So I am definitely in the waiting stage...we'll hit that magic 36 week mark tomorrow, and I'm already showing some very early signs of labor....namely some feminine issues that are common towards the end. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll go into labor tomorrow - just that signs are beginning to point in that direction. I have my 36 week doctor appointment Wednesday. She'll check my cervix and see if there's any movement there. I'm thinking that I'll probably make my two scheduled work shifts this week, Wednesday and Thursday. Then, I'm off for my usual 5 days, and I fully expect to go into labor at some point during that time.
Of course, Baby Alex could fool us all and stay in another month, too....wouldn't that be a hoot (said with grounded teeth). I am definitely READY to get this show on the road! My daughter and I finished packing up the hospital bag and the baby's hospital bag this afternoon. We also finished going through some old kids' clothes I had just tossed into a box in my closet and bagged them up for Baby Alex. Now, at least I'll feel like we'll be ready for the drive to the hospital should we have to make an emergency trip. Just grab and go!
Baby Alex isn't moving as much today as he has been the last few days. I don't know if he's gearing up or saving up his energy. I am trying to rest up as much as possible. I've enlisted my husband and daughter to handle most of the clean up chores around here, and Hubby already does most of the cooking. I am blessed.
I can't wait for my sister to arrive on Friday! As much as I'm ready to meet my little guy, we are desperately hoping he'll wait until she gets here before he comes. That would make things easier, especially since the hospital has just enacted their annual flu policy, which states that no children under the age of 12 are allowed to visit the hospital, so we'll need to make sure my Dad is able to watch our boys for us while the three of us are at the hospital.
Anyway, I'm anxious and eager and ready and not ready, and the thought of working anymore 12 hour shifts is discouraging to say the least. But we do what we have to do, and, so long as the baby is healthy and the delivery is safe, I'll be happy!
Will keep y'all posted!
Monday, December 29, 2014
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Dropping and Memories and Love
Well, I can definitely tell this morning that this little guy has dropped. I am peeing all the time. In fact, I woke up about 4:30 this morning to go potty, and by the time I waddled back to bed, I had to go potty some more. This kid is right on my bladder. I can't wait to see how he looks on my ultrasound this Tuesday. I am so eager to meet him! Still, though, as eager as I am to get my body back and start losing all this weight and feel better - I'm still trying to hold on to these last few weeks of assisting God with this miracle, knowing this is my last time around the block.
Yes, I'm uncomfortable most of the time. I'm suffering from a serious lack of sleep. None of my clothes fit, and I'm walking around pulling up my pants most of the time. I have zero energy, and I'm starving but can't eat too much because this kid is all up in my guts - not to mention the raging heartburn and the frequent tummy aches. My feet and ankles swell when I move around too much, and just getting out of bed nearly requires the assistance of a crane.
BUT.
Even his sharp, pointy little kicks in my organs remind me of how much he's loved and eagerly awaited. He doesn't somersault so much anymore as he sort of just pokes around, probably trying to find some room to stretch. Sometimes, it feels like he could fall out of my hoo-ha at any moment, or I might go to the bathroom and find one of his appendages hanging out. Sitting on the couch and watching random bits of his anatomy rolling around under my skin and poking out of my stomach at weird, painful little angles has become a favorite pasttime of mine. He's definitely a mover!
He's an amazing gift from God, and he's going to be such a special part of our family. He's already loved so much, and I can't hardly wait to nuzzle him to my chest and feed him, stroke his head (which, if he's like his brothers, is covered in hair already), and count his fingers and toes. I can't wait to whisper how much I love him in his little ears and introduce him to his daddy and his sissy and his big brothers. Oh, and our puppy, because his brothers remind me daily that Puppy is a part of the family, too!
Baby Alex, Mommy's so thankful for the privilege of carrying you in my body, and I'm so ready to meet you. Bake for a few more weeks, my love, and come see us when you're ready. Even if I do sort of hope you'll be ready pretty soon!
Yes, I'm uncomfortable most of the time. I'm suffering from a serious lack of sleep. None of my clothes fit, and I'm walking around pulling up my pants most of the time. I have zero energy, and I'm starving but can't eat too much because this kid is all up in my guts - not to mention the raging heartburn and the frequent tummy aches. My feet and ankles swell when I move around too much, and just getting out of bed nearly requires the assistance of a crane.
BUT.
Even his sharp, pointy little kicks in my organs remind me of how much he's loved and eagerly awaited. He doesn't somersault so much anymore as he sort of just pokes around, probably trying to find some room to stretch. Sometimes, it feels like he could fall out of my hoo-ha at any moment, or I might go to the bathroom and find one of his appendages hanging out. Sitting on the couch and watching random bits of his anatomy rolling around under my skin and poking out of my stomach at weird, painful little angles has become a favorite pasttime of mine. He's definitely a mover!
He's an amazing gift from God, and he's going to be such a special part of our family. He's already loved so much, and I can't hardly wait to nuzzle him to my chest and feed him, stroke his head (which, if he's like his brothers, is covered in hair already), and count his fingers and toes. I can't wait to whisper how much I love him in his little ears and introduce him to his daddy and his sissy and his big brothers. Oh, and our puppy, because his brothers remind me daily that Puppy is a part of the family, too!
Baby Alex, Mommy's so thankful for the privilege of carrying you in my body, and I'm so ready to meet you. Bake for a few more weeks, my love, and come see us when you're ready. Even if I do sort of hope you'll be ready pretty soon!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Beyond Ready
I am beyond ready to have this baby. I've reached That Point. Everything is a chore, and I do mean everything. I'm uncomfortable most of the time, and don't even ask me what it's like to have to lumber through these 12 hour work shifts anymore. I'm thankful that Baby Alex is healthy, but I am so ready to finally meet him. We reach our magical 36 week mark on December 30th, and I am looking for him to appear at any point after that! I'm just hoping he'll stay in until my sister makes it to town. That would sure be a lot easier!
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Wow. Overwhelmed.
The kindness and generosity of other people amazes me. God is so good at meeting our needs and showing us that, even in this world where all you hear are heartbreaking stories of pain, loss, war, and death - there are still kind, generous, caring people in the world. And sometimes, you're privileged to work with those people.
I always knew that the PICU nurses I worked with were special people. You have to be in order to work in a PICU. It is a microcosym of the tragedies and heartache in life. Chronically sick children, cancer, abuse victims, and death and a whole host of other social and healthcare issues that nobody else outside of healthcare would ever even think about. I know I didn't. And these nurses and other healthcare workers soldier through it all and continue to provide compassionate, quality care to these children and their hurting families day after day, 24/7.
Well, yesterday, they cared for us. I had the nicest baby shower at work, and y'all - not only did they buy us our baby car seat/stroller travel system we wanted, but they bought the top of the line, Mac Daddy, best of the best one that we could never have afforded to start with!!! Plus, my friend who hosted the shower said she had money LEFT OVER after buying this gift, so they bought us a baby "starter kit," with diapers and wipes and lotion and such, 3 boxes of Dr Brown's bottles, and some baby clothes and such, too!!!
Y'all, I nearly cried. My friend said that nearly everybody gave something towards our gift, even the child life specialist and a couple of the doctors!! She said one of the residents went right to the ATM as soon as she mentioned what they were doing and trotted back upstairs with money.
I can't tell y'all how touched and blessed we are. I just have no words. God is so good, and people are so kind. I have never felt more appreciated at work than I did yesterday. I'm so privileged to work and to be friends with these incredible people.
I always knew that the PICU nurses I worked with were special people. You have to be in order to work in a PICU. It is a microcosym of the tragedies and heartache in life. Chronically sick children, cancer, abuse victims, and death and a whole host of other social and healthcare issues that nobody else outside of healthcare would ever even think about. I know I didn't. And these nurses and other healthcare workers soldier through it all and continue to provide compassionate, quality care to these children and their hurting families day after day, 24/7.
Well, yesterday, they cared for us. I had the nicest baby shower at work, and y'all - not only did they buy us our baby car seat/stroller travel system we wanted, but they bought the top of the line, Mac Daddy, best of the best one that we could never have afforded to start with!!! Plus, my friend who hosted the shower said she had money LEFT OVER after buying this gift, so they bought us a baby "starter kit," with diapers and wipes and lotion and such, 3 boxes of Dr Brown's bottles, and some baby clothes and such, too!!!
Y'all, I nearly cried. My friend said that nearly everybody gave something towards our gift, even the child life specialist and a couple of the doctors!! She said one of the residents went right to the ATM as soon as she mentioned what they were doing and trotted back upstairs with money.
I can't tell y'all how touched and blessed we are. I just have no words. God is so good, and people are so kind. I have never felt more appreciated at work than I did yesterday. I'm so privileged to work and to be friends with these incredible people.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Crazyness, Pants, Busy Baby, and A Shower
Well! Whew! What a couple of weeks it's been! With Christmas swinging into high gear, my husband's job loss, and Baby A here getting bigger and bigger, it's been a little on the crazy side! My 33 week doctor appointment went well this past Tuesday. Heartbeat was steady in the 140's. He's measuring around 5lbs now - give or take. In 2 weeks we'll have the 36 week ultrasound and make sure he's still head down and headed in the right direction. And.....I expect he'll make his appearance shortly thereafter. I'll be very surprised if he doesn't, as will my doctor.
His kicks and jabs are getting pretty uncomfortable now, as he's running out of room in my huge uterus. Speaking of huge uteruses, my belly is huge, and I'm running into everything with it. I can barely reach the faucet at the sink at work to wash my hands. I have exactly one pair of work pants and one pair of jeans that fit and are even remotely comfortable. We couldn't really swing a maternity wardrobe this year, so I've made due with fully elastic size 3X's from the Walmart. Unfortunately, when one has a bit of an "accident" at work, and one only has one pair of work pants that fit, one is forced to come home and wash one's work pants between shifts - which is a major pain in the tush...literally! BUT, such is life as a mom, LOL!
Baby A is busiest overnight. He'll sometimes wake up at dinnertime and push and kick, and we try to guess which body part is rolling around underneath my skin. The boys especially find it fun! But he really likes to start moving around about 10:30 at night and about 3:30 in the morning....which is so much more fun for me! I really hope this doesn't mean he's going to be a night owl, LOL!
We finally have his room pretty much ready. We can't find the baby bumpers for his crib, so we're going without for now. He won't be in his crib for a little while anyway. I'm sure they're in the attic. We'll find them eventually, but the rest of his room is ready. The crib and rocking chair are set up. The twin bed is ready for whoever gets the happy overnight duty. We have a few clothes and baby wash and quite a few diapers that a friend of mine at work has donated once her baby outgrew them.
Speaking of work, Baby A does NOT like when I work. As I mentioned before, those 12 hours seem to turn into one giant Braxton Hicks contraction, and he get so tight that it's almost painful. Almost. BUT, my awesome coworkers are throwing a baby shower for me at work tomorrow, and I'm already overwhelmed with their kindness. It's so nice of them to do that for us, considering this is our 3rd, not our first. But my friend said, "Everybody gets a shower." From the scuttlebutt that I'm hearing, and from my friend's request yesterday that I bring the van to work tomorrow rather than our Accord, I think they've outdone themselves....I think they've actually purchased our car seat/stroller system for us. Y'all, I might cry - and I still don't have tears on my right side yet! LOL!
Anyway, I work with an awesome bunch of people, and I'm really touched by their generosity. I'll keep y'all posted as to what happens!
His kicks and jabs are getting pretty uncomfortable now, as he's running out of room in my huge uterus. Speaking of huge uteruses, my belly is huge, and I'm running into everything with it. I can barely reach the faucet at the sink at work to wash my hands. I have exactly one pair of work pants and one pair of jeans that fit and are even remotely comfortable. We couldn't really swing a maternity wardrobe this year, so I've made due with fully elastic size 3X's from the Walmart. Unfortunately, when one has a bit of an "accident" at work, and one only has one pair of work pants that fit, one is forced to come home and wash one's work pants between shifts - which is a major pain in the tush...literally! BUT, such is life as a mom, LOL!
Baby A is busiest overnight. He'll sometimes wake up at dinnertime and push and kick, and we try to guess which body part is rolling around underneath my skin. The boys especially find it fun! But he really likes to start moving around about 10:30 at night and about 3:30 in the morning....which is so much more fun for me! I really hope this doesn't mean he's going to be a night owl, LOL!
We finally have his room pretty much ready. We can't find the baby bumpers for his crib, so we're going without for now. He won't be in his crib for a little while anyway. I'm sure they're in the attic. We'll find them eventually, but the rest of his room is ready. The crib and rocking chair are set up. The twin bed is ready for whoever gets the happy overnight duty. We have a few clothes and baby wash and quite a few diapers that a friend of mine at work has donated once her baby outgrew them.
Speaking of work, Baby A does NOT like when I work. As I mentioned before, those 12 hours seem to turn into one giant Braxton Hicks contraction, and he get so tight that it's almost painful. Almost. BUT, my awesome coworkers are throwing a baby shower for me at work tomorrow, and I'm already overwhelmed with their kindness. It's so nice of them to do that for us, considering this is our 3rd, not our first. But my friend said, "Everybody gets a shower." From the scuttlebutt that I'm hearing, and from my friend's request yesterday that I bring the van to work tomorrow rather than our Accord, I think they've outdone themselves....I think they've actually purchased our car seat/stroller system for us. Y'all, I might cry - and I still don't have tears on my right side yet! LOL!
Anyway, I work with an awesome bunch of people, and I'm really touched by their generosity. I'll keep y'all posted as to what happens!
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Hurt and Due Date and Sitting
I'm heading into that final misery stage. Walking hurts. Sitting hurts. Lying down hurts. Bending over hurts. And I know it's all just temporary. I'm not complaining. There's nothing quite like lying in bed and feeling your baby kick and squirm in your belly. Sometimes that hurts, too, but it's worth it. I can hardly wait to meet Baby Alex!
People keep asking me when I'm due, and when I say Jan. 27th, they look at me like I must've stuttered. I'm quick to follow up with something like, "but I don't think he's going to wait that long, ha, ha," but it really is a difficult question to answer. The way I'm feeling right now, I question whether or not he'll bake until Christmas (I hope so)! But I seriously do believe that I could very possibly spend my 40th birthday (Jan 3rd) in the hospital with a newborn... That'll be right at my magical 36 weeks point...
Anyway, I have one more 12 hour shift today, and it's my short week, thank goodness. These 12 hour shifts are turning into one long Braxton Hicks contraction, and they're getting pretty uncomfortable! I plan to do a lot of sitting with my feet up and drinking water during my 5 days off!
People keep asking me when I'm due, and when I say Jan. 27th, they look at me like I must've stuttered. I'm quick to follow up with something like, "but I don't think he's going to wait that long, ha, ha," but it really is a difficult question to answer. The way I'm feeling right now, I question whether or not he'll bake until Christmas (I hope so)! But I seriously do believe that I could very possibly spend my 40th birthday (Jan 3rd) in the hospital with a newborn... That'll be right at my magical 36 weeks point...
Anyway, I have one more 12 hour shift today, and it's my short week, thank goodness. These 12 hour shifts are turning into one long Braxton Hicks contraction, and they're getting pretty uncomfortable! I plan to do a lot of sitting with my feet up and drinking water during my 5 days off!
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Just Achy and Painful and Whiny Today
So, we're getting to the uncomfortable, aka painful, stages of this pregnancy thing. Besides the constant waking up to pee, now I'm having wicked heartburn almost daily, and my lower back hurts. Pretty much all the time. It's bad enough when you are a healthy weight to start with, but when you are overweight and then gain some baby weight, it's even worse. Believe me. I woke up several times last night and had to reposition several times due to backache - into one of my last two even remotely comfortable sleeping positions (one side or the other). I remember all of this from my last two times, and I realize it's temporary, thank the Lord. I'm just hoping that I'm not so exhausted when I eventually do go into labor that I don't have the energy to really go all in with it.
The extra stress from my Hubby's unemployment status isn't helping, and I've been dealing with some sadness and depression and worry the last few days, as well. I am trying to keep my head and realize it's all temporary, and it's partly preggo hormones, and that everything will be OK. But it just sucks to have your whole life, schedule, plans, and finances turned upside in the third trimester, right before the holidays, you know?
Anyway, we're good. I have a doctor appointment this morning which hopefully won't take too long, because I have homework to do this afternoon!
The extra stress from my Hubby's unemployment status isn't helping, and I've been dealing with some sadness and depression and worry the last few days, as well. I am trying to keep my head and realize it's all temporary, and it's partly preggo hormones, and that everything will be OK. But it just sucks to have your whole life, schedule, plans, and finances turned upside in the third trimester, right before the holidays, you know?
Anyway, we're good. I have a doctor appointment this morning which hopefully won't take too long, because I have homework to do this afternoon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
