34 Week Appointment

According to the doctor, I'm still trucking along and to keep it up. The baby's heart rate was 130 and she says he's head down, but may not stay in that position. I also measured exactly on for 34 weeks. I only gained 2 pounds, so that was a small victory and my blood pressure was again excellent. We went ahead and scheduled my remaining appointments. I can't believe this pregnancy is winding down. I've truly enjoyed being pregnant and am amazed by my own body. Now, let's see if my perspective changes after the next few weeks and after labor!

Wake up Calls
Mike and I are slowly getting ready for baby, but we still have plenty of things to prepare before baby makes an appearance. We so need to get in gear. The universe has been sending us wake up calls, and hopefully, we're paying attention to them.

The first was Tuesday night at our class. Our instructor informed us that we already lost a couple. She went into labor the night after our first class. The baby was born at 31 weeks and mom and baby are doing fine. She used that as a reminder to get our bags packed, along with a multitude of other things, like knowing how to contact my doctor when labor begins (I didn't know, but now I do). At my doctor's appointment, the doctor reminded me that once I hit 36 weeks, they won't attempt to stop labor if it begins because the baby is "cooked" enough. Okay, that's in two weeks. Two Weeks! Now, I don't think I'll go early, but you never know so I guess we better apply the Scout mantra and "Be Prepared."

I also had a complete freak out moment at work this week. It was the complete: slap me upside the head, pull the rug right out from under me, the deer in the headlights kind of moment. A co-worker and I were discussing new software packages we're testing, and our next step with this project. And then it hit, I am actually going on maternity leave and will be away from my job for 12 whole weeks. I know, it's not shocking, but to me, maternity leave has always been this abstract thought. It wasn't actually happening any time soon, but it is. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to the time with the baby to bond and to settle into becoming a mom. I've been so focused on preparations on the home front that I hadn't begun to consider the implications to my job.

So much to do! I can't begin stressing too much about it. If I do, I'll have a "mental snowball," as Mike calls it, and render myself completely useless. I need to make a list of everything we still need to do and to buy, it will be lengthy, but lists help me cope.

No Other Way

When your mind is a mess
so is mine
I cant sleep
cause it hurts when I think
My thoughts aren't at peace
with the plans that we make
chances we take
they're, not yours and not mine
there's waves that can break
all the words that we said
and the words that we mean
words can fall short
can't see the unseen
cause the world is awake
for somebody's sake now, please close your eyes
woman please get some sleep

And know that if I knew
all of the answers I would
not hold them from you'd
know all of the things that i'd know
we told each other, there is no other way

Well too much silence can be misleading
You're drifting I can hear it in the way that your breathing
We don't really need to find reason
Cause out the same door that it came well its leaving its leaving
Leaving like a day that’s done and part of a season
Resolve is just a concept that's as dead as the leaves
But at least we can sleep, its all that we need
When we wake we will find
Our minds will be free to go to sleep

And know that if I knew
all of the answers I would
not hold them from you'd
know all of the things that i'd know 'cause
we told each other, there is no other way

-------------

Just felt like posting this.

Santa gets BUSTED.

Some kids you can put things past. Others, there is no chance in hell. These are 2 such children: Tacy and Gena Mitchell. They are my cousin's two kids and they are just too cute. And this is another example why.

To set it up, my cousin Eric has just shown up dressed up as Santa, and isn't doing the best job disguising his voice...

(QuickTime Version) http://macnmike.com/photos/santabusted/EricGetsBusted.mov

(Windows Media Version) http://macnmike.com/photos/santabusted/EricGetsBustedMEDIUM.wmv


Oh man, its just too funny.

Report From First Class

Surprisingly, class didn't freak me out too much and the night ended with my confidence stronger than when class first began. The first thing I saw when I walked in the room was an actual baby doll placed head down in pelvic bone skeleton. I thought to myself, "no way, I'm out of here. This kid isn't coming out that way." Luckily, my tune changed by the end of the night.

After introductions, we discussed expectations, learned some exercises to get our body ready for labor and watched a video on techniques and positions that are helpful during labor. The rule is you should move to a different position every 20 to 30 minutes. No longer are you confined to bed during labor, which is good because I don't sit still very well. We ended the night with our coaches giving us a massage and getting us to relax.....ahhh....it felt so good!

I have no doubt that Mike is going to be a fabulous coach. He always knows how to calm me down and how to build my confidence. I was happy to see that nothing freaked him out, and he was completely engaged the whole class.

Next week, we watch our first video of an actual birth, so my thoughts may swing from confidence to outright fear.

Christmas Conflicts

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I can't believe the end of the year is upon us. How is that possible? I am ready for a few days off of work, and I know Mike and I are ready for some down time.

We are staying in Kansas City for the holiday -- well, we are making a day trip to Fairfax tomorrow, but we're not going to Sioux City. Two reasons, the doc nor I think I should make such a long drive at this stage in the pregnancy, and I'm holding on to my vacation time to use during maternity leave. My mom was sweet and came down for a very quick visit. Brian and she drove down yesterday and have already left this morning. It was hard to say goodbye, but I'm so happy she made the trip. Some time is better than no time. So, while I'm excited for Christmas, my heart is a little heavy knowing I won't see my brothers at this time of the year and I don't know when I'll see them next. I imagine talking to them on Christmas morning may be a touch emotional for me. I'll try to blame the pregnancies hormones.

We're also celebrating a multitude of good news this week. Mike's cousin Kim gave birth to a beautiful baby girl earlier this week. Grace Ann entered this world around 8:30 on Dec. 20. We can't wait to meet her. Mom and baby are doing great.

The other good news is my good friend Kim, who served as my maid of honor, is engaged and floating on Cloud 9. She was so cute on the phone last night. I think the neighbors could hear the excitement through the phone. I think 2006 holds a lot of promise.

Chicago Ferris Wheel Fun!

P1010115.JPG
Originally uploaded by mbowling.

I'm just doing more testing of things on the blog here, but here's a great pict of Amanda and I near the very top of a Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. It was a fun time! Amanda is doing a good job of pretending to not be freaked out!

First Day of School

Tonight, Mike and I have our first childbirth preparation class. We'll be in this class for the next five weeks on Tuesday nights. We're feeling a touch of anxiety -- not knowing what to expect, but we're also excited to learn and meet other new parents.

I can't believe that in a little less/little more than eight weeks we'll have a new member to our family. CRAZY! This class hopefully will help us feel like we're a touch more prepared for the little guy's arrival. But, can you ever be fully prepared?

32 Week Dr. Appointment

The good news is the baby and I are trucking along. The baby's heart rate was 131 and solid. My blood sugar, blood pressure and hemoglobin were great, which means I passed my gestational diabetes test with flying colors. All things that I'm very thankful.

The bad news is the weight keeps piling on faster than the doc or I would like. I'm still going to jazzercise. I try to go 4x a week, but lately it's only been 3x. I park in the furthest spot from the door every morning. I do my prenatal yoga video. I've stayed active during this pregnancy. I've tried to be conscious about what I've eaten. I've never said to myself, "I'm pregnant or I'm eating for two, I can have another cookie, bowl of ice cream, dessert, etc." Now that doesn't mean I haven't eaten those, but not any more than I did before I was pregnant. They are just occasional treats. It's just frustrating because I do believe I've tried and I'll keep trying.

My doctor knows that weight is an issue for me, so as long as I stay active and the rest of the numbers stay in check then my body is going to do what it needs to do for this pregnancy. I have to learn I can't decide where the weight goes. I can only control what goes into my mouth and how active I am. So, I need to watch what and how much I eat and try to hit class more often. Neither of these will be easy. It's hard to ignore the allure of the holiday foods, and working out will become more difficult as I continue to progress, but I'm going to try my darnest to succeed at both.

I've enjoyed being pregnant. I've been so fortunate to have an easy pregnancy so far, so I shouldn't let the weight gain get me down. Sadly, it is though.

Holiday fun...

This is just too funny for words...

http://www.southflorida.com/events/sfl-scaredsanta,0,2245506.photogallery?coll=sfe-events-headlines&index=1

Testing....testing....

Well, here we are now over at Blogger.

Why? Well, I really wasn't liking the fact that Amanda couldn't post very easily, and that I couldn't just pull up to a regular computer and not write up something quickly. Plus the old software really was pretty slow. It had nice integration with all the iLife apps, but I didn't like that I could only update it using that one laptop.

Okay, now that I have this working, here's hoping more on-topic posts will start happening!