If I ever felt time was going by quickly and I was busy, I was so wrong. NOW it is busy and crazy fast!
Monday was more of the same, except this time I had to take a break to go to the doctor for the first of many twice a week appointments for a Fetal Non-Stress Test. I had to wait quite a while before I was finally taken into the room where I had my last ultrasound. We got the table to a more comfy position and then attached two monitors to my tummy via the lovely straps you can see in the photo to the right!
I had a little clicker in my hand, and my job was to click any time I felt the baby move. Meanwhile I just put my head back, closed my eyes, and listened to her little heart rapidly beating. She sounded like a galloping horse underwater! I was concerned she wouldn't move much since she had been very active earlier and already had her first round of hiccups for the day. Well she did not disappoint! It almost felt like she made it a game to try to kick the sensors on my tummy. Not only could I really feel it, we could hear her kicking at the sensors as well! Naturally I found this to be adorable since I am her mom and it's my job to love everything she does. About 20 minutes later and we were done... for this day. I will do this every Monday and Thursday until that little girl is born and in my arms!
I had a little clicker in my hand, and my job was to click any time I felt the baby move. Meanwhile I just put my head back, closed my eyes, and listened to her little heart rapidly beating. She sounded like a galloping horse underwater! I was concerned she wouldn't move much since she had been very active earlier and already had her first round of hiccups for the day. Well she did not disappoint! It almost felt like she made it a game to try to kick the sensors on my tummy. Not only could I really feel it, we could hear her kicking at the sensors as well! Naturally I found this to be adorable since I am her mom and it's my job to love everything she does. About 20 minutes later and we were done... for this day. I will do this every Monday and Thursday until that little girl is born and in my arms!
Also on Monday was a classic moment for us ... when we went to Walmart to look at baby things and as I stepped in the store it felt like she was pushing her way out. I buckled forward and had to grab on for support. It was at this moment Man Friend says, "We are NOT having a Walmart baby!! I will move you out of this store if I have to!" Well have no fear, we did NOT have a Walmart baby!
Tuesday was our 3rd Lamaze class which you can read all about by clicking the link.
Wednesday she continued what feels like more and more of a downward descent toward her exit path. It keeps causing my mom concern that she's going to arrive at any minute. I described it as early seismic activity before a volcano blows. Nothing to worry about, just some mild tremble before she blows! Also on this day I was joined by my mom, Man Friend and my brother in law for a tour through the Family Birth Place where our girl will be born. It felt calming to actually go in a delivery room and see how it is very large, private, equipped with a private bathroom that has a tub and shower, and a TV with a DVD player. I'll be adding Titanic to the hospital bag!
Thursday was a very interesting day! I had my second Non-stress test, this time with my mom coming along to watch and listen. This time I was able to see the monitor and print out of the results. It was quite interesting! The screen has two numbers, one much higher than the other. The higher number is our baby's heart rate while the lower is a number measuring my contractions. As the paper prints out we can see the fluctuations (her heart rate on the left, my contractions on the right). I was completely stunned to learn that these strange sensations I've been having for the last month have been contractions! I can't even describe them, but I can say they don't hurt. I've had 3 instances of contractions that were undeniable and required my Lamaze breathing, but as it turns out that odd feeling that's increasing each day are contractions after all! Over the course of this round of monitoring I was able to watch that little girl completely shift to her favorite spot - my left side - and make my belly all lopsided again... she does this quite often. Oh, and my mom nailed it perfectly when she said that when I use the clicker it is like I am playing Jeopardy. Absolutely, but at least I know my answers are always right at this game! If you notice the thick arrows on the baby's chart, those are all the times I felt her move and clicked the Jeopardy button.
Man Friend and I got dressed up for the Chamber of Commerce banquet that evening, and had a really lovely time. What was new was the fact that during the social hour while walking around socializing I had multiple times where I had to stop walking and felt like I better seal my legs shut so she wouldn't fall out. Things like this make me think that by the time her due date is here she will have already been here for a little bit! And that same odd feeling of her pushing down hard on me continued through Friday, as did the non-stop bathroom trips. Oh my gosh. I should get stock in toilet paper. Seriously.
Friday feels uneventful looking back. Nothing is jumping out at me other than being completely exhausted from my insomnia. And now that I know those strange feelings are small cramps, I did notice a lot of them.
Saturday my mom and I went to Portland and I got to watch my feet swell over the course of walking through downtown and watching The Book of Mormon. The little girl did wake up during the show and it felt like she enjoyed it. Good girl, teaching her some culture.... although given the language and humor I'll just hope she didn't fully absorb all of that musical! Our night was finished off at a lovely dinner with my cousin, his darling wife and their adorable new baby. We got to pick their brains a little bit on baby things, and it got me one step closer to being ready!
I need a nap!
Thursday was a very interesting day! I had my second Non-stress test, this time with my mom coming along to watch and listen. This time I was able to see the monitor and print out of the results. It was quite interesting! The screen has two numbers, one much higher than the other. The higher number is our baby's heart rate while the lower is a number measuring my contractions. As the paper prints out we can see the fluctuations (her heart rate on the left, my contractions on the right). I was completely stunned to learn that these strange sensations I've been having for the last month have been contractions! I can't even describe them, but I can say they don't hurt. I've had 3 instances of contractions that were undeniable and required my Lamaze breathing, but as it turns out that odd feeling that's increasing each day are contractions after all! Over the course of this round of monitoring I was able to watch that little girl completely shift to her favorite spot - my left side - and make my belly all lopsided again... she does this quite often. Oh, and my mom nailed it perfectly when she said that when I use the clicker it is like I am playing Jeopardy. Absolutely, but at least I know my answers are always right at this game! If you notice the thick arrows on the baby's chart, those are all the times I felt her move and clicked the Jeopardy button.Man Friend and I got dressed up for the Chamber of Commerce banquet that evening, and had a really lovely time. What was new was the fact that during the social hour while walking around socializing I had multiple times where I had to stop walking and felt like I better seal my legs shut so she wouldn't fall out. Things like this make me think that by the time her due date is here she will have already been here for a little bit! And that same odd feeling of her pushing down hard on me continued through Friday, as did the non-stop bathroom trips. Oh my gosh. I should get stock in toilet paper. Seriously.
Friday feels uneventful looking back. Nothing is jumping out at me other than being completely exhausted from my insomnia. And now that I know those strange feelings are small cramps, I did notice a lot of them.
Saturday my mom and I went to Portland and I got to watch my feet swell over the course of walking through downtown and watching The Book of Mormon. The little girl did wake up during the show and it felt like she enjoyed it. Good girl, teaching her some culture.... although given the language and humor I'll just hope she didn't fully absorb all of that musical! Our night was finished off at a lovely dinner with my cousin, his darling wife and their adorable new baby. We got to pick their brains a little bit on baby things, and it got me one step closer to being ready!
I need a nap!
| JANUARY 2016 | |||||||||||||
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 33 Weeks | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |||||||
| Lamaze Class | Baby Shower | 34 Weeks | |||||||||||
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |||||||
| OBGYN | Lamaze Class | 35 Weeks | |||||||||||
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |||||||
| NST monitoring | Lamaze Class | Hospital Tour | NST monitoring | 36 Weeks | |||||||||
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||||||
| Babies R Us | NST monitoring | Lamaze Class | NST monitoring | OBGYN | 37 Weeks | ||||||||
| 31 | |||||||||||||
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