Friday, 9/10/10 2:25am...labor...

It's about 2:25am on Friday morning and I'm pretty sure i'm in labor... painful contractions i have to breath through 5 minutes apart for about the last hour... about to call the doctor. i guess i better wake dave up at some point :) but i put my makeup on so i'm ready to go :)

false labor (pre-labor)

Last night I had contractions all night long. They started at 15 minutes apart for an hour or so and then got up to 7 minutes apart before I finally fell asleep some time after 4am. When I got up in the morning, I had a couple contractions but then they went away. L had been up every 45 minutes for half the night so between her and the contractions, I got like 2 hours of sleep. L came down with a cold Saturday morning so she was having a tough time sleeping. I was so tired, I went back to bed in the morning and then took a nap in the afternoon too. But the regular contractions never came back.

On Saturday, we spent some time playing with L in the morning before D's mom came down and D took her to the store to buy stuff she needed for her computer. Then after they came back, she watched L so we could go out by ourselves. We went to lunch at To*kyo Joes and then test drove a To*oyta Si*enna in Boulder before heading down to Westminster to test drive a Ho*nda Od*yssey. The later was black on black and was SO hot. Then I decided that even though it was already three p.m. that this was our chance to get all the way down to south Denver to look at another Ho*nda so we did that as well. Our sales guy down there was from Paris so that was super fun. When we got back home, we decided to go to Chi*ck-Fil-A for dinner since it was already after 5pm and his mom had never been there.

8/23/10...37 weeks...carpel tunnel worsens

my carpel tunnel has taken a turn for the worse today...i really hope i'm not in this much pain for the next 3 weeks. welcome to week 37!

Oh, and yesterday my right foot swelled even more, if that was possible! I had to loosen my B*irkenstocks again and my Cr*ocs are getting tight!

8/16/10...36 weeks...

We went to the doctor today for my 36 week appointment. I gained a pound and am measuring 37.5 weeks. I also got tested for strep b so I'll get those results this week. The doctor said my feet and ankles finally look like a pregnant person, even though they've been swollen for 6 weeks now. She said I'm lucky I was skinny so it took this long. She also checked to see if I was dilated and I'm not. Baby boy hasn't dropped yet either. The doctor is hoping that I go into labor at 39 weeks. Me too! I also made sure that she was around the entire month of September and asked about weekend and after hours deliveries. She likes delivering her own patients so I'm optimistic that I can have her deliver little guy. (and no, we have NO names yet...he'll be lucky if we leave the hospital with one!)

I think I officially weigh the most I've ever weighed in my life. Yuck! I'm hating weighing this much but I think what's really getting to me is the combo of the swelling & pain with that and the acne on my face (have this one that I've had the ENTIRE pregnancy) & back. The swelling is just awful. Having a numb thumb (painful tingling) and occasionally other fingers is horrible. Last night, the pain shooting up my arms kept me awake and then my arms tingle too (that falling asleep sensation). I hate it. Right now both my arms are in pain and my thumb hurts because it is tingling so bad. :( :( :(

8/13/10...pregnancy & L....

Apparently i can add carpel tunnel to my lovely list of pregnancy symptoms. Yuck. I would love for the tingling sensation in my hands & thumb and the shooting pain up my arms to go away! I totally think God is making sure that we don't have any more bio kids!

This morning I was finishing getting ready and I asked L what she would like to wear today. She came running back in with a brown shirt and khaki shorts, which she had pulled together from different outfits (all her summer stuff is hanging within her reach, all paired together), exactly like what I was wearing. Coincidence? I think not. I think my little girl wanted to be like her mommy. So cute! And she definitely looked cuter than I did!

I'll have to post a pic of her later.

Then we headed out to the park for playgroup. We were only there about an hour since we were having a lazy morning. Our neighbor's daughter Charlotte just happened to be there so she played a bunch with her and then, after she left, L played with Regal. Then when Regal left and only the babies were left, L threw a tandrum, laying on her face on the ground, screaming and crying so that was the end of the park play date.

9/12/10...Visiting Jon & Katy's new baby in the hospital

This morning after L's last swim class of the summer, we went to the hospital to see our friends Katy & Jon's new baby Molly. L loved holding her! ;) Maybe I'm going to have to borrow a boppy so she can do this with her brother. She really didn't want to give up her turn holding Molly. In fact, she got two turns.

As far as my pregnancy goes:
As if I wasn't annoyed enough with my swollen hands hurting & then loosing feeling when I sleep, I now have a thumb that tingles all the time. Nice. I'm SO over this! And yet humbled because this should be all temporary and some people have to deal with this all the time like the checker at Target on chemo.

8/2/10...34 weeks dr appt...

I had my 34 week doctor's appointment this afternoon. My blood pressure is fine (a concern with all the swelling) and baby boy's heartbeat is good & strong. I'm measuring 35 weeks. I had them check my weight gain this time vs. with L. With L, I started heavier but only gained 22lbs. This time I started lighter but am already 2lbs more than I was total with L and i still have SIX weeks left. Opps. Darn that second trimester when I felt like I was starving all the time even though I was eating all the time.

swelling :(

My feet are now so swollen that I actually had to loosen my Birkensto*ck straps tonight. :( :( :( My hands also hurt really bad...like I've worked them to death. I really feel sorry for people who have to deal with water retention all the time...or who have arthritis. How awful! My only hope is that it will all come to a hasty end with the delivery of this baby boy!

7/26/10...33 weeks...59 days to go...

from b@bycenter.com:

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

How your life's changing:

As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.

You may be feeling some achiness and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can retain fluid, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" may end up pinched, creating numbness; tingling, shooting or burning pain; or a dull ache. Try wearing a splint to stabilize your wrist or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or on an assembly line, for instance), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks — which should be frequently.


**My hands have hurt for 10 days now. They hurt like they are really sore from doing something the day before, except that I haven't done anything and they continue to hurt every day. I guess it's from all the swelling. I have nice, fat fingers now...really quite ugly. On the plus side, my nail gal says that it's easier to hold onto my bigger fingers. My feet are still fat too and I only fit in two pairs of shoes. I bought a pair of cute shoes on clearance at T@rget today to expand my shoe choice and hopefully they won't be terribly uncomfortable. At least the Birkensto*cks are really comfortable! I'm still having a ton of contractions and they are definitely noticeable and almost downright painful. I noticed today that when I walk, I'm starting to feel like I'm waddling a bit. I think it's because of my achy hip joints. Baby boy is still moving a ton. I can usually feel his butt and either hands or feet. He can also hurt me. He likes to stretch and get my ribs & bladder. It shoots a pain into my bladder that kind of feels like when it hurts because you've waited too long to pee. I can't believe I still have at least 7 weeks to go...that seems so far away! Yet I'm trying to treasure every night that I'm not having to wake up to feed & change someone and still having a life outside the house, even if it's in 100F weather. I'm also trying to cherish every last moment I have with L as an only child.**

7/19/10...32 weeks...dr's appt

I had my 32 week appointment today. Baby boy's heart rate is 160 and he's measuring 33.5 weeks. I only gained 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks so that's good too. Unfortunately, there's nothing they can do about the swelling of my hands and feet and calves. The doctor said it won't go away until after I deliver. Bummer. It's been really uncomfortable and just plain ugly. I honestly can't wait to get my figure back, but I know that will be awhile!

In other news, we got a super cute little boy outfit from Dave's dad and stepmom today (and a nursery rhyme book for L that D's reading to her now). It's always exciting to get cute stuff since I haven't seen many cute things out there for boys. It's MUCH easier to shop for a girl.

7/12/10...31 weeks...not-fun symptoms...

I'm 31 weeks today and my latest non-fun preggo symptoms are feet that are too swollen to wear my beloved flip flops and hands that are too swollen to wear any of my rings. :( It hurts to stand & it hurts to bend my fingers b/c they are so tight. :( Dr said nothing we can do for you (great!) and try to drink a ton of water & stay out of the sun, especially since today & tomorrow are supposed to be super hot. Good thing L's meet & greet w/her teachers is tomorrow at the park in 95F weather. Yay me. [can u tell i'm over this already?!! ;)]

I did not have this problem with swelling last time. I remember at the end, I did take off my wedding rings but I was able to wear another ring in their place. After I had L, my feet were so super swollen b/c of all those IV fluids they had pumped into me. It was really gross and painful, and none of my shoes fit. I'm hoping to never get to that point again. I'll probably be going out to invest in a pair of Cr*cs for outside the house since they are fairly comfortable and they still fit.

Oh, and I forgot to mention this earlier, but I've been having leg cramps off and on all night long for awhile now...I'd say a couple months. Weird, but not super painful so I deal.

Oh, and I've had Braxton Hicks contractions for months now...maybe even three months. They are annoying...get them like every time I stand up plus a ton more through out the day.

Baby boy is still moving a ton, which at times can be uncomfortable or down right painful, but mostly it's great because it lets us know he's okay.

7/6/10...30 wk ob appt...

Today I had my 30 week ob appointment. The doctor said my blood pressure and weight gain was good (only gained two pounds in almost 3 weeks this time...yay!). I'm measuring 31 weeks and baby boy's heartbeat is good too. We went over some questions I had and I'm really happy with my decision to switch doctors. I just feel so comfortable with her. I asked her about my herniated belly button and she said that it would be covered by insurance to fix it, but that I'll have to wait until I've lost all the baby weight to have the surgery (an abdominal surgeon would do it). Guess I'm stuck with my ugly stuck out belly button for awhile. I also got my last-resort-c-section scheduled for the day after I'm 42 weeks and an ultrasound to determine his size when I'm 38 weeks.

6/23/10...pregnancy stuff...

Last Thursday (6/17), I had my 28 week appointment a few days early. Because my doctor's office kept calling to reschedule my appointment, I ended up with an appointment with another doctor. I had seen this other doctor (Dr. R) twice before, once for my pulled muscle on 5/7 and once for my 24 week appointment (b/c they had rescheduled me then too). I really like Dr. R and feel comfortable with her. I know this is probably unusual, but 2/3 of the way through my pregnancy, I'm switching doctors to Dr. R. :)

Anyhow, according to the doctor's office, I've already gained like 23lbs. YIKES!! And I still have another 3 months to go! I'm gonna be one fat chica! :( Other than that, baby boy sounds good. His heart rate is good and I'm measuring exactly 28 weeks. I've also decided to try to go for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) so we've push my scheduled c-section date back to 42 weeks to give my body as much time as possible to go into labor naturally. They don't induce you if you've previously had a c-section because they know that it goes much better if you go into labor naturally. She said that generally with baby #2, women have baby #2 up to a week earlier than with #1. I was 7 days overdue when my water broke with L so I'm hoping that he can be born around his due date...plus, he won't be as big as he would be 2 weeks later. Dr. R will give me an ultrasound around 36/38 weeks to determine how big he is, just to make sure they think I can deliver him, etc.

From Thursday night through Saturday night, he gave us a scare, not moving much at all, but he's since picked up the activity again. This kid moves a ton, but then again, so did L.

Another lovely pregnancy side affect has cropped up...heartburn. How I did not miss that one. So Tums are pretty much a friend at least once per day...especially if I lay down for a nap or at bed time.

Other than that, I'm just generally tired, but I'm a generally tired person in general. ;)

6/14/10...27 weeks...

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

How your life's changing:
The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

It may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, but it's not too soon to think about family planning. You'll want to have made some decisions about postpartum birth control before your baby arrives. If you're considering a tubal ligation, be aware that most states require you to sign a consent form at least 30 days beforehand. So if you'd like the option of having the surgery during your postpartum hospital stay, don't wait too much longer to discuss it with your caregiver. (You can still change your mind later.)

5/31/10...25 wks

So I know I'm really behind in posting and I hope to catch up at some point but for now I'll just post my 25 week preggo shot. :)

4/21/10: saying, toes, and baby

Elodie said, "daddy goes to work to buy money."

Yesterday, I painted her toe nails pink for the first time.  She's really proud of her toes and even took  her boots off to show the dental assistant.

She knows right and left feet.

I could feel the baby kick and move a ton the past 2 days. :)

3/29/10...16 weeks Dr. appt & L sick again

Today I had my 16 week appointment. We got to hear the heart beat again and our doctor is guessing it's a boy from the low heart beat. She had guessed L was a girl from her heart beat so I guess we'll just have to wait and see if she's right. I also had my blood drawn for the quad screen (checks for down syndrome, among others). I've gained 2.5 lbs since last week (ah!!) and at last week's weigh in I had gained 3 lbs over the 4 weeks before. So now I weigh what I weighed when I got pregnant with L. Hopefully that will help with not having my face look so fat at the end.

L woke up all night long last night. It seems like she has a cold and an ear infection so I took her to the pediatrician after my doctor's appointment. Sure enough, her right ear is infected again (the same ear that she just got off antibiotics for a week ago). This time she's getting a different, stronger antibiotic. I forced M*trin down her at the doctor's and by the time with left the pharmacy, she seemed better. We got home and she ate half a box of parmesan twists and a little bit of a yogurt drink. She slept off and on from around 3pm to 5:30pm. She was pretty cranky when she woke up so I forced another dose of M*trin down her and now she's much better. She's drawing with her crayons. :)

Monday, 3/22/10...15 weeks...

Today I heard our baby's heartbeat again and found out that he or she is sitting down low, on my bladder. I told the doctor I could have guessed that with how often I feel like I have to pee!

from b@bycenter.com:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

How your life's changing:

You've probably gained about 5 pounds by now (a little more or less is fine, too) and are well into the swing of your pregnancy, but you may still be surprised by an unexpected symptom now and then. If your nose is stuffed up, for instance, you can probably chalk it up to the combined effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow to your mucous membranes. This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." Some pregnant women also suffer nosebleeds as a result of increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose.

2/24/09...Dr's appt. (11 wks & 2 days)

Today we had another ob appointment to check for a heartbeat. These appointments are really reassuring to us as the days pass. The doctor was able to get an external heartbeat and then she went ahead and did an ultrasound too and said that everything looked great.

I had dropped a pound since my last appointment so she said if I don't start gaining weight, she'll test my thyroid. I think I'll be fine once I don't feel like puking...in fact, I think I'll have to watch how much I gain! I'm actually happy I'm not putting on a bunch of weight now because that would just be extra weight.

During & after the appointment, D made a few comments like "this is the last time we're doing this" (getting pregnant...and duh! one of us is so getting fixed after this!) and "wow...this is really happening. We're really having another kid." I was kinda thinking "duh!" but I calmly with a smile reassured him that we're not only having another kid, we're going to have two more kids! I'm sure he just loved that!

2/24/09...probably should make an announcement...

Opps, we did it again. We found out on Friday, January 8th that I'm pregnant. I had kept waiting for that time of the month and I finally decided to take a pregnancy test. I came downstairs and said to D something like, "How do you feel about September being the birth date of your next child?" And he kinda just stared at me. I think I told him what I meant. I think he then said, "No!" and something like, "well this is how teenagers get pregnant." So obviously we didn't plan this but we know how it happened. It really only does take once! Lol!

So because of Claire's death and our adoption, we kept this our little secret for awhile. Then Dave's mom and my mom came to visit and we told them and Katie. We waited until after our first ultrasound on January 25th to tell the rest of our siblings and parents. Then we told our small group but still haven't made a big announcement or anything. If D had his way, we wouldn't have told anyone until I was 32 weeks. Right...like they wouldn't have known by then. I was showing by 5 weeks this time. Good thing it's winter and hardly anyone ever sees me without a sweatshirt. :)

I started feeling sick around 5.5 weeks and started taking my anti-nausea medication. It helps but it's certainly no cure. I was feeling pretty crappy and tired when my mom was here in January. I feel like now (at almost 12 weeks) I'm finally feeling a little better. It helped when I figured out two weeks ago that I could take the medication every 8 hours instead of every 12. I still feel pukey off and on ALL day long but I think it's not as bad (either that or i'm getting used to it). I still have like no energy so maybe it's been a Godsend that L's been sick the last four weeks and we've spent most of it on the couch watching PBS kids & kid videos. First she got the stomach flu when my mom was here (my mom was so super awesome about the whole thing!!). The following week she got croup & a nasty cough (she goes around telling you she sick and has a nasty cough. too funny!) which lasted through the following week until she got a double ear infection, fever & worse cough. Then she was on a 10 day antibiotics (just finished that) and a week of neubulizer albuter*l & pr*vental treatments. We bribed her a ton to take her meds twice per day. Glad that's all over.

Since our original ultrasound, we've had a few more. We had one a week and a half later and there was still a heartbeat and the baby measured a few days bigger than last time putting my due date at September 10th (instead of the 12th). The office is still using the 12th but I like to think of it as the 10th (sooner end to nausea!). Then I had a quickie ultrasound the following week and she literally just checked for the heartbeat and nothing else. By then we had made it a week past when Claire died.

Anyhow, so most are asking...are we still adopting?? Well, are there still 127 MILLION orphans in the world? YES!! So of course we're still adopting. We're not sure how this will play into the time line of our adoption but for now we're NOT telling our agency because it doesn't really matter. We're still back at #15 on the list and realistically until we actually have this baby there is no guarantee that this baby will actually live. We're going to be praying a lot about this, especially as we move up the list. When we originally talked to our agency, we asked what would happen if you accidentally got pregnant and they said well some people just don't tell us. I'm actually really disappointed that this could delay our adoption by a year because *I believe* Korea requires a year between kids which means we could not be able to get a referral until February 2012 and then bring her home at least 6 months after that. That just immeasurably hurts my heart that it could be 2 1/2 more years!! So we're keeping things quiet for now and trying to listen to what God wants for us. HIS timing is PERFECT and we have to keep that in mind. K*rea has been ridiculously slow and maybe this baby is God's way of tiding us over. Who knows. So if you're adoptive family at our agency, please respect our timing and don't say anything.