Monday, November 30, 2015

28 Weeks: A Lot of Pondering... and Some Dancing!

As the big day gets closer I have been finding myself pondering so many things in every aspect of life. Most of these ponderings are of course related to giving birth, wondering what exactly is happening inside of me and what do I need to do to prepare for the arrival of my girl.

To say these things I wonder about keep me up at night is an understatement. One night I was absolutely miserable. It started out fine. Then I was too hot. Off came the pajama pants. A cat got sick next. When Man Friend got up to clean that I removed the top blanket from our bed. Then the comforter was shoved to the side. In the end, half of my body was covered with a sheet. But that didn't solve my body hurting and the inability to get at all comfy. At one point I was wandering around and getting ice water. Eventually at 4am I was in the living room trying to sleep on the couch. When my alarm went off it was almost a relief!

I'm getting to the things I ponder in a moment. First, here's a look at my arm. This is over a week after getting my blood drawn when they checked me for gestational diabetes. It actually looks pretty good here compared to earlier! Gross, right??

Alright ... so I check my baby apps every day. I'm always following along with the developmental changes. I love reading and learning all that I can. But that doesn't stop me from being mystified by all of this whole human life creation. I mean really, two cells merged and in the end we have a human?? It's crazy. And then really, the fact that they know what all is happening developmentally and when? Impressive! But that doesn't mean I can fully grasp it.

First up, breathing. It is so odd to me that my baby is working those little lungs (which I have actually been able to see on her ultrasound!) to breathe. But obviously not the breathing we are all used to. So then what gets extra strange to me is that right now she has her fluid going in and out, in and out .... but then I push her from in to out and suddenly she's just going to be a normal human and breathe air??

Next, ol' Bigfoot in me is plumping up. But it's not like she's eating.  Yet she's clearly not starving. She's doing just fine in there ... and clearly enjoys peanut butter English muffins, milk and rice krispy bars. These three things have never upset my stomach the entire time she's been hanging out with me!

Flipping of positions. How does she know when to do that??? Obviously she likes to move. We can see my tummy getting lopsided at times, and can feel when she is resting too! I swear it's almost like if you feel just right you can feel your hand cupping around a little bottom or head. Just too cute! BUT, apparently we human know to flip around and get head down to find the exit. How do we know to do this? And there's no feeling of all the blood rushing to your head when you're flipped? How does that work????

And perhaps the silliest, yet the one that I can actually do something about so it causes me stress .... underwear. It's not like she will come out of me and I will go back to normal. There will be blood flow... great. All these months without, and I hear it is going to be in full effect after birth. Clearly using a tampon and my regular Victoria's Secret thongs (Yes, I am 28 weeks pregnant and still in my VS tiny undies!!) is not going to be an option. So that means I have to go out and buy big ol' granny panties. I don't know the last time I bought any of those. What size do I get? How do I know? How would I know what to grab? Do I get a bag of Jockey underwear? Ugh, I am soooooo not looking forward to those!!!

In other news, Thanksgiving was nice and relaxing, consisting of just four of us and 2 dogs. It was strange to not have Grandpa in his spot on the couch, and the huge mass of family. BUT... on the other hand it was nice because I stayed in pajamas and was able to prop my feet up and relax any time I needed. A normal holiday setting would have probably worn me out.

What did ultimately wear me out?? Big Bad Voodoo Daddy!! My mom and I had a Girl's Night Out to the casino for the Swingin' Holiday dance party put on by BBVD .... my favorite band. I absolutely love them! This was my 5th time seeing them, and crazy enough, at exactly 28 weeks that night, this was my daughter's second time "seeing" them! And she enjoyed it. Before the show started she was moving around a lot, appearing to enjoy the music. We even made our way to the dance floor a couple times ... which I am paying for now. Next time I'm carrying a baby around inside of me and think I am a Rockette and can do leg kicks with no repercussions ... remind me I am wrong! But it was a total blast!!

And last thing for this week, I am officially all set up for Lamaze classes beginning January 5th! I don't yet know Man Friend's work schedule for 2016, but if it continues the way this year was looks like he will miss 3 classes, meaning the future grandma will get to join me for the other Lamaze nights! I'm excited thought. I'll finally see more of the hospital and learn about going on the tour of the maternity ward, plus meet other preggos. Should be fun, and I imagine very helpful!


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Thanksgiving28 Weeks

Thursday, November 26, 2015

29 Things Only A Pregnant Woman Would Understand

A fellow preggo friend pinned this the other day and I had no choice but to click and check it out. Oh so true, I thought, while reading over it. I even had to read some of them aloud to Man Friend... plus ask some questions of the nature of "wtf??".... so here it is, 29 Things Only A Pregnant Woman Would Understand... with my commentary added in, of course!

1. What it feels like to be completely terrified and excited at the same time.
Absofreakinglutely. Not even terrified to have a baby to take care of and be responsible. Terrified of that pushing to get the little thing out of me!
baby-wipes

2. Morning sickness that lasts. All. Damn. Day.

All. Damn. Day. All Damn. Night. It was a happy day when that finally passed ... for the most part.
clog

3. That panty liners aren't just for periods. 
You'll always find one in my purse ... you just never know!
fastfood

4. That sometimes you get diaper rash even when you don't wear diapers.
Okay, this one doesn't apply to me ... at least not yet! Let's hope it stays that way!
Italian-food

5. Mucus plugs. 'Nuff said.
I know there is one there. I haven't been visited by it yet. Thank goodness!
Public-restroom


6. What Dolly Parton must feel like.
Oh hell yes. I've always been a happy, small chested person. I could buy a cheap sports bra and have it fit and work with no problem. Now? Always in the weight. And do they really weight 20 pounds each? Because I'm pretty sure that number is not an exaggeration.
underwear

7. Cankles that engulf your entire leg.
I've avoided this so far... thanks to compression sleeves when I traveled and always propping up my feet with my recliner. Phew! Less than 3 months to go - we will see if I can keep them away!
Matches

8. How to waddle like a penguin.
I don't reallllly waddle, but when my hips hurt and my back hurts and I get tired, I feel this body wanting to. NO!! No, I say! I will fight off the waddle as long as I can.
meds

9. The awesomeness that is the ability to grow a freakin' human being.
I am baffled and in awe of how all this works. I know people that hate pregnancy and think it's gross and like an alien inside of you. Heck I don't even exist to some people anymore presumably because I am a freak of nature that dared to reproduce (because their mom must have waved a wand to create them) .... but I totally don't even care. This is totally fascinating to me. And awesome!
Remicade

10. Willing the worst pain of your life to come. Soon.
Right?!?!?! I countdown to February 20th, yet like I said, I am terrified of pushing her out!
obstruct

11. How you can be hot when there is ice dripping from the air conditioner.
Poor Man Friend .... how many times has he been bundled up under covers frozen and I'm in next to nothing with fans on and opening doors to let cool air inside??
prep-an-H

12. What it is like to have to pee every 15 minutes. All. Night. Long.
I don't even need to really open my eyes anymore at this point. I know my path by feel and number of steps to take to avoid the dog bed!
the-one

13. Crying because the fast food worker got your order wrong.
Hasn't happened exactly this way .... more like huge mental breakdown (rightfully so!!) when all of the restaurants in Disneyland were closed 2 hours before the park closed .... except of course for the place that served only fries and meat. Vegetarians that are tired, hungry and pregnant do not find pleasure in this.
mystery

14. The urge to punch complete strangers in the neck when they comment on how big you are.
Complete strangers are much more polite than people you know. And I feel I have had to sit on my hands to avoid said urge to punch because of rude comments.
Barium

15. The need to organize. ALL THE THINGS.
I find myself down in her room staring. Looking. Trying to find anything I can organize.  Again.
colonoscopy

16. The first time you feel the life growing inside of you move.
I remember it perfectly. And the second. And the third. So precious and surreal. It is my favorite thing in the whole wide world right now. And now she is big enough that we can even find when she is hanging out just by lightly pressing on my tummy. I'm obsessed.
Indiana-Jones

17. How to trim the hedges when you can no longer see them....
Love this one! Is there even a hedge to trim? How would I know?? I can't freaking see below my belly button anymore!
google

18. How Jabba the Hutt really feels.
When I am trying to sit up I REALLY feel his pain! And when animals nuzzle into me like my belly is this fun place to camp out in. Yes, just disappear into my mounds of flesh ... I can't see you anyway!
ingredients

19. The importance of fiber.
I've been lucky in this regard. Hallelujah!
awful-bathrooms

20. When a baby does a flip off your cervix and lands on your bladder.
Her favorite past time... especially when I'm out for a walk. As if I could forget she's there? She certainly never let me!
aisle-seat

21. That you plan every trip out of the house around access to clean restrooms.
I don't have to plan ... I already know the good bathrooms and the ones to avoid. And thankfully so far they've all been easy to get to!

22. What it feels like to be punched in the stomach from the inside.
Oh she walloped me good today. Her strongest jolting kick yet! LOVE it!!
salad

23. Getting excited when you get diarrhea because it means the baby might be coming soon.
WHAT???? Someone please explain this to me!!! Is this true?????
dry-cleaning-tickets

24. What it's like to pee a little when you cough. Or sneeze. Or breathe.
No. Comment.
Mike-McCreedy

25. The reason ASPCA commercials make you cry.
Ha! They DON'T make me cry. That's what the remote control is for. Changing the channel.
But don't let me watch the episode of Friends where Rachel has her baby. Sob fest!
Mexican-food

26. What that dude in the movie Alien felt like.
I haven't seen Alien, but if it's like this photo -- yep, makes sense!
popcorn

27. Sleeping in a fortress of pillows.
That fortress has been a life saver. Do you see the woman's husband in that photo? No. Because the pillows take up all the room and he just gets to squeeze in somewhere before he or his own pillows fall off the bed!
Drinking

28. Why you put dirty dishes in the cupboard and mayonnaise in the dishwasher.
My problem isn't with doing things backwards ... its more forgetting what I am doing. Or forgetting the words I am trying to say. And then not even knowing how to explain the simple word I can't find.


29. Loving someone deeply before you even meet them.
This one speaks for itself! She's my favorite little thing in the whole wide world!