wreck right about now, part excitement and part dread – of not just the labor, but of caring for a newborn baby when neither of us has any experience at all with babies. But I guess that’s what’s funny about pregnancy – as you near the end, you don’t fear much of anything. You just want your baby in your arms. It’s probably the only time in my life where I’m about to embark on something I know absolutely nothing about – it’s scary, it’s painful, and it’s completely foreign to me – yet I could not be more excited to jump (head first, of course) into this whole parenting thing and never look back.

Read Full Post »

Happy Mother’s Day!

Even though the babers hasn’t made his appearance just yet, I was surprised by the number of cards, texts, gifts, and even random shout-outs from strangers I received in honor of this year’s Mother’s Day. I don’t know if every Mother’s Day is always this great, but I sure hope so!

First, there were the cards from my grandma and my own mom. Then came my early birthday present from my in-laws, but very appropriate for Mother’s Day.

Hard to see from the picture but it’s a heart-shaped necklace with sculpture of mom and baby/child on the inside. Super sweet and I’ve been wearing it since I got it three days ago.

The biggest surprise came this morning though, when I woke up to the sound of the baby’s music box playing in the nursery. I got up to see why on Earth my husband was playing in the nursery, and walked in to see a card and pretty blue Tiffany’s bag on the glider. I hadn’t even opened the gift yet before the waterworks started (damn hormones!).

He got me a Tiffany’s charm bracelet with the little blue box symbolizing our little blue gift that’s due very soon now. So sweet.

The rest of the day (and weekend) was just as enjoyable. We started off Saturday with a run to a local donut shop for coffee and donuts (and saved the leftovers for Sunday). After taking the dog to the groomer for a much needed bath and shave, we drove around scoping out outdoor patio furniture. For lunch, we popped into one of our favorite Chicago-style hot dog joints. We’re kind of obsessed.

Then it was home for a short nap, followed by dinner and a movie. (We saw The Avengers. Pretty entertaining. And like all the other Marvel movies, make sure you watch it until the VERY end, past ALL of the credits.)

My only complaint was my neighbor’s stupid dog that barked from about midnight until at least 3am. As much as I love animals, especially dogs, I spent the majority of that time contemplating how I could remove Fluffy’s voice box with minimal injury to myself and maximum injury to the dog. Not my finest hours, but considering I didn’t actually DO anything, I call that a win. I really don’t like that dog.

On Sunday/Mother’s Day, after the wonderful surprise from my sweet hubby, we had coffee and donuts for breakfast, lounged around the house and researched some patio furniture online, went to brunch at Pietro’s in south city, followed by shaved ice at the only decent shaved ice place we’ve found since visiting Hawaii, picked up some wings for my grandparents from Syberg’s, bought my grandma a floral hanging basket, and spent time with my grandparents while my husband mowed their massive lawn. For dinner, we had Penn Station sub sandwiches, and I played around on the internet while the hubs mowed our lawn too. So all in all, a pretty fabulous Mother’s Day for me.

Now if only Mr. Baby would go ahead and make his debut so I can feel like I’ve earned all these gifts, that would be awesome.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! “Mom” can mean so many things – moms of furbabies, moms of angel babies, foster moms, adopted moms, step-moms, moms who are no longer with us, the “almost any day now moms” and the moms who are still waiting to become moms…they’re all special and they all deserve to be honored today. Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Read Full Post »

All My Bags Are Packed. I’m Ready To Go…

After Tuesday’s appointment, and hearing that I may be induced as early as late next week, the hubs went into baby prep overdrive. That night, we finished packing our hospital bag, and the next night, he finished the nursery.

I’ll get to nursery pics eventually, but for now, let’s focus on the hospital bag.

It’s not easy to see, but inside that bag we’ve got the following:

• Change of clothes for the hubs
• Nursing tank, pj pants, robe, and slippers for me
• Mini shampoo and conditioner
• Mini deodorants – his and hers
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste
• Granola bars, crackers, and Jolly Ranchers
• The baby book, for getting baby’s foot and handprints.
• Hospital paperwork
• Two going-home outfit choices for the babers

Not included in the bag but that will definitely be coming with us – nursing pillow (boppy pillow), camera, iPad & charger, my makeup, and a couple of DVDs.

What else do I need?

Read Full Post »

37 Week OB Update

I’m well into my 37th week now, and today was my weekly OB appointment. Here’s the skinny:

Blood pressure was higher than last week but not terrible. 130 something over 80, I think.

Dilated 1 cm which basically means nothing. Baby hasn’t dropped. He’s still got his butt up in the air as far as he can.

Last week, my OB said she thought he seemed a little on the big side, estimating that he was getting close to 7lbs. This week, one of my OB’s partners in the practice examined me and she said – without even knowing my OB said last week – that she thought he was probably about 7 and a half pounds right now. Which means that if I go until my due date, he’ll be over 9lbs. And that is not good for me, folks. But, we all know those estimates are just shots in the dark so she scheduled an ultrasound for my appointment next week to see just how big baby S really is. Depending on those results, she said they may recommend inducing me before my due date.

So I’m hoping for one of three things:

1. That baby comes on his own within the next week and I don’t have to worry about any of this (least likely; he seems to like it up in here)

2. That baby isn’t really that big at all and I just have a lot of fluid or something and he comes right on time (also not likely considering the OB felt around for awhile before declaring her guess on his weight)

3. That baby is a little big but that I can get scheduled quickly for an induction by late next week and that all goes smoothly – meaning I get a healthy baby without a lot of pain or complications.

I guess I’ll know on Tuesday what the plan is, but until then, I’m taking any and all suggestions for how to get this baby to drop and come out on his own ASAP. So let’s hear ’em!

Read Full Post »

The Positives of Pregnancy

I hit the 37 week mark over the weekend, which means Mr. Baby is officially full term. And I’m officially over being pregnant. Oh it hasn’t been horrible by any means, but I’m just…done. I want my back to stop hurting. I want to sleep on my stomach again. I want to be able to roll from side to side without feeling like I’m going to break my spine in the process. I want to wear my wedding rings again. I want to go shoe shopping so I can wear something other than these stretched-out flats or my flip-flops. I want to enjoy a crisp, cold beer or a nice glass of wine. I want to see the bones in my feet and ankles again. And I guess more than any of that, I’m just ready to meet our baby and start our parenting journey as a family of four (because when you have a 90lbs dog, he totally counts as his own person).

But while I’m busy looking forward, dreaming and planning about the future, I have to admit that there have been some positives to all this pregnancy business. It’s hard to explain, but part of me feels like I’m doing a social experiment, parading around in a pregnancy body suit just to see how people react to me. I’ve always been a people-watcher, but now I feel like a people-watcher that’s watching people watch her. And it’s bizzarre, but mostly in a good way. So even though most women tend to ramble a laundry list of horrible things about being pregnant (like I did above), I think it’s important to remember the positives about it.

So let’s start:

1. Women are ridiculously nice to you, regardless of if they’ve ever been pregnant or not. Experienced mothers will give you their sympathies and say things like “Oh you poor thing!” They’re supportive and have that “I’ve been there, so I know how you feel” look. The never-been-pregnant ladies will either tell you how great you look (liars, all of them, but it’s sweet) or make small talk about how you’re feeling, if you’re excited, and if you’re ready. The answers are almost always “Not too bad, yes, and not at all.”  But no matter what the conversation, I have to say I appreciate the positive attention from these women. As a childless 20-something, most women tended to ignore me, and so I always felt that I got along better with men than with women, if only because making casual conversation seemed easier. But now it’s like the tables have turned and every woman wants to be my BFF while men avoid me like I’m carrying the plague. I kind of like it.

2. I can take advantage of the “expectant mothers” parking and not feel the least bit lazy about it. I only wish more establishments had that parking option. Only my grocery store and Babies R Us seems to have it.

3. I can take the elevator for only two flights of stairs and not give a damn about what anyone thinks.

4. For the first time in my life, I’m not self-conscious about my belly nor do I try to hide it with clothing. Instead, I look for outfits that show off my belly area most so that the eye is distracted from the other areas of my body that have also gained a few pounds (like my arms, legs, butt, etc.)

5. I can eat ice cream any and every night of the week. (Because the baby needs the calcium!)

6. I finally have justification for getting pedicures and (prenatal) massages.

7. I have to rely on either my husband or a cleaning service to do the “real” cleaning around the house. Sometimes this is more of a negative than a positive but lately, the hubs has stepped it up a notch in the housekeeping department and doesn’t bat an eye when I ask him to pick something up off the floor for me or to bring me a glass of water so I don’t have to roll myself off the couch and up the stairs.

8. No one judges me for eating my lunch at 10am. Which I totally did today.

9. Beggars leave me alone or will instead say something really nice like “You’re about to drop, ain’t ya?” or “Oooh boy! Any day now!!”  I don’t care if I do still have another 2 months to go (at the time), I’d rather hear that any day than be hassled for some change.

10. And finally, I’d be an asshat if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that the most positive thing about pregnancy is simply being pregnant. With so many people struggling with infertility, I’m just over the moon thankful that getting pregnant was relatively easy for us and that, God willing, we’d be able to hopefully do this again. The hubs and I talk a lot about “baby #2” and I remind myself often that just having one is a blessing and that some of my friends, even those who will or have had babies via invitro, may not have another shot at this or be able to grow their family beyond baby #1. As an only child, I know that being the one and only is actually quite enjoyable at times, but I’m sure it’s difficult for those couples who have always dreamed of having a big family. We’ve been very fortunate in this regard and I don’t ever want to take that fact for granted.

 

 

Read Full Post »

36 Weeks aka 9 Months

So um….I’m having a baby this month!! That sounds so weird and exciting to say out loud.

I had my 36 week doctor’s appointment today. This is when they start doing the vaginal exams and also the week they do the Group B Strep Test. For those uninitiated or unfamiliar with what this is, it’s just a test to check to see if you’re a carrier of this little bacteria. If you are, and something like 45% of women are, then all that means is that they’ll give you an IV of antibiotics when you go into labor. No big deal. The reason they have to do that though is so that your baby doesn’t get it when you deliver because it can lead to meningitis. The test itself wasn’t bad. I had read that they swab your anus, but that wasn’t the case at all. My OB just took a really long looking Q-tip and swabbed my cervix. After that, she did the vaginal check to see if she could feel baby’s head. Apparently my cervix wouldn’t cooperate though, so just to be sure baby was positioned head down, she had me step into another room to do a quick ultrasound. And yes, sure enough, baby is head down, butt up, feet to my right. And, he’s facing toward my back which I hear is the optimal position for avoiding back labor. I’m assuming he still needs to drop, but hopefully that happens soon.

Other than that, she said everything looks great. My BP was 110/70 (good) and my weight gain was right on target. She did ask how big I was as a baby (8 lbs something) and said that she think he’s measuring a little on the larger side. She estimated baby weighs somewhere in the high 6’s and will likely be born around high 7’s, maybe 8 lbs.

Total weight gain: I didn’t ask exactly how much I had gained according to my doctor’s charts, but based on my own estimates, I’m thinking about 35 lbs.

How big is baby?: According to BabyCenter.com, he’s about 6lbs, but based on my OB’s estimates, he’s closer to 6.5 or more.

Maternity clothes:  Yes. And I just started buying some nursing-friendly tops and bras for the hospital and post-baby.

Stretch marks?: Sadly, yes. On the right, lower side of my belly, the little pink streaks I thought I was noticing are a bit more visible now. I still have hope that with the right lotions and potions post-baby, they’ll fade away, but as of right now I can no longer say I haven’t developed stretch marks. Bummer.

Sleep: Not great. The other night I got up to pee 5 times. My hips hurt, I get super hot in the middle of the night, and it’s really difficult to roll over.

Best moment this week: Today’s doctor’s appointment. I just love hearing his little heartbeat, seeing his spine on the u/s, and getting reassurance that everything is great.

Movement: Oh yes. He still gets hiccups at least once a day, and even though he’s not super active doing somersaults or anything, I feel him stretching his legs and moving his feet from time to time, and sometimes I can see his butt poking out just on the left side of my belly button.

Food cravings: Not really. Although a brownie sounds really tasty right now.

Food aversions: I’m still not crazy about grilled chicken or any grilled meats really, but I’m warming up to healthy foods. Particularly carrots and squash. I used to love, love, love pizza but for some reason lately, I don’t want it at all. Odd.

Labor signs: Still experiencing some Braxton Hicks and lately, my girly regions feel like I’ve either gone spinning for the first time or went horseback riding for a couple of hours. And it only hurts when I walk, like some deep sort of bruise. Not sure if it’s a sign of labor or not, but something is definitely going on down there.

Belly button in or out: Still in but it’s completely flat. My husband calls it “the turkey baster” and is waiting for it to pop.

What I miss: Oh so many things… but mostly just being about to move without a giant bowling ball of a stomach blocking my every move. Sleeping is hard, bending over is hard, carrying things is hard, even just sitting on the couch with my laptop is hard because I need to have a pillow to prop it up because my belly is in the way. As much as I enjoy growing this baby, I’ll be glad when I can have my body back to myself.

What I’m looking forward to: Having a baby. I still have a laundry list of things to get done, but the end is in sight and I just can’t wait to snuggle my baby.

Milestone: Hitting 9 months over the weekend was a pretty big deal. And now that it’s May 1, and I can say I’m having a baby this month (provided he’s not more than a few days late), well it’s all really exciting.

Other random thoughts: I’ve made a little progress to my list from last week:

• Pick a pediatrician – Interviewing one tomorrow and I’m pretty sure she’s the one we’re going to go with.
• Pre-register at the hospital
• Finish the nursery
• Pack a hospital bag – I have everything I need, I just need to throw it all in the same bag.
• Install the car seat
• Finish buying some of the necessities from our registry
• Set up the pack ‘n play (so we can use the bassinet part of it for those first few weeks)
• Pick a new doctor – since mine is moving at the end of May
• And then the 35 things I still need to transition or wrap-up at work…

Oh and I’ve had some weird dreams lately. Last night, I dreamt my water broke and I was scrambling to get to the hospital. I woke up and had to feel around on the bed to make sure it was just a dream and that my water hadn’t actually broken while I was asleep.

And finally, here’s a pic from Monday night. I was too lazy to edit it or crop it so you’re getting the raw, iPhone shot. You’re welcome.

My husband couldn’t understand why I wanted to hold my belly, but when you’re this big, dresses just drape and your entire bottom half looks as wide as your pregnant belly. Basically, I end up looking twice as big as I really am unless I do something that says “No really, I’m just all belly! Look here!”

Ok, so that’s not ENTIRELY true. My ass grew about 3 sizes early on, but now I don’t see that as such a bad thing because with all this weight up front, I’d like to think it was my body’s way of knowing I’d need a little extra weight behind me so I wouldn’t topple over or have crazy bad backaches. So…good job, body.

Read Full Post »