This blog is not dead

It's just been hibernating for a while. Here's what we've been doing since we posted last:

Katie was born
Our daughter arrived October 9th after a long pregnancy (not longer than anyone elses, just long for me). I gained 50 pounds, a shoe size and lost feeling in my fingers from swelling-induced carpal tunnel. Needless to say, I was very happy when I went into labor that morning. The anesthesiologist, who announced his arrival as the "drink cart", made me very happy with an epidural. I can't sing its praises enough. Labor was a breeze. But, they broke my water and somewhere in the process, I developed an infection and a 103 fever. By the time the day was over, I had lost a fifth of my blood and had an emergency C section due to the fever causing high blood pressure. Katie arrived at 8 lbs, 11 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. They took her to the neonatal ICU overnight due to the fever. It was an exhausting night for everyone. We all went home, healthy but exhausted, a few days later.

Here I am at 9 months. I wasn't about to have anyone take my picture, so this is one in front of a mirror about a week before Katie arrived.


Here's Katie the day after she was born. I don't even recognize her (or remember her looking like this) -- the only reason I know she's the same girl is you can see the bump on the left side of her chin.


Nana holding Katie when she was just a few days old.


Katie at 1 week old

Maternity leave
My folks stayed for 2.5 weeks which was so helpful. At the end of their time here, I still could barely move from the surgery, so my mom stayed an extra 9 days. I had the baby blues, cried daily for two weeks and needed a step stool to get into/out of bed for about 4 weeks. It was harder than I thought. After my mom left, Ken took 2 weeks off which was nice as we figured out to handle this thing that was our daughter. We got into a routine and developed a game plan, which was nice. She woke every 3 hours to eat. It was exhausting. I missed work. I thought maternity leave would be a breeze but it's been a lot more work than I expected. I miss feeling accomplished at the end of the day. Some days, all I can show for myself is some drool marks, oily hair and maybe the dishwasher is half unloaded. Other days are much, much better. Either way, I've learned that planning is out the window. I'll do my best and be happy with that. I've become more flexible and realistic in my expectations.

Ken learning Katie's routine and that Portland's rain doesn't cause all of the "wet" days.


Me and Katie around 5 weeks. The numbness in my hands is gone and my feet have shrunk a half size. I'm losing weight but it isn't all gone yet. That will take a while.

Ken preparing to tie a leg of lamb for dinner -- or prepping Katie for her first bath.


Ken giving Katie her first bath at ~4 weeks


Hughes and Kinley discover Katie
The animals are getting adjusted to Katie. Kinley was very protective in the beginning and would go to my mom's room to lick her hand at night when he heard Katie cry since I was having trouble getting out of bed. It was very sweet. He has now realized Katie is not leaving. He's ok with this now, but it took a little bit. Early excitement went to sadness and then acceptance.

Watching her on the activity mat (~5 weeks)

Ken, Katie and Kinley around 9 weeks

Hughes discovered Katie for the first time around 8 weeks. He doesn't seem to mind her. He likes the nighttime feedings because it means someone will turn on the water briefly for him in the tub (Hughes' favorite). Here he is when he jumped on the couch for the first time to see her:


Katie's Snowshoeing
Ken, the gadget fiend, scouted craigslist for a Chariot (closed stroller of sorts that connects to the back of our bike). He got that -- and the cross country ski attachment. We took Katie snowshoeing for the first time around 7-8 weeks. She was bundled up where her arms and legs were perfectly outstretched. She cried when we put her in and then fell asleep immediately for the entire trip.

Here's Katie bundled up and placed in the infant sling of the Chariot.


Ken, Kinley and Katie head off trail in the Chariot on Mt Hood


Snowshoeing is a family affair. It was my first time walking 2+ miles since pregnancy. I can feel it in my hips, which ache.


Katie sound asleep on the trail. This picture was taken through the window of the Chariot. She was zonked.



Katie's Surgery
In early December, Katie went in for surgery for a bump she had on her chin since birth. They didn't know what it was and we knew we wanted it removed before she started dating, so they decided to take it off so they could biopsy it (rather than biopsy it when it was on her face and cause her undue pain). She needed general anesthesia. I cried. I spent 9 months + 2 months getting attached to this child, only to lose it due to an unnecessary surgery. Needless to say, she came through fine -- the bump was a hemangioma, a benign accumulation of blood vessels that was different than the doctors had seen before. I told them maybe they could get a case study paper out of it. The doctor chuckled. I would be very proud if my daughter had a publication before the age of 1. :)

View of Katie's bump on her chin before surgery (~8 weeks)

Scar from Katie's surgery (11 weeks). It's just below her chin.


Sleeping through the Night
It happened for the first time the night before Thanksgiving. We were very thankful. She now sleeps somewhere between 4-8 hours at a stretch each night. Sometimes she'll make it all the way through, sometimes not. Again, I've learned not to plan for it. She falls asleep to the "ocean sound" of a sound machine. I can't sing the praises of white noise enough.

Sleepy Katie. She has Ken's furrowed brow and my love for sleep (per Chuck)



Eating Rice Cereal
My folks came out for Christmas so we decided since she was already eating 5+ ounces every 3 hours that we could try rice cereal with her. We did it for the first time last week on December 22nd. She made a mess and we laughed. She's eaten it once a day since. We still laugh.

Here's the first rice cereal feeding. We took Rob & Jana's advice and got an adjustable "high" chair. Fits onto any chair and can recline so we can feed her now or when she's 2.

She's not so sure about rice cereal.


These are a Few of her Favorite Things
Katie loves looking at lights. Sunlight, contrast, etc. She loves playing under an activity mat where she can stare and bat at things. She just started reaching for things in the past two weeks (especially plastic rings -- though she gets surprised when she actually touches them). It's not an "I want this, I'm going to grab for it" thing. It's more of a "let me flail my arms and see what I can touch". She also loves sitting up and watching people/things. Also, she seems to enjoy when people read to her. This last part is just starting up.

Katie loved sitting in the plants and looking at the lights and contrast through the leaves. Here's one around 6 weeks, which is also the wallpaper of my phone (this was the turning point when I realized I was a mom because I had a picture of my kid as my phone's wallpaper).


Nana reading to Katie (10 weeks). She seems to love Goodnight Moon, Jamboree and Goodnight Gorilla best so far. Here's Goodnight Moon.

Katie (11 weeks) exploring under the activity mat. Those plastic linking rings are a huge hit since she can grab them which make her smile. I never thought I'd have this type of thing in our house -- let alone in our living room.


Katie loves sitting up and watching what is going on. Ken framed this picture of her at 11 weeks for my office. I love it.


Going back to Work and Daycare
Daycare, what a racket. We signed up in April before I was showing. Each would take your deposit and say they "may" have a space for you. Suffice it to say, no place did. And they don't call you to tell you that either. Starting in November, we started scrambling again. It turns out we found a place through our county's child services department -- all certified daycares have to be certified/registered with the state. We got a list for all within a 2 mile radius of our house. We found two places with openings and are going with the french immersion one since we liked their philosophy and how they deal with kids best. It's run out of someone's house. We also looked into nanny's but they were 2.5x the price and if they were sick/on vacation/etc, we'd be SOL and need to take time off of work. I go back to work next monday. I'm looking forward to it but still feel guilty. Hormones suck and are pretty powerful in creating a bond for your child. For example, I'll put her to sleep and then look at pictures on my phone in the next room minutes later because I miss her. Ridiculous. I try to be tough and not admit that I care so much for her, but I do. She's wonderful and I love her.

Heading into 2010
I'm optimistic. She's starting to do so much more and get a personality. It makes taking her places more fun. She's becoming more of our family. I like that a lot. I'm looking forward to gardening with her. And go camping. Ken can't wait to get her outside more. He's already done a google search for "baby and whitewater rafting". Um, yeah, there's a reason there aren't any hits for that. Growing up with both of them should be interesting.

Stay tuned for more updates. I'm hoping to be better about all this. Just need a blogger app for the iPhone and I'll be all set. (The iPhone has been the only thing keeping me in touch with the world in the last 3 months).

Happy holidays!

Out of sorts

I feel in limbo. Can't do the physical projects that usually get me through the antsy times. I don't feel like talking much. Don't want to sit around either. Can't move a lot. It's a beautiful day yet I haven't been outside. My hands are numb and I can't bend down much which also limits gardening, another outlet of mine.

Had contractions for about 6 hours starting at 4:30 pm, ranging from 5 to 20 minutes apart. I thought last night was the night but then they stopped when I went to bed. Was disappointed when I woke up this morning. I know she'll come when it's the right time. Rationally, I'm totally ok with all of it. But irrationally, I'm ready to evict and get back to being myself. I don't like not feeling productive. Plus, I feel like henny penny and saying the sky is falling whenever I mention having a contraction -- and then nothing happens. This waiting is rivaling the early waiting when I was wondering if I was pregnant or not. Only this time, I can't do the projects I normally would.

Steel Uterus, part 2

Went to a fetal monitoring appointment this morning. During the 20 minute appointment, I had two contractions. No, I had no idea they were contractions. I thought they were kicks. Other than that, things look good. Katie's kicking and her heartbeat is good. They did an ultrasound to check position and she is "definitely engaged", meaning her head is down and she's ready to go. They also measured the amniotic fluid around her... normal range is between 5-25 (she was a 9). They said if it was on the low end, they'd want to induce sooner than later. So, for now, things are looking fine and I just have to be patient. I have another appointment (both to see the doctor and for more fetal monitoring on Friday).

I'm having a hard time with the waiting, just like others have mentioned. It's hard. I'm uncomfortable and impatient. Two bad traits for me. I should be thankful that I'm not in pain though. Others have had much tougher pregnancies than me. My main complaint right now is that my hands go numb when I sleep so I wake up often with pain and numbness in my hands and arms. Very uncomfortable. Last night I woke up about 3-4 times with them feeling like they were on fire. I will be glad when the swelling subsides and that symptom goes away.

My folks come out on Thursday. i'm hoping Katie comes before then, but I'm not holding my breath. I get disappointed in the evenings when I don't feel any symptoms and I know I have another sleepless night ahead of me because of numb hands. It's possible that tonight could be different... I've had pains for most of the afternoon, but that could be due to the jalapeno & cheese tamale I had for lunch. I'm not holding my breath. But I kind of am.

Putting the D -day in SunDay

I'm due on Sunday. Could be any time between now and 2 weeks from now. I had my doctor's appointment today and I'm now 2.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said the baby's head is "right there". Creepy. Labor is apparently considered to be started at 3 cm and 85% effacement. Super creepy. Super close.

I've had two questions asked that others may be wondering about, so I figured I'd post them along with my answers:

What is effacement?
Effaced is a ridiculous and previously unknown term to me that means the cervix is getting really soft, stetchy and thin (i.e. ready for a baby). apparently the cervix is normally pretty thick and hard, but with enough time in my pressure cooker of a pregnant body, it has become nice and tender like pot roast.

Are you getting the flu shot and/or H1N1 vaccine?
I got my flu shot last week and I plan on getting the H1N1 when it comes out. My doctor was pretty gung ho about it. And Ken got his flu shot too. I figure since I work with germ ridden kids and the general public in a hospital and public health fair setting, it would be stupid of me not to be prepared.

I figure, more immunity the better -- especially being immunosuppressed from pregnancy. I'm ready to strap katie to the front of me and go out in public but I worry about germs/viruses attacking her little immune system which is still being built up. bizarre. I didn't expect to feel this way (i.e. so protective) before --- especially since i'm going to be breast feeding and she'll have all of my IgG antibodies. I've been thinking about our immunology professor a lot and weighing what's rational/irrational. Still its weird that the protective instinct may be kicking in.

What are you doing this weekend?
Here's my conversation with Ken the other day about our weekend plans:
K: I have a kickball double header on sunday and am going to alyson's that morning to watch football.
L: that's my due date.
K: do you want to come along?
L: So are you saying my options are that I can do what you want to do or I can be alone on my due date?
K: When you put it like that, I sound like a d*^%
L: (no response)
K: Well, I don't have to go to Alyson's.

Classic.

No plans this weekend, just taking it easy. Ken has informed me that no births are to occur on Monday night (when vikings play green bay). My folks come on Thursday. Everything else is up in the air. I'm off from work starting monday (or at least working from home).

Nothing yet

I've received a few emails asking if the baby has arrived yet. Not yet. My due date is this Sunday (10/4) but it could happen anytime from two weeks ago to two weeks from Sunday. A nice and vague month window.

Signs that it may come sooner:

• I was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced as of my last appointment (last friday). Apparently labor is considered to be started at 3 cm and 85% effacement.
• The receptionist told me that it looks like the baby has dropped. (apparently she has a good eye for these things). The doctor also felt the head at the last appointment. Creepy.
  

Signs that it may come later:

• I was late and I've heard that births go similar to their mom's. Along those lines, I didn't feel kicking until 10 weeks past when I should have. Plus, I haven't felt a single contraction -- braxton hicks or regular. So, it's possible she could be a sleeper like me.
• It's entirely normal for first births to run late
  

So, stay tuned. For those of you on Facebook, Ken will be giving updates in real time. Blog posts will be a little slower but we'll get things posted ASAP.

Homebrewing Distractions

Ken and I had to sit through 10 miserable hours of childbirth classes this past weekend. A great idea in theory, but 10 hours is excessive -- even (or especially) when it's split between two days. I learned the following things though:

1. I have way more time when I go into labor than I originally thought
2. I theoretically know what contractions are and am pretty sure I haven't felt any (real or "practice")
3. I really, really want the epidural.
4. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy
5. I'm glad Ken is my partner
6. I'm hoping Katie isn't born on a Sunday or Monday else I will have to share Ken with NFL. Or fantasy football. Or other football-watching spouses who may also be in the hospital that day.

When we got home on Saturday, we had Brian and Dennis over to help pick the hops we've been growing over the arbor and brew some beer using the freshly picked hops. Ingrid came to help as well as dig up some plants to divide and move to their yard. Win, win. Here's the crew harvesting (20min max).



And here's the resulting harvest. We have a lot leftover. The far bowl weighed 15 oz or so; we used it for the beer that night. The rest I'm freezing for later use. There are still a ton of hops left on the vine. I've told some local homebrewers they're welcome to them if they pick them. I'm too tired and big at this point.



The beer we made is a hoppy northwest red ale. It's apparently pretty forgiving. It's my first batch of all grain beer (rather than using malt extracts, etc). I've seen Brian do it in the past, so it wasn't completely new. But it was still my first attempt. Especially while trying to teach others. It's bubbling away now. Fingers crossed it turns out.

Week 37 comes to a close

Had my doctor's appt today. 203 lbs. Baby's heartbeat is 150-160 (normal) and her head is down. I'm 1.5 cm dilated (need 10 for delivery; was 1 cm last time they checked) and 75% effaced (softened uterus for delivery). My belly is measuring 38 cm (right on track) and Katie kicked when the doctor was taking the measurement. The baby could come today or 4 weeks from now. My uterus is a time bomb.

Things at home are pretty much finished. I have our bag ready to go -- or at least all of our stuff on the dresser with the backpack on the floor next to it. We have the carseat and such, just need to install it in the car. So big items are complete with little pieces here and there.

Regarding cravings, no more blueberries for me. I've been eating a lot of nectarines but my biggest craving is milk. I've purchased 6 gallons of milk this week alone and I'm on my 5th one. Wow.

Still working. Very slow in moving. Fingers on my right hand are still numb.

Week 36 comes to a close

I hit week 37 in two days (sunday). That is the day I am officially considered "full term". (full term is anywhere from 37-42 weeks, so the baby's not imminent but you get the idea). Scary to know it's any day now, but nice also in that my stats have become ludicrous:

• At my doctor's appt on Wednesday, I was 200.4 lbs. I never thought I would be over 200 lbs. So, it's nice to know these pounds will be going away soon. I started around 156 or so -- a solid 44 lb weight gain. Average is 25-35 lbs. The upside is that I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. I currently can't get enough milk and drink it by the quart. My blueberry craving has been replaced by a nectarine craving.
• I had to get up from bed to go to the bathroom 4 times last night. I think that is the baby's way of preparing me to get up every 2 hours for feedings and such. Even moving 4 times at night is hard for me, let alone getting up.
• I have carpal tunnel in my right hand from the pregnancy-induced swelling compressing the nerves to my middle and ring finger. Ken will massage my forearm for me, which helps, but the numbness is constant. it is very uncomfortable.
• My cankles are laughing at my wrists. I have hobbit feet.

In the meantime, I've been working on the nursery. Here are some pictures:


Looking at the door to the room.

The glider



From the glider, looking into the closet abyss:


The closet. Please note that Ken and I have only purchased three onesies and a hat. Everything else was given to us by family and friends. Insane! I labeled it all by age and type of clothing: i.e. Dresses (0-3 months), Dresses (3-6 months), etc. Otherwise, it just looks like mountains and mountains of small clothes.



The closet, looking closer.


Looking at the crib from the glider. I made the paper mache lanterns for above the crib. Ken helped to hang them.


Old sideboard that we refinished and will be using as a changing table. I did the sanding, stripping, staining. Ken did the structural work.


Still need to hang some pictures and decorate the wall, but most of the big stuff is finished. I'm packing a bag for the hospital this weekend (just in case). My maternity leave is taken care of (12 weeks) and I'm already pre-registered for the hospital.

Now I'm just waiting for the time bomb that is my uterus to explode.

35 weeks

I'm 35 weeks and 5 days today. 40 weeks is finito (give or take). I had my doctor's appointment today and things are coming along. Here are the latest stats:

• Belly measurement is back down to 36.5 cm. (1 cm for every week, so I'm back to normal since I was 3 cm over last week). Ken was a little sad by this. He wanted another ultrasound.
• I'm at 199.2 lbs. I'm almost breaking 200 which is unbelievable. (I started at 156). Yes, I feel ginormous. I'm not worrying about it though.
• Baby's heart beat is 160 bpm (on the high side of normal). Apparently if this gets higher and stays that way, they induce early. So far, everything's fine though.
• She did the first exam today and found that my cervix has already started to "soften" and that I'm already 1 cm dilated. It can stay that way for weeks, but it mean's I'm at least started along the process. Very strange.
  

Otherwise, I feel fine. It's still hard to get to sleep and it's hard to walk. My feet are giant sausages. We were going to go to the hog roast this weekend, but we decided to stay home and relax instead. I'm going to finish Katie's room (that's my goal) so stay tuned for pictures next week.

Belly pictures

I hate belly pictures. They make me miserable. But my mom is afar and wants to see the explosion that has become her daughter, so here they are. As a side note, I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I am measuring 3 cm over my week, meaning I may have a ginormous baby inside me or a lot of fluid in there. If I'm still 3 cm over next week, they're giving me another ultrasound to find out. Maybe Katie is a giant blueberry after all.

And now for your afternoon enjoyment... I think the 2nd one really gives you the full profile shot.

Kickin' Katie - 6 weeks to go

I'm at 34 weeks and weigh 194 lbs (40 lb weight gain thus far... and I still have 6 weeks to go). Average is 25-35 lbs, but everyone is different. The doctor's not worried about it so I'm not going to either. I'm feeling great but am having trouble moving around (getting to sleep is a lot harder now since there's so much weight and it's hard to shift around to get comfortable. But once I'm asleep, I'm golden. Walking is also hard so I've been limiting distance. Other than that, things are fine. She's kicking a lot now. Ken put his head next to my belly last night and started calling her name and she immediately kicked him in the nose. literally. It was pretty insane. One of the bigger kicks and it was completely in time with him calling her. Weird. We both looked at each other in amazement and fear of what's to come.

The nursery is coming along. My mom and her friends are having a shower in my absence next week - very sweet. They did the same thing when we got married. Ken and I went into a baby big box last weekend and we both had a meltdown. I'm under the impression we don't need much for an infant. Ken and my mom think we need to have lots of toys, equipment, etc for her. It's pretty funny. I'm like "all she needs is a spoon and an old pot" but then ken looks at me like I'm insane. Since I'm in the minority, I've been relenting, but it's hard. Plus, the decor I like is really simple (i.e. polka dots and nothing too "baby-y") whereas Ken's first choice was a 4 piece set that I hated most in the store and embodied everything I despise in kid stuff). We compromised on some simple/cute animal stuff and we both got to pick half the items with veto power over the other. It was a fairly effective strategy. Much like the great tomato draft of 2009.

My doctor's appt today went well. I'm not sure if we'll have another ultrasound before she's born (ken feels a little ripped off by this) but my measurements look good (i.e. my belly 35 cm at 34 weeks -- i.e. anything more than 3 cm over your week # and they schedule an ultrasound to see if the baby is ginormous). So I'm happy I'm not having a 10 pounder thus far.

I haven't had any contractions (I hear braxton hicks "practice" contractions are common for my stage), but I haven't felt anything. Either my uterus is still steel or my body's a little late in this whole pregnancy thing. I was 10 weeks late on the kicking, so it's possible I'll be late on this too. I'm not worried. I work at a hospital so whenever she comes, she comes. I know they won't let me go past 42 weeks, so it won't be more than 8 weeks. Awesome and crazy we're in the single digits now.

Spicy Kicking

I ate spicy shrimp & grits on Monday only to learn that spicy food makes Katie kick incessantly. It was fine when she was smaller and I wasn't feeling a lot of kicking, but this time, it was just painful.

So much kicking that my belly muscles ached for the next two days. It hurt to walk since walking makes my belly move. The bus hurt. Sleeping hurt. It's now Thursday and I'm finally feeling better. You could literally see her moving around in there.

No more spicy food for me for a while.

Camping Wedding with Kids

Ken and I went to Taryn & Paul's wedding this weekend. It was one of my favorite weddings -- a camping wedding right on a river. They had it a lodge that had cabins for the parents/families and then everyone else camped on site. It was great. I loved how they arranged meals for everyone, had kegs and drinks available and everyone could meander about all weekend. From mountain biking to hiking to whitewater rafting, you could do what you want. They got married in a short, simple ceremony at 5 pm -- officiated by one of our friends.

A bunch of our friends from Tucson flew in for the wedding. San Francisco, New York, San Diego and Tucson were all represented. We organized the camping gear for 8 of us. Many thanks to our Portland friends for pitching in their gear.


The weekend was great. Getting in and out of the tent was comical, but other than that, everything was fine. There were lots of kids at the wedding (10 kids under the age of 4) and 6 pregnant women. There were only 66 people at the wedding, so kids made up a huge portion of it. It was fun to see them all running around and it made everything not as scary for me.

My highlight was babysitting our friends' (Rob & Jana's) twins while they went on a hike. The twins are 20 months and they spent most of my babysitting time napping. When the little girl woke up, I asked if she'd like to get out of her pack and play (crib of sorts) and she raised her arms so I could pick her up. My heart melted a little bit. Then we went on a search for her socks. She was surprisingly helpful. She helped me locate them -- I asked her questions and she'd point to where they likely were, which was great, because I honestly had no idea where they were. We put her socks and shoes on and then her brother woke up. I sat her on the floor with a toy while I went to retrieve her brother. Jonathan was not as helpful. His socks were easily found but completely wet from stomping in puddles or something boy-related. I found some new dry socks, put them on him and was about to take both outside when a horrible stench came from Jonathan's diaper. I watched Jana change them before they left, so I felt OK putting down the towel, getting the new diaper and the wipes. I put him on the towel and got his pants and diaper off only to realize the smell was too much for me. I started gagging. My friend Kristen was in the other room taking a shower and heard the sniffles (not sure if they were mine or his) and asked if I needed help. Knowing I was beat, I immediately said yes. Jonathan started to cry. I gave him the plastic shovel to distract him. He wanted the plastic pail too, but I kept that in case I needed it more than him. More tears. Kristen saved the day and changed him. I was next to her, completely unhelpful. I did help by gagging as I threw the poopy diaper away, but beyond that, I was useless. Ditto for when we realized Ella also needed to be changed. Kristen is my hero. Once she handled the horrible duties of both, we took them outside in the grass and let them play with their buckets and shovels until mom and dad came back. I told the tales of Kristen's awesomeness. Ella was a sweetheart and I loved how she wanted to wear dresses yet still enjoyed sitting on your lap and spilling things down the front of herself. It made me much more excited for a little girl of my own. Ken had a good time with the kids too. He played soccer with the little boys and helped Ella eat her crackers. Both were priceless.

According to the pregnancy book Natascha gave me, I am officially 8 months pregnant as of yesterday. I am 32 weeks, so 8 weeks to go, though normal arrival is anytime between 38-42 weeks. I'm assuming the latter since first births tend to be late, I was late and I'm thinking Katie's a sleeper like me. But either way, it looks like we're now in the single digits. Stay tuned.

Week 29 Update

Pregnancy wise, things are still going well. We had an ultrasound today and the baby is 3.5 lbs and in the 64th percentile for growth. No pictures because she was moving around so much and had her hands up over her face. Fibroid is the same size and isn't causing any complications, so that's good. She is kicking quite a bit. I feel them but they're not strong -- it is a good thing that my uterus is made of steel because the technician said "she's kicking the snot out of you". Ken could see one of the kicks from his chair next to me. I'm thankful they're not painful.

I've gained 25 lbs so far and my belly circumference is 41.5 inches. It is in the normal range but I feel ginormous and not very attractive sometimes, especially when it's hot and I have to wear the loosest (read: ugliest) clothing I can find in order to not overheat. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I feel cute with my big belly, which I find comical, but mostly it's the swollen feet and not being able to move easily that make things a bit of an adjustment. This long work stretch has especially hurt my feet and legs. I find it difficult to walk the dog around the block as my feet are aching by the end. I've had them up a lot this past weekend, so I'm hoping this next week will be better when I'm not on my feet as much. But that all said, I'm having a pretty easy go of things, so I can't complain. I'm still pretty mobile and can do just about anything.

My next doctor's appt is Friday, when I'll hear the results of my gestational diabetes blood test. Likely negative, at least that's what I'm hoping since I love berries and fruit. We've gone through 25 lbs of blueberries in the last two weeks! (though 10 lbs of those were frozen or dried -- the rest eaten fresh over cereal or milk.)

We're getting the basement office in order now, which is just about finished, and I'll work on the nursery this week while Ken's on his backpacking trip (from tomorrow to Sunday).

Camping

Heading into the woods this weekend for my first camping-while-pregnant experience. Ken got me an aweseome, super-cush dreamtime thermarest for my birthday... a 3 inch thick air mattress of sorts. I am excited to use it and hope that it's comfortable. I've been spoiled from our awesome new bed lately. I am also going to miss the beer. It's been a long time since I've camped without it. If a beer camps in the woods and there's nobody to drink it, does it really exist?

My uterus is a steel fortress

Ken and I went to my doctor's appointment this morning. The nurse took my weight, blood pressure and urine tests (all fine), making small talk by asking if I was feeling the baby kick. When I said no, she looked at me in disbelief. "Really? You haven't felt anything?"

Ken: "Is that abnormal?"
Nurse: "Well, most people start feeling the baby kick at 17 weeks and you're at 25 weeks. We'll have the doctor look at it".

We sit for an hour from the start of our appointment time, waiting for the doctor to come in. I understand that doctors get backed up, but for the first appointment of the morning (and having to be at work), it was especially frustrating watching the minutes tick by. Thank you iPhone for allowing me to play mah-jong while I waited.

When the doctor arrived, she was also surprised that I hadn't felt any movement. She did the doppler and heard the heartbeat (150 bpm). She asked if we could stay so she could do an ultrasound. I asked if it was safe since we've had so many (this was our 4th). She said as long as the energy settings are low (which these are), it's perfectly fine. And so I was slathered with ultrasound goo and probed.

Not much movement at first, which gave some concern since it could be a sign of developmental problems. But then Katie apparently woke up because we could see what she characterized as "giant kicks and punches", none of which I felt. The doctor was amazed I couldn't feel it. She said if I still don't feel movement in a couple of weeks, we can be more concerned since they use kick counts as some sort of pregnancy yardstick. I have another ultrasound in a few weeks, followed by my 28 week appointment. I'm sure we'll know more by then.

But for now, I feel my superpower is having a uterus of steel. I feel strangely proud of this feat.


P.S. Mom, the doctor said I should stop riding my bike for commuting purposes (just in case I fall or get into an accident). Bummer. I will abide since I don't trust my steel uterus that much. I'll miss the exercise and fresh air. Plus, riding the bus doubles my commute time. Boo.

Katie in 3D

Ken and I went in for an ultrasound today due to some potential complications they found a few weeks ago. Short version: both issues may not be issues anymore. The placenta's now 5 cm away from the cervix (instead of partially covering it) and the fibroid hasn't grown and is on the posterior uterine wall -- away from the baby (who's hanging out in the anterior portion). Either of these issues would necessitate a C-section down the road. I'm glad to hear things are ok.

But truthfully, I was most thankful that the ultrasound just happened to be today since I've been sick all weekend. I was worried that something may have happened to Katie due to fever, etc. I was nervous for the appt.

Everything is looking great. She's still a "she" and is growing right on schedule. They estimate her weight at 1 lb, 8 oz. Her kidneys are fine, heartbeat looks good, etc. She wasn't moving much and likes to keep her hand near her face (which is pretty common apparently). Still, they were able to take the following pictures. We were pretty excited to see that some of them were in 3D!

Here's Katie at 24 weeks:

Her heartbeat


Her grizzly-like feet


Side view of her arm covering her face


What the same picture looks like in 3D. You can see her arm in front of her face with the umbilical cord to the left (near the nose/mouth/eyes)


The ultrasound tech tried to digitally "remove" the arm and umbilical cord to get a better view. It created some weird shadows....


Kind of like if she were a pirate. Arrrrgh! Batten ye timbers, mateys.


Face shot


Same face shot, but in 3D. Ken and I were surprised by the "dark hair" which are actually just shadows. Surprised us both at first since I didn't have hair until I was 3 and Ken is blonde as can be.


And lastly, the distorted view that Ken and I think is creepily hilarious.


Don't worry, Katie has the back of her skull. But in this picture, I think it looks like she has horns. Ken thinks she looks like the kitten on fire from the Family Guy episode where Stewie kills Mr. Rogers (see the 0:41 second mark). Either way, we were laughing in the ultrasound and thought some of you may find the humor in it too.

Next ultrasound appointment is in 5 weeks. An unexpected bonus of complications, I suppose.

You give me Fever

I've been out of commission for the past couple of days. I got really queasy last Wednesday morning which morphed into sweats, dizziness, chills and aches as the day progressed. I left work and went immediately to bed. Did not pass couch. Did not collect $200. I woke up 6 hours later to a fever just shy of 101. I ate and drank something before going back to bed for the night.

The next morning, my fever had broke so I went to work for a meeting but called it quits half way through the day. Spent the rest of the day sleeping on the couch and went to bed early after vomiting my dinner. I called in sick the next day after that. I could barely move. More sofa city. Threw up that night too. Saturday was better and I could move, albeit slowly. Sunday hurt a lot and I was exhausted. I am finally feeling better today.

I learned:

• I can't lay down in all positions anymore. I have my left side or my right side. Sometimes on my back, but not for long. Any of these positions hurt after a while.
• Laying down for 3-5 days really, really hurts my abdominal muscles (they call them round ligaments -- which stretch as the uterus grows). My sides were really hurting these past few days. 1000 situps -- only inverse result. I needed help to pull myself up.
• Hurting abdominal muscles puts strain on my lower back. So by Sunday, my lower back and abdominal muscles were killing.
• Having a fever and vomiting and sore muscles made me feel that I was having pregnancy complications. Not knowing what is going on (and if anything is wrong in there) is frightening.
  
• Being exhausted and not being able to move/do the things that I want makes me really, really sad. I miss the pregnancy of 2 weeks ago when I could do anything.
• Ken is awesome and took control of everything while I was out of commission. I feel lucky to have him as my partner.
• I am glad we got most of the baby stuff already. If I feel like I did this weekend, I am not going to want to move/do anything.
  
• The third trimester is going to suck.

iPhone and Crib

It was a happy day yesterday. Two big purchases that change things:

1. An iPhone. Apple is coming out with a new one so they dropped the price of their old one to <$100. My old phone (which they don't make anymore) started dropping calls and losing reception, so it was a great time to upgrade. Now I can keep track of appointments, check email (work and home), etc. on the go. iPhones are awesome. I've been coveting Ken's for a while now. I'm particularly fond of the GPS maps feature since I frequently get lost in new places.

2. Crib. I've been searching craigslist for a couple of weeks and just found a crib in a darker wood about 10 blocks from our house. We picked it up last night after our stop at the apple store (see crib picture below; we didn't get the bedding). We had to disassemble the crib to get it in the door. It is now in pieces in Katie's room. Having a crib in the house (even disassembled) makes upcoming baby feel a little more real. Earlier in my pregnancy, I was not so excited about getting things ready or decorating. That has changed where I'm now looking forward to it. I'm still not ready to embroider baby books or anything, but I am ready to start on some fun craft projects to hang over the crib. I'm planning to make some bigger paper lanterns out of the brightly colored tissue paper leftover from our wedding -- almost five years ago. I'm hoping to make the room fun without being too "baby-ey".

What's my hurry

I have been uninterested in wanting to decorate or get ready for the baby. Just not on my priority list. Painting windows and installing moulding seemed more fun. But then the heat wave must have kicked some hormones into overdrive because I started freaking out the past two weeks. I've been looking at google reader incessantly in an effort to find all of the bigger items needed to get things ready for the baby.

For example, we got a car seat/stroller combo on craigslist last night. We'll be getting the Bob stroller from Rob and Jana for all of our off-roading needs, but since we needed a carseat, we decided to get the one that can be easily moved between applications (i.e. car, stroller, house without disturbing the baby). We got the one recommended by three friends who just had kids. I'm excited to have both strollers because the people who sold us this last night were selling it in order to get the Bob for their outdoor excursions with their now older and bigger baby.

On the way home, Ken asked "so what's the rush all of a sudden? the baby's 4 months away." He's right. He also accurately pointed out that this all seemed to come on recently. I listed off the following irrational reasons that have no bearing on us "needing" to get a stroller yesterday:

• I was hot and miserable this past weekend and I'm trying to get it all finished before it's really hot this summer and I don't want to move
• My legs/feet were sore this weekend so what if I'm not able to walk well in my third trimester
• But Jessica B. said to get as much finished before the 3rd trimester so you can relax
• What if I'm on bed rest for the last month like our neighbor -- and she was in great shape and very active.
• What if the baby comes 6 weeks early like Rachel's friend's did.
• I don't want to leave it all until the last minute and then rush around. Does it matter when we get it?
• But on craigslist you have to act when you see it (we got it at a fraction of the price for a new one)
  

None of these reasons are particularly compelling, but in all they add up to my recent flurry of activity. And yes, I feel insane and embarrassed for having a stroller in my house 4 months in advance.