You Can Dress Him Up, But... well maybe not.

As you may know, we've been working on the nursery. All the furniture is out, the bed is wrapped up and stored downstairs, the closet organizer is dissembled (for now), we cleaned the windows and put in more spray foam behind the window trim. The walls are washed and Steven went to the store to get the paint. Yes, we've actually picked a color. Cayman Blue. With white trim. Anyway, point is... Steven was leaving the house, telling me what he was going to do and I did the whole "good bye" routine and then as he was out the door, I started shouting at him... "Steven... shoes... SHOES!!!" But I was laughing so hard. He has these slippers with rubber soles, they could pass for those suede fur lined boots. Anyway, he was leaving the house in those. He said he would have eventually realized that he had slippers on... maybe.

So, today I wrote my exam. I swear to God, I am so thankful that it's over and I don't have to worry about it. After studying last night, I took my blood pressure and good lord it was high. Higher than it's been in awhile. It's back down again tonight, finally. I think I did okay. Not as well as that first course but still good. Sadly, it's not been the main focus of my life so I wasn't as keen on it as I could have been. Good thing I chose this course and not the harder one, there's no way I would have been able to complete that course!

Tomorrow the nurse comes by and we do our non-stress fetal movement again. And I'll have to go to the lab again. Was to have gone today but what with the exam and all, it was too much for me.

Okay, back to the nursery. Steven came back and he was painting the stupid popcorn ceiling. You know ceilings that have that popcorn-like crap sprayed on? Yeh, anyway we have that. But oddly enough, the paint was just making the crap come off in chunks. So, yet another setback in our house. Steven now has to scrap the ceiling to get rid of all that shit before he can figure out if he needs to prime and then paint or tape, then prime then paint. We're never going to be finished. :( And I can't help him do anything.

Still a Garbage Dog...

Guess who got to clean up more dog poop after class last night? If you guessed Steven, well you'd be wrong...so very wrong. Bah, guess it's still working it's way out of his system because he's still farting noxious gas this morning. YUCK!

Steven's got today and tomorrow off. Right now he's upstairs working on cleaning the baby's room. Just put the last of the pre-pregnancy clothes into bags and storage in the crawl space. Can't imagine that I'll be able to wear them for sometime and most of them are business clothes so really, what are the odds that I'll need them?

It's such a nice day today. Maybe we'll set up the patio furniture and sit outside this afternoon. The only thing missing is a nice cold beer. I'll have to drink something from a bottle to make it feel like summer!

I'm glad that I'm off work, I don't have to contend with the transit strike that's happening on Friday. I feel for you man! But I'm glad that I'll be home watching TV and not stuck downtown traffic.

Last night was our last Childbirth class. I'll miss those guys. I really looked forward to hanging out with other pregnant women. Someone to commiserate with. And here's some exciting news: Lori (one of the girls in class), her water broke last night. I mean, I guess if it's going to happen, what better place than a childbirth class at the hospital? I hope they are doing okay. Her due date isn't until June 9th.

We also found out that one of the couples found painted wooden animals at Micheals craft store. I'm hoping to go check them out. I also have Cindy on a mission to look for some wooden block letters that we can perhaps paint them and hang them.

Insert Exciting Title Here

So, Steven cleaned out the spare room (mostly) and he's cleaning the mattress before we wrap it up and store it. Then I think I've changed my mind about the baby animals etc for the "theme". Too much trouble right now. I've got my sister & Glenda looking for letters that we can paint and hang up in the room. ABC and 123 and The Piglet's name. Not sure how all those letters are going to look hanging up on the wall. We may shorten his name or something. Sort of have paint colors picked out. Was going to strip our dresser, paint it and put it in the baby's room but I'm not too sure if we have enough time anymore (okay, I KNOW we should have done this sooner, but really who knew this was going to happen).

The nurses came by Sat & Sun. My blood pressure is better than before but in my delusion, I thought that yes, there was a chance it could get back to normal. Yeh, not so much. I had my ultrasound appointment this morning, more on that later. But I also saw Dr. S this morning. Apparently my blood pressure is as good as it's going to get (this morning it was 139/94 and this afternoon it was 122/84) until after The Piglet is born. And here's the big news... I will not go to full term. I will be induced before then. My blood pressure will continually be monitored and either that or baby distress will decide on when The Piglet will be born. The goal is to get past 37 weeks and possibly deliver then or around then. But as per Dr. S I will not make it to 40 weeks or beyond. They don't feel that my health or The Piglet's health will make it that long. Huh, way more serious than I thought. But really, I feel great. Being at home and not at work is actually quite relaxing. Sure there's absolutely nothing on TV and you can only spend so much time on the Internet... I finished my book, I fell asleep in the recliner. I stared out the front window at the kids playing across the street. It was actually okay and not quite as boring as I anticipated. OH, and I took care of Riley... I'll tell you more later. The Ultrasound. Was good. The Piglet is either in the 75 percentile or above the 75 percentile, not sure which phrase. Anyway, he's 6lbs. Don't you think that sounds kind of big considering I'm 33 weeks? He's moved and his head is down. The heartbeat is good, the movements are good... it's all good on that front. Steven said The Piglet's his son. He's stubborn and bullheaded. He'll be okay. I'm also allowed to do a bit more. Not alot more but I can drive to/from my appointments, I can go to my last Childbirth class tomorrow night and I only have to have ultrasounds every other week. I told you not much more but it's a bit.

Now for Riley. After my appointments, I came home to the most foul stench possible. I opened the back door and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. He had broken thru the barricade to the living room and I just prayed that he didn't do anything in there... all clear. I checked the kitchen.. all clear, the spare room (baby room) door was open (and I thought I had shut it), thankfully all clear... then I turned to the bathroom... AARRRGGGHHH. Exploding poop. Again. Most of it (BIG steaming lump) was on my bath mat. My nice white weave bath mat which is now in the garbage. So, I hunkered down and cleaned the bathroom. You have to admit, it is kind of nice that he did use the right room and didn't hit the carpet at all, it was all contained in the bathroom. Maybe we can teach him to use the toilet. Good thing I didn't work today because it consisted of letting him out and wiping his ass and fur on his ass. Oh the humanity of it all! My poor doggie has absolutely no dignity left.

Oh yeah, my landline phone is working now. I called Shaw and they fixed it. Not sure what was wrong.

Week 33

By now, I have all the amniotic fluid I am going to have and the amount will remain consistent until delivery. The Piglet's brain continues to grow, and increase the size of his head (great). He continues to develop fat deposits under the skin, changing the color of his skin from red to pink. His testicles have moved from their location near the kidneys through the groin to the scrotum. The Piglet is approximately 17.5 inches long and weighs a little over four pounds now.

Lookee! My work sent me flowers yesterday. I never got a chance to say anything since, right after the delivery guy dropped them off, Jamie, the nurse, came over and then we had to go to the lab before it closed.
 

161/91

What is my blood pressure on Wednesday May 23.

So, I'm on maternity leave now. At my doctor's appointment last Wednesday, Dr. Steed decided that to be on the safe side, he would like me to stop working and put me on bedrest. Let me tell you Wednesday was a difficult day. I cried, alot. Steven was scheduled to work that night but called in and stayed with me, probably a good thing because it wouldn't have been great for me to be alone that night.

Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH)

Okay, what is it? PIH is high blood pressure during pregnancy. When PIH happens it is usually during the last 3 months of pregnancy. The symptoms usually go away following the birth. PIH happens more often in first pregnancies. Why is not known; even the cause of PIH is not known. PIH may be mild or quite severe. Most women do not feel ill with mild PIH; this is one of the reasons that regular prenatal checkups are essential. The only cure for PIH is delivering your baby. If your baby is not due yet, your doctor may choose to treat you with bedrest, a healthy diet, and medications to lower your blood pressure. If your PIH continues to worsen despite treatment your baby may need to be delivered before your due date.

Why do I need to be on bed rest? Many women with PIH feel quite well so it can be hard to accept the need for bedrest. When your blood pressure is increased, it causes less blood to circulate throughout your body including the uterus and placenta. When you are in a standing position the heavy uterus puts pressure on veins in your groin causing blood to pool in your legs. This decreases the blood supply to the uterus ad kidneys. Bedrest, especially lying on your left side increases blood supply to the uterus and kidneys.

How will PIH affect my baby? The amount of blood supply to the placenta is reduced with PIH and as a result, your baby may be smaller than what would have been normal for you. If the PIH is not controlled it can be harmful to the baby.

Thursday was a much better day. A little sad knowing that it was my last day of work, also a little stressful knowing that it was my last day of work. It's difficult to try and train a temp in 1 1/2 days to cover your position! But people at work took me out to lunch, that was nice. Heather & Crystal got me the cutest little clothes. The best one is a blue onesie that says "I AM NOT A GIRL" Kelly and Liz are planning to come up and visit. Tom says he'll come up after his vacation, I'm trying to convince him to visit me before baby to break up the monotony, we'll see. Al has been great (as always), his main concern was never The Job but making sure that me & the baby were okay. I'm seriously going to miss working.

You know, our original plan was that when I finished work on June 20th and started mat leave, Steven & I would celebrate by going for a fancy schmancy dinner at Catch...instead, Thursday night, he went to work and I ate the Coco Brooks pizza that he made for me. But it's all in perspective now and I do realize the severity of this situation. Don't think for one minute that I don't. I do, trust me.

I know, this is a long entry... bear with me.

So, I'm on the Antenatal Community Care Program. You know how I thought that they would call and go over what I can & can't do? Yup, so wrong. This is much more in depth. Jamie came by on Friday after lunch and went over the program. It's awesome. At the beginning of the program they visit every day for the first three days. Yesterday she went over the program, what can & can't be done (will fill you in later), showed me how to check my blood pressure, checked The Piglet's heartbeat and other stuff like, what to look out for and when to call my doctor or when to go to the hospital or when to call 911. Today she's coming and we'll be doing a non-stress test, which is "Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring". During this test, two belts will be put around my abdomen. Each belt will hold a disc, called a tranducer. One tranducer will record the baby's heart beat and the other records any tightenings or contractions I may have. It is about 20-30 minutes. I'll need to press a button on the monitor every time I feel the baby move. I don't know what else she'll do today or tomorrow.

On my own: I have to check my blood pressure 4x during the day. I have to record the fetal movements 3x during the day. I have to record any signs or symptons. And I have to record my rest hours during 3 different periods thru the day. I also have to see the doctor once per week. I have to have an ultrasound once per week. AND I have to get blood work done and a urine test once per week. (I'm going to be gettting out of the house more now than before!) And one of the nurses from the program visits me once per week but they call every morning, except days that I have a doctor's appointment.

Here's what I can do. It's called Activity Level 3:

In addition to minimum 8 hours rest at night, I need to have 3 x 3hour periods of either lying flat on my side or sitting at a reclined level. I can only walk for short periods at a time less than 10 minutes. I may walk stairs occasionally but not alot of stairs. I can't work outside the home. I can do light housework only. (like doing the laundry but not carrying it up and down. I can fold the laundry and iron but I can't vaccum etc..) I can do limited meal preparation (ie. on my feet for 20 min or less) (Steven's quite happy about that, he envisioned alot of pizza and pb&j sandwiches in his future). I can shower and bath (and we're ALL happy about that!) I can't drive anymore, I can only be a passenger.

That driving one really surprised me. I guess I just never gave it much thought at all. I have an ultrasound appointment and a doctor's appointment on Monday morning, which I will be driving myself to. Don't worry, Jamie gave me the okay and said to talk to Dr. S about it then. I also have my last Childbirth class on Tuesday night which I'd really like to attend, again, it's up to the doctor.

So, there it is in a nutshell. Talk amongst yourselves.

DONE!

I'm so happy I could cry. I just finished all the assignments/exercises in my course. Phew. Now I have 2 weeks to review and not be quite so stressed out.

I'm going upstairs to sit, relax, drink my tea and hopefully watch my Inspector Lynley mysteries that I borrowed from the library. (Although, probably not the last one since Steven should be awake soon and will take over the remote) But I'll sit and relax. Then I'll finish washing the dishes, make some supper and do some more laundry. I may even vaccum.

Week 32

The Piglet weighs about 4lbs and is about 15-17" tall. Photographs of babies in utero at this stage show their skin becoming less translucent and pinker, as layers of fat are deposited under the skin. His skeleton is rapidly ossifying (turning from cartlidge into solid bone) which means kicks will be stronger. Kicks may even become visible through my shirt as the trimester progresses. Well placed kicks under my ribs can take my breath away. From now until delivery, I'll be gaining about a pound a week. About half of that gain is the Piglet's, the rest is fluid retention.

-excerpt from: Great expectations : your all-in-one resource for pregnancy & childbirth by Jones, Sandy

The Piglet now has toenails and fingernails to complement his frame and he continues to grow strong.

The total volume of blood circulating in my body is about 40 to 50 percent higher than it was before I became pregnant. This added blood volume helps accommodate The Piglet. Some women find they are experiencing more shortness of breath at this time during their pregnancy. I need to be sure to avoid overexertion and take time to rest during the day.

I might start experiencing pain in my butt and lower back among other places by pregnancy week 32 as my center of gravity shifts. I need to take care when walking to avoid unnecessary falls or slips!

At this point I should make an effort to drink lots of water as I continue the pregnancy week by week and consume foods high in fiber to help combat constipation, which is typically during late pregnancy. As I continue to grow my hips will start to expand and my ligaments will stretch to help prepare my body for labor.

-excerpt from: http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com

I went to the library this morning to try and find some "decorating nurseries" books to give us some ideas etc.... Frankly, what a load of crap. There were so many hoity toity fancy schmancy ideas and really, that's not us. So, then I went to Zellers on my next quest.... a foot bath. What a joy. But the one I wanted wasn't there. Then I went to Micheal's. Not for the foot bath but for some decorating ideas. There were a couple of foamy-type kid things that we could paint and put on the wall. I went to Rona, same old crap. I just don't know anymore, why did think this would be easy? Then onto London Drugs... for the foot bath. SCORE! But here's my bitch of the day, I was walking down this aisle, carrying the large box (which, btw was not heavy) and there were people on either side of the aisle. Everyone squeezed in so I could shimmy my way thru but then there was this COW and her husband coming from the other direction. She pushed her way thru and pushed me to the side to get past. Her husband stopped and let me pass and heard me as I muttered "stupid bitch" under my breath and saw the expression on my face and the fact that my belly was quite large. He, at least, had the decency to look ashamed.

What am I going to do for the rest of the long weekend? Study. That's the plan, Stan. My exam is booked for June 1, yes, the day of the potential transit strike. Not sure what I'm going to do if that happens. Sure I can drive down, but where the hell can I park? I guess, I'll just play it by ear.

I have another doctor's appointment next Wednesday morning. It's a follow-up from last Monday. Will keep you posted.

The Fashion Police

Holy crap. Marilyn dropped off 3 bags of baby clothes for us on Wednesday. I'm pretty sure that we're covered for the first couple of months! Her friend Amy's son is 3 months old and gave us tons (TONS!) of clothes. I've been going thru them these past couple of days and it is literally boggling my imagination. There are some clothes with the tags still on them. All of them are in great condition, I swear they look like they've never been worn. I'm simply amazed at the kindess of others. And Alana called earlier this week to find out if we still want her baby stuff. I still need to call her but I've been forgetting to get her number from Steven.

We went out last night to the paint stores, fully intending to pick out some colors and accessories and whatnot. Did you know that SEARS doesn't carry that stuff? We looked and asked and it wasn't anywhere in the store. The next paint store wasn't there anymore and the third one closed at 530pm. Bah. We've gone to Home Depot & Rona but there wasn't much of a selection for the decals etc... that I'm thinking that I want on the walls. I went to Wal-Mart (and remembered how much I HATE HATE HATE that store) and they didn't have anything either. But I did pick up some new clothes. I just picked up some plus size clothes, way cheaper than maternity. And a foot bath but I need to return it and get the one with the jets, I bought the wrong one. Darn.

I love that I didn't work today. I went shopping, for my pedicure (simply wonderful in the massage chair with the foot bath!), grocery shopping and then home to... well, sit and relax. It was heaven. I put my feet up, read a magazine and thought about stuff. And I love it. I also love that work didn't invade my brain. Normally it would, what I need to finish, what needs to be done, what I need to do when I return, but oddly enough I'm already distancing myself from my job. It's important to me but not as important right now. I think my focus is finally changing.

Ed came to town this afternoon. He was going to stay here but because Steven is working nights, I don't think he wants to sit and entertain me when he could be staying at another friend's house and be drinking with them. (bastard) I TOLD him that he could massage my feet but apparently he thought I was joking....as if. I do not joke about my feet anymore. Speaking of, I bought some flip flops this morning. Ask me what size. Go ahead, ask me.

SIZE TEN. F'ing 10. The hell? But they were $7 and are very comfortable.

We babysat Miss Libby this past Wednesday. We were joking that we'd use her tiny little hands to clean the eaves trough and the dryer lint chute. Okay, half joking. Steven was doing yard work and oh my gosh, she totally wanted to help him. I swear, it was her idea. And then she kept on trying to re-plant the dandelions that Steven was picking. She's so adorable. The Riley dog was absolutely incredible with her. She was grabbing his tail, sniffing his bum (not sure why), poking his nose, giving him hugs and hanging on him. He took it all in stride. She would sit next to him as he laid down and was grabbing his feet and playing with his pads (both front and back paws), normally he would flinch and kick but he simply laid on his pillow and looked at me with "that look". don't worry, I asked her to stop playing with his feet but the point is, Riley was a prince! The only time he "freaked out" was when she was bouncing on a ball, bounced off and fell onto him. He jumped up and skitted away. But they were best buds a couple minutes later. I was so impressed with the furbaby.

31 Weeks

The Piglet weighs between 2.5 - 3.5 pounds. He continues to gain weight at a faster pace than he lengthens, which will give him those cute chubby cheeks (there you go Shawn!) He's about 14-16" tall, although individual growth rates vary.
-excerpt from: Great expectations : your all-in-one resource for pregnancy & childbirth by Jones, Sandy

The Piglet is busy accumulating layers of fat under his skin as I continue my pregnancy week by week. His arms, legs and body start to fill out and look less wrinkly as each week progresses. He may be finding the space in my womb tighter and tighter by now and I may also feel more and more uncomfortable The Piglet continues to grow and the space in my womb decreases each week.

Though The Piglet's movements should continue to be strong, they will likely be less dramatic and sporadic at this point. I may see an arm slowly moving across The Buddha. I will also start realizing just how strong The Piglet is from here on out. Kicks and sudden movement changes may cause me to gasp unexpectedly.

My uterus will measure about 4 and a half inches from my bellybutton. I may find that I have some trouble catching a good breath now and again. I need to remember to take things easy as I continue my pregnancy week by week and as I grow and develop during the last few weeks of pregnancy.

I may be more and more aware of your breasts (trust me, I've been aware of them all along!) as my pregnancy progresses during the third trimester. Some women may start to leak colostrum at this point in their pregnancy. Colostrum is simply the pre milk that the breasts form to nourish the newborn baby during the first few days of life. Colostrum can be clear or slightly tinged with yellow or even orange depending on a number of factors. While some women will not notice colostrum until they approach delivery, others will start leaking even this early in pregnancy.
-excerpt from: http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com

Happy Mother's Day

We went to Banff this weekend. My mom came up on Friday (with Cindy but she stayed at Pat's) and watched Riley while Steven & I had our little getaway. AND it was also our 11 year anniversary of our first date.. how romantic, no?

We didn't do too much in Banff, had our spa day on Saturday (2.5 hrs EACH) and I got to swim and be weightless for awhile, Steven totally took advantage of the hot tub/pool and steam room. We had a great dinner at The Keg. We met Oliver and Adam on Saturday for drinks (at the Banff Springs) and then dinner (at Earl's). Lovely time. Ollie, maybe we'll go to the Saltlik next time!

And today... Steven got me, well The Piglet got me the best Mother's Day card ever. I cried...alot. In fact I'm crying right now thinking about it. I swear, I think my heart is going to burst.

Came home and spent some time with my mom. Can't say what we got her because Steven's mom got the same thing and it's on its way to her. (yes, I mailed it a bit late.... sue me, I totally forgot. But in my defence, I've been forgetting ALOT of things)

My mom brought up a big bag of baby stuff that they've been accumulating and some of the receiving blankets that she's been making me. She's making me that and burp cloths. We went thru all that stuff and all the stuff that I got when I went shopping with Brenda and Erin last weekend. I think that I'm well prepared with the soaps, lotions, onesies, face cloths, little tiny scissors, brush, comb, thermometer, that nose unplugger thing etc... I think we need the big stuff now. Steven & I will hit the stores coming up soon. And we're going to pick out some paint colors this week sometime.

Oh, and because so many people have been asking. Yes, I am having a baby shower but it's going to be in Lethbridge. Probably sometime in August when Dawna comes back to town. We'll see.

This is my first Mother's Day and it was excellent.

Got Yer' 3D Glasses?

We had our ultrasound appointment at UC Baby this morning. Pretty cool. We got some jpegs and a DVD of our session. The Piglet is sitting breech right now and his head is leaning into the placenta so they couldn't really get any good profile shots. His little body is bent and his legs and feet are up by his head, the tech said that maybe he was tall like his dad (one can only hope) because it looks like he's got my chipmunk-like cheeks. But really, what baby doesn't have fat cheeks? Hopefully he'll slim out and not have them like me. (I know, Shawn, you'll be disappointed if you can't grab his cheeks too)

But, ta-da.... Here's The Piglet:

Tonight we went to the Northhill Diner for dinner to celebrate the anniversary of our first date. It'll be 11 years on Saturday. Wow... ELEVEN years. It doesn't seem quite that long but when you actually SAY 11 years, it seems like a long time. Y'know what tho'? It just keeps getting better and better. But that's me talking, Steven could have an entirely different take on the subject.

My sister, Dawna, sent me my first Mother's Day card. I cried.

Tonight I also noted that I'm starting to walk like Fat Albert does. You know "hey, hey, hey, it's FAAAATTTT Albert". Anyway, he kind of struts but his arms swing back & forth? Yeh, that's me. The arm swinging definitely gets the momentum going and makes it that much easier to waddle down the street.

So, my maternity leave... starting this week I'm not working Fridays anymore. And my last official working day is Wednesday June 20. I am very very excited but very very stressed at getting all my shit together at work to make the smoothest transition possible for the people covering my position during my absence. I know I will forget things. I know I will worry while I'm gone (at least until the baby is born) but I need this time. I covet the time prior to baby coming so I can maybe get my mind in the right place and not be pulled in a dozen different directions. (is covet the correct term? whatever, you know what I mean)

RETRACTION: so, Kelly didn't mean anything by the canteloupe remark pertaining to MY head, she was referring to what would be passing thru my hoo-hoo. Then she started laughing and saying watermelon. Anyway, she's probably the only one not referring to the size of my head. My family and Steven make fun about my Charlie Brown-esque size head all the time. And frankly, it is kind of big for the size of me. We can only hope he's got a Deagle size bean.

AND yes, we do have a name picked out (sort of). And NO, you can't know what it is. We've been going back & forth but we've narrowed it down a bit. We want something to be a surprise and something to be "just ours". Besides, don't you LIKE Jebediah Vegas? Besides, we've got over 2 months left and a couple hundred more names to consider.

She's Makin' a List & Checkin' it Twice...

So, you'll be happy to note that I went shopping yesterday. Brenda (Steven's sister) and Erin (Brenda's stepdaughter) came over and took me out. I feel badly that I dragged them all over for me but I am forever grateful for their help and company! You'll never know how much it meant that they took me out. I had a list from the Consumer Reports; it was Baby Essentials List. I think I got most of what I needed. We (Steven & I) just need to go get the stroller/car seat, play pen, and the thing to go on top of the dresser so I can use it as a change table. I'm not sure if we'll be using a bassinet or not. Steven wants The Piglet to stay in his own room but I guess we'll see after he comes home. He's also not a big believer in the pacifier but if you can see in the picture, I bought two. Although, I don't have strong feelings about it either way. Again, I guess we'll see. It may all change after The Piglet comes home.

Brenda brought up the crib, thermometer and bought us the monitor. (Steven is totally hoping to pick up telephone conversations in the neighborhood!)

And she also brought up the clothes that she's been buying for us:

And here are the clothes that I bought yesterday:

I had alot of fun. I can't speak for the other two girls but I had a blast. I can't belive Erin knew so much more than I did about baby gear etc... she said she wasn't too sure how she knew this stuff. I think we were shopping for about 5 hours. My fecankles were completely swollen and sore when I got home last night. And Oh.My.Gosh, my crotch was so sore. I've come to the conclusion that the area is sore because of the weight of The Buddha and The Piglet. Until I can figure out otherwise, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Went to bed fairly early last night but again, was up every 2 1/2 - 3 hours to hobble to the bathroom to pee and change sleeping positions.

 

My big plans today are: sleep in until I wake up (830am), not to leave the house if I can help it, update the blog, tidy up the spare room, finish 2 exercise sections of my homework and relax.

Last night we were laying in bed and I was commenting on how much The Piglet was moving around and then Steven laid his hand on The Buddha and the movement stopped. He called me a liar and then he said "Hey Piglet, give me a big kick. Let me feel it" and The Piglet DID! It was the funniest thing ever.

 

Here's a picture of me from the middle of April (the day of Michelle's wedding):

Week 30

His length is about 14 1/2" about as long as a laptop computer - and he measures almost 11" from crown to rump. He weighs approximately 2 1/2 - 3 pounds. From now until delivery, every baby will gain weight at a more individual rate. The Piglet has doubled in height over the past 6 weeks, and from now until delivery, he'll gain only a few more inches in length. The Piglet's most important organ, the brain, continues to develop at a rapid pace.

- excerpt from: Great expectations : your all-in-one resource for pregnancy & childbirth by Jones, Sandy

The Piglet is continuing to grow and develop during pregnancy at 30 weeks, filling out my uterus more and more every day. I have probably noticed an arm or leg moving across my belly at one time or another. Many parents have a lot of fun playing "guess the body part" as their unborn baby moves underneath mom's belly during pregnancy 30 weeks. This game is even more interesting as the pregnancy week by week continues. A hard round lump is likely either the head or The Piglet’s bum, whereas a longer flat surface may be his back.

The volume of amniotic fluid in The Buddha will slowly start to decrease as The Piglet starts to take up more and more space in The Buddha.


I am probably starting to feel more tired by 30 weeks pregnant. This is due in part to the increasing levels of progesterone in the body during pregnancy 30 weeks and in part because I am probably having trouble getting comfortable enough to sleep at night.

Some women find it most comfortable to sleep in a semi-upright position. If you have a recliner available you might try resting there for a nap or two. This may make it easier to switch from side to side, or at the very least get up after snoozing for an hour or two.

My balance is probably quite a bit skewed by 30 weeks pregnant. In addition pregnancy hormones have allowed my joints to loosen. Many women find that their feet go up an entire size during pregnancy. This is due to these loosening joints. Most of the time if the feet grow during pregnancy, it will not go back to normal after (sorry ladies!).

Many women find that they are experiencing more emotional swings once again when they enter the third trimester.

excerpt from: http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

what shoes am I going to wear?!?!?! It's cold, it's wet, it's yucky and I don't have any appropriate shoes to wear. blah.

Let's see what's been happening? I had a dr. appt yesterday morning. It's all good. My 2nd Glucose testing was borderline so I should watch what I eat because I am not processing sugars as well as I could be. darn. So I have a list of recommended foods and foods to avoid. Most of it are no-brainers but some of it is startling. I'm supposed to avoid fruit juices, flavored yogurts, creamed corn, granola bars (& similar). Oh well, Steven said he'd help me with what to eat. For now, I'm to have dr. appts every two weeks. And so far I've gained 26 pounds, I think that's pretty good, right?

Then I had the rest of the day off because I was running around doing work-related things. Oh joy, shopping for office furniture; kind of sucky because I got a little lost looking for Ducky's and then it started pouring. But it all turned out okay. Learned a bit too much about desks, but with my brain being as it is, I'll quickly forget what I learned! Met Michelle for lunch. Very nice, must remember to burn a CD for the wedding pictures. Must also remember to go see her house.

You know what? It totally feels like someone kicked me in the crotch. Almost like a bruised feeling. It's quite uncomfortable and seemingly has come out of nowhere. I mean it's not like there is a joint there and it's moving, I mean, as far as I know, it's one solid bone. Isn't it? But, man oh man, it's sore. That and my left hip.

I was talking to my mom yesterday afternoon:

Mom: so when I come up in May, I'm not staying until the baby's born, right?

Me: next weekend? No. At the end of June.

Mom: Then I'm staying, right?

Me: yup. Trust me, if you're here from mid-May until the baby's born, Steven will probably pack your bags and drive you home. I mean eventually he'll realize you're here.

Mom: yeh, after awhile he'll notice the house is a little cleaner and the dishes will be done all the time

Me: oh, Steven wouldn't be quite sure at first, just catching glimpses of you but he'll catch on

**so it's a running joke between Steven & my mom, that she moves so slowly that it's hard for the human eye to catch. She's done it to him a couple of times that she's gotten up from across the room, put something near him or on his lap and walked back to the other side and he's never noticed.... we call it "sloth speed". She's quite notorious for it. I'm not exactly sure how he misses it all the time. **

Crystal (from work) ordered CRAVE cupcakes. They will be delivered to our office sometime tomorrow. I'm VERY excited. I realize that above, I've mentioned the "watching what I eat" but c'mon they're CRAVE cupcakes."

I've decided on what I'm doing with my maternity leave and work hours. I'll fill you in more when I've made the "official" announcement at work. It will hopefully cut down on my tears, tiredness and worrying about forgetting something or f'ing up something important.

Last night we had our "New Baby, Old Pet" class at the Humane Society. First off, anyone who has ever driven with me knows that I have difficulties reading a map. I need to study it at home first to familiarize myself with it and while driving, must turn the page so the streets are in the same direction as I'm driving. Anyhoo, the new Humane Society is down on 110 Ave SE. I thought I had the directions under control, and I did up until we hit 110 Ave. We turned the wrong way. Good thing the street ended after a couple of blocks because I also neglected to write the address or the phone number on my map. We turned around and finally found it. It was a really good class. Rye is well on his way, the only issues we may encounter is the whining/vocalizing that he does and the pulling on the leash. But we can work on those. The educator also didn't have a problem with pets in the bedroom as long as they were on their designated spot and not on the bed. She also suggested that we use a doll wrapped in the blanket (which is washed in baby stuff and has the baby powder etc.. on it) as a teaching tool now to familiarize Rye to the smells and different scenarios. Steven will not have a doll in the house so I said "what, am I supposed to use a bag of sugar with an onion as a head?" (and then this afternoon, I was telling Kelly (from work) and she said "no, not an onion, a canteloupe") (cough-bitch-cough) (apparently I'm not the only one who thinks my head is large, it's totally all the brain cells making it so large!) Anyway, I said that Marilyn probably has a doll all ready to go for us and he did not like that idea, so we'll be using a stuffed animal.

The night prior we had our 2nd Baby class. Steven was supposed to be an hour late because he was working until 7pm but he was able to clock out at 6pm instead. It was a good class. We got to see the birthing video, kind of shocking. We got to practise breathing and contractions. We got to practise different birthing positions and dads massaged and did their support role. Apparently now you are allowed to have 2 support people in the birthing room (only 2 and no others) and they are restricting visitors. Hospital stays are 24 hours with baby in room with me. Only grandparents and siblings (of the baby) are allowed to visit. I'm not sure if I will have a 2nd support person. It's definitely something to think about, to give Steven a break but I'd have to be comfortable enough with them seeing EVERYTHING. And then we'd also have to have someone look after Rye while we're gone. He's not too keen on just anybody coming into the house. We'll have to sit down and talk about it all.

Public Service Announcement

Attention: People I Know

You'll be glad to note that today I bought new deoderant, foot odor spray and I've stopped farting so much. I'm just sayin'....

Do with this information what you'd like.

That is all.

P.S. Thanks for being my friend even thru the "smelly" days....