A Pregnancy Blog

I had an appointment with my midwife today. I am now down to once weekly appointments, or more as the case may be. I went in today thinking it would be a fairly hum-drum sort of appointment only to find that my weight has shot up 4 pounds in the last 10 days, my feet (mainly the right) is now the size and shape of a medium sized melon, and I have a fair amount of protein in my tinkle. All par and parcel for being pregnant one would think, except that these symptoms - especially the protein - can be indicators of pre-eclampsia which in the worst case scenario could mean high blood pressure leading to seizures of which the only cure is delivery. However, I’m not jumping to any conclusions just yet. My blood pressure was fine today and I have a follow-up appointment on Friday to recheck everything. In the meantime… I guess to do a more thorough check on the protein issue my midwife has asked me to do something called a 24 hour urine collection. In short… this means that I get to collect all my tinkle for a 24 hour period in a jug which has to stay refrigerated. NOW… just to allay any fears those of you who have, or may in the future, dine or drink at my house rest assured that there is not a jar of my tinkle in my fridge. Even though Ben tried to convince me that it would be ok and “sanitary” since pee is sterile I held my ground - as much for myself as for all of you - and made him bring in the igloo chest and buy me a 2 pound bag of ice. Nicely separated from all food and drink. In other news… they checked me and I was dilated to a full 1 centimeter. I’m a 10th of the way there!! Only 9 more centimeters to go!! As my sister pointed out, I’m already further along than she ever got when she had KaLee, so that’s gotta count for something, right? Me, my sister Rachel, and her sister-in-law Kerri are all pregnant and all due within 2 weeks of each other - Kerri due on July 27, me on August 15, and Rachel on September 2. Wellllll… Kerri had her baby last night, so I’m up. YAY! Seriously, time to get this show on the road.

I think we’re ready now. At least as far as things go. The girls at work threw me one helluva baby shower last weekend. I have never, in my life, been to a shower like this. I do believe I was the only sober one there. Apparently, this is how they do baby showers in Louisiana which is where the girl who threw the shower is from. I can’t wait to get some pictures back (you’ll remember that I’m on restriction from using our camera now) so that I can post them for you all to see. I had a straight up Baby Mama party hat made for me that I had to wear, and the Cosmopolitans and beer flowed freely. We had good ole’ crawfish etouffee and dirt cake to eat and an overall dang good time! Just wait - I’ll show you. Other than that, the cub’s room is just about done. We’ve got everything in place and on the walls and a closet full of clothes! Just need a baby. Check back soon and hopefully I’ll have some pictures up from my shower and of the nursery.

As I briefly mentioned a couple of posts ago my sister and I had a maternity photo shoot with our friend/professional photographer Julie Rivera. And let me tell you, pregnant or not, I don’t think I’ve ever looked as good as Julie made me look in these pictures. I think the thing that helped is that we all had such a dang blast while taking the pictures. Julie is just too funny anyway, and I’m such a dork… put the two together and you get one funny photo shoot. This is a total product placement post and I think that if any of you are looking for someone to take some pictures of you, your family, your huge belly, or really whatever else strikes your fancy then you should check Julie out. Here’s a preview… go to www.julieriveraphoto.com and then enter the site and go to the tab “For Clients”. Type in the password ThorpR and you can see the fabulous work that Julie did for me and Rachel. I can’t wait to get a couple of them matted and framed. Yeah!! Let me know what you think. Enjoy =)

I had a great weekend! My sister, brother-in-law, niece and 2 friends from college came and stayed the night with me on Friday. I didn’t think I still had it in me, but sure enough did stay up til 1am laughing til I thought I’d pee. Just like everytime Kim and Jamie are around… only difference was this time there was no alcohol involved. At least not with me…

I thought I’d share with you a few pictures from my baby shower on Saturday. 2 of my mom’s close friends who pretty much helped raise me threw me a baby shower in Cove this past weekend. It was a lot of fun and it’s official now - this kid has way too many clothes!! But did that stop me from taking a trash bag full of hand me downs? You bet it didn’t!! You never know, right? And I’d hate to be caught in situation without an outfit for the cub!

Opening baby gifts =) I can’t wait to put all this stuff to use!! I came home this afternoon and started packing our “hospital” bag - really a smaller, more condensed version of it since it’s a birthing center bag. Keeping in mind that instead of packing for a 3 day stay we’re only packing for a 6-8 hour stay. I went ahead and crossed off the “bathing suit for husband” line though. No way, no how are we doing one of those hippie water births. Don’t think I don’t know that a baby isn’t the only thing that comes out during labor. And I’m damn sure not going to sit in it. And if I’m not sitting in it, can I really ask Ben to? No, probably not… so, no packing of bathing suits for this family.

God bless Saint Paula!! This was at the end of the shower and dear sweet Paula let me lay down while she rubbed my sausages for an hour. Nothing has ever felt so good. This in fact was probably the best gift I’ve gotten throughout this pregnancy!

This is me and the ladies after the shower. Such silly peeps! I can’t wait til this kiddo is here and I can introduce her to all of you that have helped me have such a fun and supportive pregnancy! Not much longer now!!

Tomorrow we turn 35 weeks pregnant. Just one more week that I really need to stay pregnant. Today I went to work, but only for 8 hours - what a treat!! So, the countdown has begun…

34weeks 6days (Thursday): One contraction while at work. Still pregnant!

35weeks (Friday): NO CONTRACTIONS!!!

35weeks 1day (Saturday): 1-2 contractions. Plus a great baby shower. Plus a fantastically fun(ny) maternity photo shoot. More to follow on that.

35weeks 2days (Sunday): Contractions? Check (x1). Fat, swollen, sausage feet? Double check!! As an aside… how come if you’re pregnant people think they have free reign to comment on how big you are, as in “OMG!! You are SOOOO big!” Oh well. I’m ’bout to lose like 15 pounds in one day here soon. So, all will be well then. Ha!

35weeks 3days (Monday): Back to work for 8 hours - 3 contractions. Hmmm… coincidence? (Man! That is one hard word to spell!)

35weeks 4days (Tuesday): 4 doozies!! Having gone so long without a period, this is a rude reminder of what I was missing. And Ben’s take? “Well, 4. That’s not too bad”.

35weeks 5days (Wednesday): Only 2 today. Back to work for 8 hours tomorrow and only 2 days left til possible D-day (delivery day)!!!

35weeks 6days (Thursday): Not a single thing today. YAY! And dare I say it looks like we’re going to make it to the 36 week mark? As I type this I have approximately 6 minutes to go… so unless I go into the world’s absolutely most ridiculously fast labor and deliver in like 5 minutes flat it looks like we’re in the clear! Should be interesting to see what next week brings when I go back to working 12 hour shifts… maybe a baby?!

So, I’ve been exceptionally crampy the last 3 days. I just attributed it to those pesky Braxton Hicks contractions that I’ve heard so much about… whoops. Last night while I was at work I was becoming more and more crampy and mentioned it to my charge nurse. Well, long story short I found myself on the Labor & Delivery floor hooked up to a monitor for an hour. After once again explaining what I’ve been feeling to the doctor on duty they did a check of my cervix and discovered that there has indeed been “cervical change”. So, although I have not begun to dilate yet my cervix has gotten all soft and short which as I understand it is the beginning of it all. I had to follow up with my regular midwife today who agreed that I have in fact been contracting. She also made sure that Ben and I understood that this is not a good thing this early. Although the cub would fare very well if born now it’s still a tad bit early. So, I am under strict instructions to take it easy and stop contracting until next Friday when I turn the magic 36 weeks pregnant.

Apparently, 36 weeks is the magic number. That is officially full term. It’s early full term, but full term nonetheless. Also, now that I’ve gone through all this hassle to move over to the birthing center I’ll be damned if I have to deliver in a hospital because I’ve gone into labor too early. And the birthing center won’t deliver me before 36 weeks. So… legs crossed and up in the air for the next 10 days. After that, my uterus and cervix are cleared to do what they will. So, July 18th = contract away. Regardless, the midwives don’t seem to think that I will make it all the way to my due date of August 15th. I’m still able to work, which is good since a large part of my maternity leave will be unpaid anyway, but for the next week and a half or so I’ll only be working 8 hour shifts instead of my usual 12 hour shifts. I guess that isn’t such a bad thing either… except I’m still trying to finish up some school work so I guess that means I’ll just have to juggle a little faster. Oh well… almost done. With all of it! School and pregnancy. Wow! More laters, but that’s all for now folks.

Yep! It’s that time… Ben and I have begun to discover the wonder of Lamaze. I knew I was off to a bad start when he asked me on the way to the first class if he could leave early. Of course, the fact that class is on a Wednesday night - also known in our house as Dude’s Night - didn’t sit well with him at all. In fact, I think he might actually think I purposely planned on taking a Wednesday night Lamaze class so that he would miss out on part of Dude’s Night. Seriously… I knew I was in trouble when we started class and there was Ben giggling at the pictures of cervixes and babies being birthed. He also thought it was funny to insinuate I might be causing in-utero harm to the cub with all the illicit drug use I’ve been taking part in. This is my dear, sweet husband… fast forward to Week 2 of Lamaze. The teacher asks us to flip to page 72 of our Lamaze Workbook so that we can review “Comfort Positions for Pregnancy and Labor”. That’s when I find that dear Ben has re-worked this page. It’s now titled “Kama Sutra Positions for Pregnancy and Labor”. Awesome… and it only got more better as I read what his names for each position. This one really needs a visual, so next time I see you make sure to ask if you can see my Lamaze book. It is truly a winner… something to keep in the baby book for sure!

So, we’ll (the cub and I) be 35 weeks on Friday. My gawd!! That’s only one week away from full-term. That’s a little nerve wracking! I’ve been talking a buncha crap about this baby coming early but I gotta admit - I have no clue what to do or how to do it, and frankly the longer she is in here, all quiet and portable, the more comfortable I am! In the last two weeks or so I’ve definitely started to notice a difference in the way I feel. Frankly, this is outright uncomfortable. There is what feels a lot like knees or maybe a butt up underneath my right ribs. This makes sitting up in any really comfortable way difficult to say the least. I look like quite the gansta in my car - my seat all laid back. Unfortunately its not so much cuz I’m cool but a lot so much cuz I can’t sit up comfortably any other way.

I have a vague feeling of what it must feel like to be 80. Or so I think. Minus the moving baby in my belly… that’d be kinda natty if an 80 year old were feeling that. But otherwise, yes, things are starting to get mighty uncomfortable! My carpal tunnel has now progressed to both hands - all fingers except for my pinkies are now numb. This makes for interesting shifts as a nurse starting IVs. I know my patients think I’m joking when I tell them it’s going to be a blind stick… if only they knew I can’t feel a dang thing!! Those infamous round ligaments are starting to kick in too. For those of you unfamiliar with what a round ligament is, it is a ligament on both sides of the uterus that holds it up in place. These ligaments stretch and get all loosey goosey as the uterus becomes heavy with child… and all that stretchin starts to get pretty sore!! Then of course there’s my feet… now thankfully these boats of mine haven’t grown in size like I’ve heard some women’s feet have, but it feels like they’ve started expanding. So that every step I take feels like I’m walking on feet that have either been broken or run a marathon. One or the other. But wait!! That’s not all. Let’s not forget my ability to drop and/or forget everything possible!! This is fun, huh?! Oh yeah… Case in point:

The date: July 3rd

I was at work the other day and thought I’d be nice and volunteer to run, literally, across the street!! to pick up lunch for everyone. Seems easy enough, huh? The order of events ensues thusly:

1. Get out of car, lock doors, close door.

2. Look at car keys and purse lying inside said locked car. Realize this is NOT good.

3. Call work and explain I may be a little late coming back from lunch… work suggests they send over the security guard who will help me unlock my car. GREAT plan!!

4. Security guard gets there - proceeds to demonstrate to me that he has no clue what he’s doing. He does, however, manage to scratch the hell outta my car door in the process.

5. It’s now an hour later… did I mention its like 200 degrees hot outside, and as Ben likes to point out I’m 112 months pregnant? My keys are still inside my car (my newly scratched car) and I have no idea what to do. But wait!! I suddenly remember I just might have a spare key at home!

6. My friend comes and picks me up. I drive her back to work and take her car to my house to get my spare car key… when I realize “well crap! I hope that I left the back door unlocked…otherwise, how am I going to get inside the house!?”

7. I get home and on my way to the back door discover the one and only pot hole in our backyard - thus twisting my ankle. I hobble over to the back door and… BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP… set off the burglar alarm. It’s loud. It’s very loud. And now the dogs are charging me and barking and howling.

THIS IS SUCH A FUN DAY!!!!!!! Turns out, I did have a spare key, and all (except for the scratches on my car) worked out. But seriously, is this really the type of day anyone, pregnant or not, should have!?! I swear…

So, to sum it all up pregnancy after week 32 isn’t much fun. But that’s OK because the light at then end of the tunnel is visible. More soon! Peace out.

I konw, I know… I’ve heard from many of you that it’s high time I get back on here and post again. The thing is, everything I’ve wanted to talk about would be sooo much better if I had pictures to go along with it. And as we all know, I lost our camera so it’s been kinda hard. BUT now I have pictures thanks to my dad so let’s get started!!

As you remember from my last post me and Ben and the whole fam went down for an ill-fated trip to Sea World. My rings and camera are still languishing in some pawn shop but I was able to snag this great pic of me and my sister, Rachel. She’s due about 2 weeks after I am and it seemed appropriate that we would document this wonder in some way. So, here it is! Pretty cute, I think!

Just look at dem bellies!!!!!!!

Otherwise, things have been going well. Ben’s mom (my baby Gramama) was down here a couple of weeks ago for 9 days. We had a great time with her and got a lot done as far as the baby’s room goes. It is painted, all furniture is put together, and some things are put up and away. I found the greatest little stars to hang above the crib! The only thing is, I don’t think these stars were meant to be wall hangings, so it’s going to require a bit of creativity (and possibly a drill, maybe a hammer and some nails) to make them hangable. The stars are 3 dimensional and I think were originally fashioned to be drink trays. I’m using them for wall art, and I’m thinking I can put a couple of small stuffed animals in them to sit over the crib… awwww!

My friends Marsha and Moe threw me an awesome baby shower on June 22nd and it was super fun! Lots of friends, lot of super cute baby clothes, and the best dang cake I ever did taste!!

I even made Ben go to the shower so that he could show his appreciation and sheer giddiness over the impending arrival… he was thrilled. Of course, now he thinks that I somehow tricked him into going, that this isn’t something that guys do. And of course I have so much free time on my hands that this is exactly what I’ve been doing in my spare time - thinking up ways to trick dear Ben into baby stuff. Doesn’t look like he was having too bad of a time to me though. He did a very good job of Ooohing and Awwing and exclaining “But its so tiny!” at all the right times. I was very proud =)

So, as I mentioned in my last post, this was the weekend we went to Sea World with the fam. Well, what a weekend it turned into. Let me see if I can hit the high points.

1. Go to Sea World - do NOT get mistaken for Shamu, so this is a plus. However, my hands do swell to at least twice their normal size. I then spend 10 minutes in the bathroom with some soap trying to wiggle my rings off - and actually managed to get them off. Go me!! I zipped them up in one of those super secret compartments in the camera case and off I went…

2. While at Sea World, I lose my purse (with aforementioned camera case in it). Now, if you’re following that also means that my wedding rings were in it. I naively go to Lost & Found but of course no one has turned anything in… that’s because they’re probably halfway to the pawn shop or Mexico with my camera and wedding rings. =’(

3. Monday comes and on my way to my first appointment with the midwife got pulled over!! NOT for speeding (this I’m sure comes a big surprise to most of you) but because while stopped at a stop light some bored cop notices my state inspection is expired… by 3 months. I’VE BEEN A LITTLE BUSY!!!! Thankfully, he just gave me a warning!

**As an aside, the first meeting with the midwife went spectacularly well!! I LOVED her. All is well with Bampton too. She is head down already, her back is on my right side, and her butt is up in my ribs. The midwife could tell all this by feeling and pushing and prodding. Neat!! I’ll go back in 2 weeks for another check up.

4. I come home from my appointment and my niece really wanted to go swimming. Now then, I’m not normally a big outdoorsy person anyway but especially in the Texan summer so of course I have nothing that fits to wear to the pool… except for an old bikini. So yep, you got it… I was that woman at the pool. But at least I remembered the sunscreen. Or so I thought. Well, I remembered it, I just forgot to put it everywhere that a bikini bared to the hot Texas sun. So now I have a sunburned belly. This week is getting better by the minute!!

5. So, today I finally get around to getting my state inspection done… 3 1/2 months later. Only to find out that the reason my tire is low is not because I need air, but because there is a huge screw in it. Which of course requires a repair. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, what the hell else can happen!?!?!?!? I am actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow where I can in no way get myself into trouble or lose more money.

On a super happy note though, my awesome brother-in-law and husband spent all day Monday putting the baby’s room together! We’re almost ready for a baby! The room is painted a pretty yellow and all the furniture is assembled and arranged. Just need some pretty things to put on the walls and a mattress and we’re in business! The room looks awesome… if I hadn’t lost our camera I would totally post a picture of it for you to see, but… I’m sure someone will come over soon and I will borrow their camera. And then you can see!

K, that’s all folks. That’s enough, wouldn’t you say?

Sooo… it turns out that no matter how big your pre-pregnancy clothes were on you before you were pregnant, they will in NO WAY fit you as maternity pants. Dang it all!! I figured this out yesterday when I tried on 2 or 3 pairs of capris from last summer that had been very big and baggy on me and I couldn’t even start the zipper. I am officially confined now to 3 pairs of maternity jeans. And scrubs. This experience leads me to believe that I am actually bigger than I think. What the…!??! We’re heading to Sea World this weekend with my family, so here’s hoping I don’t get confused with Shamu…

AKA: Anniversary #2

Tomorrow is our second anniversary but we celebrated today. In true anniversary fashion we started off the day by visiting Inner Space Caverns where we learned all about stalagmites and stalactites and whatnot. It was actually pretty darn interesting and oh so romantical!!

To round out the morning we went to BabiesR’Us. I truly think this was probably Ben’s favorite part of the day. He offered his own special blend of sarcasm and humor (not to mention the occasional well placed comment) to the whole process of registering for baby goods. We were looking at changing pad covers and here I am trying to decide organic or not organic? cotton or chenille? white or yellow? Ben? His contribution is “well, why don’t we just put some wax paper or a grocery bag over the changing pad since it’s all gonna get dirty anyway”. A wise man, no doubt.

On our way to a very fancy anniversary dinner at the Driskill Hotel downtown I’m sharing with my sweet and considerate husband a story from work the other night. I was triaging a woman who asked me when I was due. “In about 2 months” I say … to which her response was “but you’re SO big already”. Now then, the correct response to this story would be:

A) Why, that …

B) Honey, you look beautiful!

C) BIG?! You’re barely starting to show!

D) Well baby, you do got a cub in your cave.

If you’re anyone else the obvious answer is A, B, or even C (my fave!). If you’re my sweet husband, you bust out with D - a cub in my cave. Funny? Yes. How I want to think of my body? Um, not so much. This of course followed the “Wow! That tummy is getting big!” comment made while getting ready for aforementioned fancy anniversary dinner… does anyone else hear the ice cracking beneath him?!

All in all, this has been a great year. I’m a super lucky girl and I’m excited to see what each new year with Ben brings me!!