New Furniture

I am typing this on our new, wonderfully comfortable couches! We found a couch/love seat set on craigslist that fit our budget and our decor.

I absolutely love them. They are soft and squishy, but with enough support to feel comfortable! And I can get out of them without Dan's help! I couldn't sit in our old ones and expect to get up without assistance.

They are larger than the old ones, but just enough to be comfy and not overwhelm the room. We will list our old ones on craigslist.

Baby visit went fine - no news is good news. 11 weeks to go!

Turtle is doing much better. She's back to her goofy self - chasing cats and into everything. What a relief. Seeing her stand there staring at the wall for hours was more than a little disconcerting. I've never seen a more pathetic creature than her yesterday.

Fairly Ho-Hum

It's been fairly busy, although quiet at the same time.

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend enjoying BBQ with friends. We ended up at a new (to us) park for "Porkfest 2008." A friend of ours made several varieties of ribs and everyone brought the extras. It was a beautiful day - lots of sunshine, sailboats going by on Puget Sound, waves lapping on the beach, families flying kites and playing soccer, even an ice cream truck - it was so darn perfect it almost seemed staged.

On Monday we had friends here and ate some wonderful smoked ribs, fresh corn and fruit salad, and played cards.

In between we have been working on household projects in preparation for the baby. We're putting up shelves, rearranging furniture, putting up curtains and (trying) to get the baby's room ready. It's a long, slow process. Anyone want to come visit to help kick us into gear?

Baby wise everything is fine. I'm in PT twice a week for pregnancy induced carpel tunnel. I've lost most of the feeling in my right hand because of the swelling. PT is helping though - I am starting to feel some things again and the pain is lessening. I'm basically a klutz though, and don't trust myself to handle anything breakable at the point. Between pain and loss of sensation I just don't have the strength in my fingers/hand anymore.

Standard appointment tomorrow afternoon. I'll update more later.

And Cheryl - Turtle is normally as nutty as ever. She's a sick little girl right now. We took her in for her yearly shots today, and apparently she is allergic to leptosis. It's something they recommended because we take her to dog parks and the down to the water to swim. The vet thinks the reaction should wear off after 24 hours, but Turtle is not a happy girl right now.

Just To Be Clear...

The only one who seems embarrassed by Otis' lack of fur is Dan :) It doesn't seem to bother Otis in the least - he actually is not shedding as much and he seems more comfortable. Dan, however, thinks his poor dog is going to suffer emotional damage. :)

In baby news, at our last ob visit on Friday we got the all clear! My glucose test came back fine, and the placenta has moved to the correct position. Little One is currently breech, but it doesn't matter since we have 10-14 weeks for him to move into the correct position.

My blood pressure was slightly elevated, so I have to start monitoring it at home. The only part that's driving me nuts is the pain in my hands. I've had arthritis for years, and all the extra fluid pressing on the joints in my fingers is quite painful. There are days I can't hold a pen it hurts so badly. In the past week I've also lost most of the feeling in two of the fingers on my right hand. I have an appointment tomorrow with an orthopedic rehab doc to get fitted for a splint to help relieve some of the pressure.

Our baby is currently 2 1/2 pounds, close to 15 inches long and quite active. Little One's eyes are opening and closing, and there is definitely response to outside stimuli. Little One kicked consistently at both the ultrasound probe and the doppler probe. It was kinda funny. In talking to several other women in our childbirth class, our babies all have the same reaction to their daddies. Baby will kick and squirm for an hour - but as soon as dad puts his hand on our stomach, all movement stops. It's hysterical (and frustrating for dad!)

We're in the home stretch!

She shaved my dog. I'm getting even.

C'mere Turtle.

Good News from Ultrasound Doc

The placenta previa has resolved itself! That means (I think) that things go back to normal for us. We meet with our doctor tomorrow to get more answers, but having the placenta move to its correct location is wonderful news.

We also learned that all Little One's organs are in place and look healthy, and we appear to be right on track for our due date.

Apologies for Mothers Day Whine Fest

A wonderfully sweet man pointed out that my post from yesterday sounded a little whiny. He's right, and that's not at all how I meant it to come across.

Being pregnant is much harder than I ever anticipated. It's harder physically, but also emotionally.

It's also much more rewarding than I ever could have dreamed, and in ways that are nearly impossible to describe. Seeing Dan's face as he feels Little One's feet kicking is a sight I will never forget. Watching my tummy move of it's own volition, ala alien style, is so cool. Friday night we were at the ballgame (Mariners lost). I realized that as the crowd erupted into cheers, Little One would go into his own kicking frenzy. For the first time, he was reacting to sounds around me. Wow. This tiny little miracle is becoming more and more a little person with each passing day. S/he's on a fairly consistent wake/sleep cycle. S/he reacts when I eat or if I move into certain positions. There is a personality developing even now.

Preparing for Little One's birth is helping to forge a bond between Dan and I that will never be broken. Even the prep work is fraught with intense intimacy. It's an amazing thing to realize he's got my back on this adventure - and he's the only one I would want there.

Does she like being pregnant?

So I read that previous post and probably reacted with the same questions you did:
1) Is he nuts?! Give the pregnant woman what she wants and
2) Is it really that bad? Does she even enjoy being pregnant?

To the first... I try to make sure she wins those kinds of exchanges.

To the second... I think so?

Tonight was birthing class #2, the highlight of which was a video (which we think was filmed in STL) of a couple having a natural birth with little to no meds. Things that stood out to me were how very calming her spouse was, and just how much work she had to do to get that kid through. I'd say we both have a lot to live up to there... Nevertheless, was very touching to see there on the screen his reaction to holding his new child. Powerful stuff. Karen likewise reacted to them placing the still gooey baby on her mother's lap. (I was grossed out.)

So back to the questions... I think she is enjoying the experience but has already begun to be frustrated at the conflicting feelings. Imagine joy and dread from this somewhat autonomous thing that also happens to occupy the space you previously assumed belonged to your bodily functions. Scary. Now factor in the fears of preparedness and uncertainty and a few measures of discomfort and that squirming in the belly starts to be a lot to deal with.

I'm in awe, really... And it ain't over by a long shot. I hope the classes continue to give us a way to sort out all of the emotions and questions involved to just allow our bodies to do what they do. That's the trick right? We need to have the awareness to know what her body needs without getting in its way.

I'm just glad she liked the cake.

My First Mother's Day

Dan originally tried to tell me I wasn't yet a mother - after all, he couldn't hold the kid yet so it didn't really count. Some other women and I quickly set him straight.

I'm the one dealing with swollen hands, feet and ankles; the one turning into a clutz who manages to drop everything because of the swollen hands and trips a lot because they can't see their feet; the one who can't sleep at night because I'm getting too big to get comfortable (and forget about rolling over - it ain't happening); the one who gets short of breath from lungs that are slowly being squeezed shut; and the one who is being pummeled from the inside out. While we both worry about the health and well-being of the baby, I'm the one who never gets to take a break from it because of the physical reminder of my own body. It's like having a consciousness that is split in two - half for you and half to be a constant guardian for the baby. People laugh about "baby brain" (I did) - until they get pregnant. There's a reason every pregnancy book mentions it as a symptom.


So yeah - I'm a mom.

Dan finally (reluctantly) agreed with me. He served me a wonderful breakfast in bed and made me the most delicious cake - Tres Leches. It's a sponge cake soaked in coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and milk. He then topped it with coconut and fresh strawberries. It is too die for good. Not light calorie wise, but very light and sweet flavors - a wonderful springtime dessert. We spent the rest of the day with Kai - chatting, running errands and playing Wii.

I'd say an absolutely wonderful first mother's day.

Chocolate Bliss

I went to a wonderful event tonight - chocolate, tea, massages and relaxation. Theo Chocolates hosted this wonderful night of indulgence. They had about 15 different kinds of hard chocolate samples, plus all their delicious caramels out for tasting.

Theo has unusual varieties of chocolate - coconut curry, fig and almond, lavender jalapeño, lime coriander, plus the usual varieties of dark chocolates, vanilla bean, and peanut butter. Stef - any interest in designing a cupcake using a coconut curry chocolate bar?

A local Ayurvedic massage center was offering free hand massages, and PCC Market had fair trade herbal teas and locally brewed beers for sampling.

I met a couple of girlfriends there, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Of course, I had to buy a few chocolates. I got the 3400 Phinney Fantasy Flavor Flights - 6 of their popular 3400 Phinney bars- plus a few caramels and some chocolate body scrub. All in all, an amazingly relaxing evening.

The Alien Invasion Begins

Little One is now strong enough that my stomach looks like it's been invaded by aliens! When I'm getting kicked you can actually see my stomach undulating - it's pretty wild. Unfortunately Little One's most active times seem to be around 6am and then from about noon to four - times Dan isn't here/awake to see it. He's only felt Little One kick once or twice. Kids got his own agenda. :)

We started our childbirth prep class last night. There are 11 couples, and they all seem very nice. I think we'll enjoy it. Of course, after watching the video my initial reaction was "I don't want to do this anymore!" I'm so scared and excited and amazed and and and... the emotions are worse now than they were in the first trimester.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Wow - this was an absolutely wonderful weekend! Sunday was one of those days people in the Pac NW brag about - 65 and sunny, Mt Rainier in the distance, neighbors out and about. Just beautiful. We spent the whole day outside working on the garden and planting bushes and shrubs along the base of the wall. We planted azaleas, rhododendrons, and heather along the base of the wall. I have several bags of bulbs ready to go in as soon as Dan can till the ground for me.

Dan has just about finished the garden. It would be done except we realized the weight of the dirt was heavier than anticipated so we need to add some supports to the wall to help. I have blueberry bushes and lots of veges ready to plant. We're already enjoying fresh lettuce many evenings for dinner, and Dan has been picking a bit to add to sandwiches for lunch. We bought 15 bags of steer manure to fertilize the ground, so here's hoping we have a bumper crop! (And let me tell you - 15 bags of manure really, really, stinks!! My poor car!)

Saturday it rained all day, but we made good use of it. We spent the day shopping, mostly stuff for the house. We finally bought curtains for the dining and living room. They're not hung, but I have hopes they'll be up soon!

Tonight we start baby class!

Latest Visit - 25 Weeks!

We had our latest visit to the doctors office yesterday, and everything seems to be going just great. BP was back to normal and the fetal heart rate was strong. I did my glucose tolerance test - which was disgusting. It tasted like that nasty orange sugar drink McD's serves, and left me feeling out of sorts and grumpy the rest of the day. I'll find out the results today.

We are (finally) ready to schedule our next full fetal survey. Hopefully I can get in around May 15. I'm excited about it. These ultrasounds are high tech and really awesome. It's so cool to see this little person roaming around inside me. Normally a second one isn't done (a full fetal survey is generally done at 20 weeks and that's it), but because of the placenta previa it's necessary for me and the baby.

In other news - we've almost finished building our garden. It should be finished after one more night of working on it. Then we till, and plant! I'm so excited!! I love gardening, and seeing all of our hard work come together so beautifully is really amazing.

Finally - a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite cupcake maker. I hope you have a wonderful day! (And someone bakes you some yummy treats for a change!)