Monday, June 21, 2010

31 weeks



Only 7 weeks left!  Well, I think only 7 weeks anyway.  We have an appointment on Thursday and I'm going to ask if we can go ahead and schedule something.  We'll see what happens.  I'm hoping there is only 7 weeks left because I don't want to be pregnant anymore.  Its just inconvenient for me.  I want to be able to bend over without a problem and I want to sleep on my stomach again!

Darren and I were supposed to go visit a daycare on Friday, but the one day we scheduled something is the one day he got sent out on a flight and couldn't make it.  We ended up just rescheduling for today.  So, this afternoon we visited our first daycare center.  It was nice, but I have absolutely nothing to compare it to.  They don't currently have a waiting list, so we are going to keep looking around and see what else we can find for comparison.  I think we have time, so I'm not worried.  Worst case scenario, Darren has to actually use his FMLA leave to take care of the baby for a bit if we can't get into a daycare yet.  I don't think we'll be forced into that situation, but we'll see.  He is definitely welcome to take some time off to care for his daughter, but I'm still not sure about his diaper changing skills.  I will have to test him first. :-)

I finally signed us up for a couple of classes.  I had to wait and see what Darren's work schedule will be for July before I signed up.  We are taking "babycare basics", which I think will be very important since we are both clueless, and we are taking a labor and delivery tour.  I also signed up for a breastfeeding class, but I don't expect Darren to come with me on that one.  He is welcome to come, but I don't think he would last through it.  Its a 4 hour class, which is interesting because the baby care class is only 2.5 hours.  I can't imagine how learning to breastfeed could possibly take longer than learning to care for a baby, but I guess I will find out.

I'm looking forward to my baby shower this weekend!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Flying with a newborn

I don't know if its just me, but I've been feeling very judged this week.  I feel like everything I say baby related is being judged by the people around me.  Its been bothering me.  Its not like all these other people are parenting experts.  I wish people would just keep their opinions to themselves, or at least just don't ask me questions if you are going to openly disagree with my answer.

It's no secret that Darren and I are planning to take our daughter on a plane when she is about 2 weeks old.  This has been a big issue for which I have had no shortage of opinions on.  Several people have been openly upset that we would take our baby on a plane so young.  I even had one person suggest it would be better to drive.  That makes absolutely no sense!  How is 3 full days each way in a car better than a 4 hour plane ride?  This trip is very important to me.  It is my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary and we are having a huge family reunion at a resort in Oregon.  It's going to be so much fun and I'm excited for the entire family to meet the new baby. :)

Most people I have told about this think that our baby will get sick if we take her on a plane that young.  I guess I understand the fear, but I am pretty confident that won't happen.  It's a 4 hour plane ride, so there isn't a lot of time for too much exposure.  Plus, its not like we are going to the middle of nowhere.  There are doctors and hospitals all over in Oregon, and I will have an abundance of very experienced family members around should something happen.  My sister and my sister-in-law are both nurses with their own kids as well, so I'm confident any situation will be just fine.  I have been doing a bit of research into the matter anyway, and what I've found makes me feel even better about it.  Most airlines will accept babies on flights at 7 days old.  American takes babies at 2 days old, but they prefer them to be 7 days at least.  Airplanes have a good amount of fresh air moving through the cabin, so you aren't breathing the same stale air over and over again.  They say it's highly unlikely to get sick through the air unless the sick person is sitting within a row or two of you.  Most people who get sick from plane rides get their illness from touching things other sick people have touched previously, such as tray tables and bathroom handles.  Since the baby won't be touching anything I think we're pretty safe there.  I did read that the parents should keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with them and use it often during the flight since we are the ones that will pass the germs along if we touch things on the plane.  That is definitely good advice and we will use that.  Darren is a germophobe anyway, so he will be very happy to extra sanitize.  I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a bunch of sanitizer wipes on the plane to wipe everything down around our seats when we first get on.  He does that a lot with other things (shopping carts in particular).

There were several forums I found on this subject, and most people said everything went great when they took their newborns on planes.  There was a lot of talk on this subject on adoption websites.  It's a common thing for people who adopt from other states or countries to take their new babies home on airplanes at very early ages.  If it is fine for all of them, it will be fine for us!  Of course, if our baby has any kind of medical problem or sickness before the trip we would definitely rethink our plans, but as long as she is healthy we are absolutely going.  The big concern at the moment is flying standby vs. buying a real ticket for me.  It will be the end of summer travel at the time, so flights may be pretty full.  Darren can always jumpseat, so he doesn't need a ticket, but I'd hate to get stuck if flights are all full.  We are considering purchasing a full fare refundable ticket for me and then canceling it at the last minute if the flights look open enough.  We'll see what happens with that.  It's a bit expensive, but may be totally worth it, especially if we're flying with a baby for the first time.  It will be stressful enough without the added pressure of wondering if we'll actually get on the flight.

In other news, we have our first daycare visit on Friday afternoon.  I know I said way back in April I needed to take care of it, but I am a terrible procrastinator.  I have called a couple of places so far.  I left a message at 1 place and they never called me back.  The 2nd place gave me some basic info but told me to call back after the baby is born because they don't like to plan that far in advance.  This 3rd place I just contacted yesterday and they set us up immediately for a visit.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm hoping we like it because there are only a few places close to our house and I really want one convenient for both of us to drop off or pick up.  The lady was extremely nice on the phone.  I'm sure I'll update after our visit.

Monday, June 14, 2010

30 weeks

I am 30 weeks pregnant today.  Yay!!  According to my book a baby born after 30 weeks is highly unlikely to suffer any long term complications or developmental problems.  She would still have to visit the NICU for a while if born now, but its good to know she would most likely be just fine.  I wouldn't be surprised if she were about 4 pounds by now.  It sure feels like she weighs that much.  I am feeling really tired and achy today.  I know it will only get worse from here on out.  I have only 8 weeks left.  Please go quickly!  Work has been stressful lately, and It's getting harder to keep my usual pace up.  I know I should be slowing down anyway, but its hard with my job.  I'm starting to look forward to maternity leave.  I know it will be a different kind of difficult experience, but I think I will enjoy the time away from work for a while.

In the meantime, I'm counting down the days until baby shower day. :)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

29 weeks (and 3 days)

We went in for the ultrasound today.  Our baby is a very healthy size.  They have estimated that she weighs about 3.5 pounds right now.  She is on the large side, but not extremely big.  Hopefully she won't get too big.  I'm thinking she may end up in the 8 pound range.  We'll see.  I guess it all depends on how early I deliver too.  Everything else looks good.  I had the sonographer confirm that she is still a girl.  She is definitely still a girl. :)

My blood pressure is still on the low side, so that's good.  It's all just a waiting game now.  I'm hoping it goes very quickly.  I feel like I'm getting bigger by the day.  My large scrubs are definitely feeling smaller these days.  I think they may only last a couple more weeks.  I had hoped they would last the duration of my pregnancy, but that seems highly unlikely now.  I really don't want to go buy bigger ones just to wear for a few weeks.  I will wear these for as long as possible, and then make a decision on what to do.  My dear supportive husband suggested I go to Walmart and buy a tarp and some twine.  Gotta love him!

I'm starting to feel tired again.  I was exhausted all the time early in the pregnancy, and then my energy came back for several weeks.  Now, I'm getting really big and its harder to get around and I'm having a hard time keeping up my energy toward the end of the day.  I've been trying really hard to keep up with the exercise the last couple of weeks though.  Hopefully it will help at the end.

My next appointment is in 2 weeks, the same day several of my family members are flying into town for my baby shower.  I'm really excited for it!  :)

2 months to go.....

I don't post much beyond names of the week. Not a lot for me too say. I'm not preggo.

After I build the crib and moved furniture around in the baby room....well I'm just waiting around for the baby. Two years ago I pondered about what vehicle to get. The winner was Mazda5. I'm happy with it. Honestly most 1-2 kid families could easily live with a vehicle the size of a Mazda 5. Plenty of room for 4...6 in a pinch. With 4 on board there is a ton of cargo room. I have been averaging 26.5 MPG.....and it's even fun to drive!

Kelli is doing all the hard work. During her last Doctor visit she was measuring much larger than expected. Will she make it the full term?

I was 10 pound 13 ounces when I was born. Thirty-three years I go I walked out and told the Doctor to cut me some slack <insert rim shot here!>. Kelli's brothers were all big (I believe over 9 pounds....maybe 10?). Big babies run in our families. I have no doubts Dijon (name of the week) will be an above average baby.

Kelli is getting a little uncomfortable with her size. With two months left she is out growing her scrubs for work. Maybe a week or two left in her large scrubs. She will surely have to get extra large scrubs...maybe double extra large?

Thursday, June 3, 2010

28 weeks (and 3 days)

I am officially into my third trimester!  I only have about 9 weeks (maybe 10) left.  I'm not exactly sure when the third trimester is supposed to begin.  Some books and websites say 27 weeks, and some say 28.  My ticker at the bottom of our front page says 28 weeks.  I guess it doesn't really matter now.  Either way I'm officially there.  These last several weeks are going to fly by I'm sure.

I had my 3 hour glucose tolerance test on Tuesday morning.  It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated.  I had a good book to read on my Kindle, and my favorite phlebotomist was there so all 4 of my blood draws were nice and easy.  I really have no clue why other people seem to have a problem.  I'm wondering if its easier at the moment though because my blood volume has increased so much.  I'm just glad it went smoothly.  I got my results back yesterday in the afternoon and thankfully they were normal!  I don't have gestational diabetes.  I am extremely happy about that news, but it did scare me straight a bit.  I have been making a big effort in the last week to eat better and exercise too.  I've been getting plenty of fruits and vegetables in my diet this week, so I'm pretty proud of myself for that.  I've been doing really well with exercise too.  We have a treadmill in our living room, so I never had a good excuse not to exercise.  I was just lazy.  The exercise really does make me feel better.  I've been feeling rather uncomfortable for the last couple of days and the exercise has helped alleviate the discomfort.  It's been mostly lower back pain and I know its just the beginning of it.  I will keep up the exercise and hopefully I won't feel it too much.

My next doctor's appointment is scheduled for next Thursday afternoon.  We are having a sonogram to check the size of the baby.  It was originally scheduled for Friday morning and Darren was able to rearrange his schedule to get Friday off so he could be there.  Then I got a call from the doctor's office saying they were sorry, but they made a mistake when they scheduled the appointment and the sonographer won't be there Friday morning, so we have to go Thursday afternoon instead.  I asked if there were any other appointment times, but nothing was available.  Now I don't know if Darren will be able to make it.  He said he would try and rearrange his days again, but I don't know if it will work.  I'm definitely a bit miffed about the screw up, especially since its not just a routine appointment.  I don't want him to miss out.  Hopefully it will all work out for him.  Either way we should have some nice new pictures to post next week. :)