Friday Surprises

Wow! What a weekend! There's quite a lot to document so I'm breaking this post up by days.

Friday

Because of AirT.ran's stupid luggage fees, myMom and I decided that I would come down with only a carry-on and then they would lend us a suitcase to take all the baby stuff back with me. So I packed Friday morning and Kevin took me to the airport. I was one of the last ones to board and so when I got on the plane the flight attendant told me I would have to gate check my bag because there was no more room in the overhead bins. I said okay and after I made it to my seat realized that I had forgotten to take out my snacks. I was getting kind of hungry so when the FA came through with the drink cart I asked for several of the biscuits they handed out. We landed in Atlanta and I stood waiting for my bag back. Someone came in with a stroller (not me yet!) but no bags were being brought. So I asked the FA and he said that my bag was checked through all the way to Florida! My lunch was in there! I tried asking at the counter but the lady said that since it was only an hour to my next flight she doubted my bag would make it back to me in time. So I had to spend $9 on a sub, fries and lemonade. What a rip off! But both my flights ran on time and they had a promo for free inflight WiFi so that was good I guess.

myDad and Wiki picked me up and they were hungry (it was around 3:00 when we got to our side of town) so we went to eat. I wasn't hungry yet so I had a cookie. Then we went to Sea.rs because Wiki and I needed Chicken's bridal shower gift. They didn't have anything! myDad had to go to his favorite stores, Starb.ucks and the Appl.e Store. Then we hit Targ.et because that's the other place Chicken had registered with. I couldn't see anything I liked there either so that was annoying. Wiki bought Chicken some wine glasses.

After Target we drove home. As I walked in the door, there were all these people standing in the office and when I looked towards the kitchen there were more people! myMom and Wiki had thrown me a surprise baby shower! I was deffo surprised, I had no idea. Of course I looked like a scrub after traveling all day, partly because I knew I was traveling and had no plans for Friday night so I made no effort Friday morning. Wiki had made me a t-shirt that said "Somebody's kicking me" and then had two footprints over the belly so I changed into that.

I tried to straighten my hair a bit but with putting it into a ponytail/bun thingy in the morning while it was still wet and then dealing with Florida humidity I had to give up after a few minutes.

We played a few games: baby bingo, word scramble and word search, TP diapers and this drinking from a bottle game. BTW, if you do this one don't fill up the bottles like myMom did. Only put a little amount. This game is harder than it looks.

Then it was on to the presents. Thanks partly to Wiki and myMom there were quite a few ones! Apparently Kevin was in on it and so we video chatted him in during the gift unwrapping. I think we're all set for clothes!

Also Wiki made me an awesome cake topper - a little mini-me!

We had cupcakes instead of a normal cake.

The party wrapped up after that. After everyone left, we watched a bit of TV and talked. I had told them what name we had picked when I first got home (while trying to make myself presentable) and then swore them to secrecy. I didn't get to bed till about 11:30 which is a rarity for me these days. But I had a jam packed Saturday ahead of me!

29 Weeks

How far along: 29 Weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: +13 lbs.
Stretch marks: Nope.
Belly Button: Still in.
Maternity clothes: myMom got me 3 or 4 outfits which is what I wore all weekend. Also I bought compression socks, but more about those later.
Sleep: Still interrupted. The hips have been really bothering me.
Food cravings/aversions: None.
Gender: Boy!!! So we've got a name I think. We decided before my trip so we could tell Wiki and myParents. I've told a couple of friends but everyone else can wait till birth or closer to it.
Movement: He's been moving all sorts now. I think I can tell the difference between punches and kicks and just general movement. Last week we went to a concert and I could tell he was awake and moving. Then when they put on a James Brown medley between bands he was kicking hard! Kevin was wowed!
Best moment this week: Seeing everyone at my surprise baby shower! (more later)
What I miss: My ankles!
I am looking forward to: Getting the guest bedroom done finally! It's been ages and I'm ready for it to be done!
Weekly Wisdom: Sometimes it takes a while to fall in love with being pregnant. Feeling movement frequently helps!
Milestones: A normal pregnancy symptom - even if it is swollen feet and ankles.

Last Monthly Appt

The OB's office was really busy when I showed up. Usually my appointments are first thing in the morning but this one was at 3:15. They sent me back to the lab to drink the stuff they give you. It tasted like really really really sweet fruit punch. I had to be back by 4:20 in order to draw my blood, but in the mean time I would see Dr. P for my 28w appt.

First I got weighed in. +2 lbs since my last appt, +16 lbs total weight gain. The nurse did the usual and asked the usual questions. Then it was doppler time. I've noticed that I've relaxed a bit about the doppler. I use to get really anxious right before my appts because my fear would be that we would hear nothing. But now I know GV likes to be difficult so it will take a few attempts to find the heartbeat. Maybe it's because I can feel the movement so I know he's okay in there. Anyways, the nurse finally found the heartbeat and after a few seconds there was a loud "whap" and I could feel GV hit the doppler probe. She moved the probe to find it again, did and a few seconds later "whap" again. GV did not like that probe poking him! And she wasn't pressing that hard so he must just be sensitive. Eventually she found a spot that didn't disturb him and we got the measurement. 138bpm. She said as long as it was above 120bpm then everything was fine.

Dr. P came in shortly after that and said everything was going great. My thyroid bloodwork we took at the last appt was normal and my weight gain is "perfect." She measured my uterus and it's measuring large. She said at my next appt, she would measure it again and if it's still large then we'd do an u/s to figure out what's up. She said she wasn't that worried because my weight gain doesn't suggest a large baby. My next appt was set for April 6th! That's right I'm now in the biweekly appts zone!

Afterwards I hung out in the lobby till it was time to get my blood drawn. The sugar must have really hit GV then because he got so hyper! Finally 4:20 rolled around, I got 3 vials of blood drawn and then left. They're also checking my thyroid one last time and Rh something or other. The lab tech said that the results should be in today or tomorrow. While I'm worried about GD, I'm hoping that I've done a good job with my diet so far that I don't have it. Both types of diabetes run in my family and I know that if you get GD you're at a higher risk for getting Type II later in life.

I told Kevin about how I was measuring large and he immediately hypothesized that GV was hiding "Pyramid View" and that's why I was larger. Ummm, no! No twins for us. I think we'll have our hands full with just one. Next he theorized that GV is taking after him, tall and skinny. I like that theory better.

28 Weeks

How far along: 28 Weeks 1 Day
Total weight gain/loss: +12 lbs. Back on track finally.
Stretch marks: Nope.
Belly Button: Still in.
Maternity clothes: It took me an hour and about 8 different dresses from the maternity and plus size racks in Koh.l's but I found a dress that didn't rely on the cuteness of a belly bump as its main decorative piece. Some of us don't have cute belly bumps, we just look like we've overindulged. Plus the dress is springy enough that it will work for Chicken's picnic themed bridal shower and Easter! Score!
Sleep: This past weekend the constant waking up has returned. I'm not sure what's waking me up but it's really annoying!
Food cravings/aversions: None.
Gender: Boy!!! Still no name yet. And no, we're not any closer. We've kinda shelved the discussion. Don't tell myMom though, she really really really wants to know.
Movement: More movement and Kevin has felt some! He was surprised at the different intensities of the kicks. I think he thought they were all going to be tough punches and kicks instead of sometimes only being a soft flutter.
Best moment this week: Realizing GV has a schedule and "knowing" when he's gonna be active.
What I miss: Nothing!
I am looking forward to: Trip to Florida! Seeing Chicken and Chicklet and my family.
Milestones: 28 Weeks! 70% downloaded!

Sunday Confession

Sunday I admitted to Kevin that I hated the wall color I picked out. I'm not sure what happened but when I went paint shopping, I wanted to get a light beige. After 5 minutes or so, I picked it out, bought 2 gallons and then went home. Sunday as soon as Kevin started, I realized that it was not light beige at all. He finished the first coat (it really needs a second coat) around 3 or 4 and was planning on doing the second coat but I asked him if he liked it and he said no. So then I told him I didn't like it either. Tomorrow we're going to go to the store together and pick out another color. We're gonna go with a lighter color than originally because I don't want him to have to prime again. This way if the first coat bleeds it won't be so bad.

Side Note: The color is only a tad darker than the color of our bedroom, which I love, but apparently Kevin doesn't like that one either.

Next weekend is my trip to Florida. The main purpose of the trip is Chicken's bridal shower and bridesmaid dress choosing/fitting. But I also get to see my sister! Last month Wiki and her boyfriend (of 4 years) broke up and Wiki moved back home. The past year has been really rough on her (she got laid off of work in Feb 2009, lost her coaching gig in September and now this) and she's taking some time to regroup. I've dropped hints about her moving here so you never know!

Last night was my first spring soccer practice. I told the parents I was pregnant two weeks ago, but last night I told the girls. Some of them knew already. One girl asked me when in June because she thought maybe GV would be born near her birthday. But since her birthday is the 26th, I hope not! Practice went well and physically I was fine. That was my biggest concern. 

I do need to talk to my "co-coach" though. He helped me with the team last fall because of the cruise and towards the end of the season he started showing up to practice and trying to take over. He was there yesterday and while I understand that he's going to take a bigger role because we don't know when I'm going to stop coaching, I just felt like the whole time he'd rather I was doing something else. He's going to practice tonight and before he left he started talking about how he knew what he wanted to work on. I usually have a practice plan before I show up so it's a bit disconcerting and distracting when he just shows up and wants to start doing things. If I know he's coming or has something in mind then I can have a plan for that.

27 Weeks

How far along: 27 Weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: +13.5 lbs. I've been watching what I'm eating more. Trying to make healthier food choices.
Stretch marks: Nope.
Belly Button: Still in.
Maternity clothes: I just realized that this weekend is Wicked and that I probably don't have a dress to wear.
Sleep: Les has been sleeping in her pop-up crate the past few nights which has been nice.
Food cravings/aversions: Since pasta has been popping up in our meals so much lately I decided to cook it out of our Prevent.ion cookbook. So instead of splitting 1lb of pasta 4 ways, it's 8 oz usually.
Gender: Boy!!!
Movement: The past two days he's been really active. Also I've been getting these weird "quivering" movements. I wonder if they're hiccups or BH?
Best moment this week: Telling someone I was in my third trimester. It's finally here!
What I miss: Being able to sneeze and not petrified that I'm going to pee my pants.
I am looking forward to: Soccer practice starts this week, we have a tourney this weekend and Wicked on Sunday!
Milestones: Third trimester!!

Guest Room Conversion

On Thursday I had someone email me about the TV we put on craig.slist. We made arrangements for them to come see it on Friday. But Friday evening came and went and they didn't show. However Friday another person emailed me about the TV so I emailed them back yesterday. Hopefully they still want it. Still no bites on the bookcase.

My plan was to finish packing up and clearing out the guest room by Thursday so that we could do the prep on Friday and Kevin could paint on Saturday. Yeah, didn't quite work out. I didn't finish packing and clearing till Saturday morning, then I went to get the supplies (sandpaper, roller refills, TSP and of course primer and paint).

So here's the room we started with:
Side Wall:

Back Wall:

Inside Wall:

Front/Inside Wall Section:

Little Alcove/Front Wall:

To the left of the alcove is the closet. No it's  not that deep! There's crawl space storage in the back and then a standard closet in front of it.

We spent most of the early afternoon cleaning and patching the walls. The previous owner had painted 2 1/3 walls a dark grey color. Even though the room has three windows because we have so many trees, it doesn't really get that much light. The other 1 2/3 were left the builder's white. I'm not sure if they did this on purpose, only had one can of paint (the room needs about 1 1/2 gallons for all the walls) or didn't want to mess with the awkward angles of the alcove. They didn't really do a good job painting so after we moved in I had to go buy more paint (they left the can in the garage) and fix the edges and clean up the trim. They hit the ceiling quite a few times! There were also tons of little nail holes in the wall.

Anyways Kevin didn't start priming the walls till about 4 or so. It's a bit awkward priming because part of the room is unpainted (well hasn't been painted since the builder did it) and the other part has a glossy dark paint.

And it's been killing me to be downstairs while Kevin gets to paint. I actually enjoy painting and am quite good at it. Kevin really doesn't like to paint so I'm sure he wishes we could switch places too.

So progress as of this morning:
Side Wall:

Back Wall:

Inside Wall:

Front/Inside Wall Section:

Closet/Little Alcove:

The real paint goes on today and then it's carpet shopping!

26 Weeks

How far along: 26 Weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: +14.5 lbs. Woah! 4.5 lbs in one week! I guess all those pasta dinners, sneaky Sprites and croissants & muffins are catching up with me.
Stretch marks: None that I can see and none that Kevin has told me about.
Belly Button: Still in but definitely shallower.
Maternity clothes: myMom told me she was going to go shopping for me and I told her not to, I wanted to see how much more weight I put on. Then on Sunday she told me to bring an extra suitcase when I come down at the end of the month because she bought me stuff. Moms!
Sleep: Interrupted sleep still.
Food cravings/aversions: I guess pasta because looking at the past week I've noticed that it's on our menu more. Maybe I need to start buying the whole wheat kind.
Gender: Boy!!! We've gone with this theme for his room.
Movement: Everyday and I can regularly feel it on the outside. Kevin is still pouting because every time he tries to feel something, GV quiets down. Confession: Yesterday during our class (around 7:30pm) GV was kicking and punching up a storm. Then for the rest of the night I didn't feel him. Not while watching Amazing R.ace, eating yogurt (shocker!) or when I got into bed. Those are usually his active times. So during one of the many times I woke up in the middle of the night, I gently moved my belly and then pressed in on a spot he usually goes for. A few seconds later he pressed back! I had this big smile on my face and was able to sleep a lot better!
Best moment this week: Last night when GV responded to me.
What I miss: The sleep of the dead I use to have.
I am looking forward to: Third trimester in 3 days!
Milestones: 65% downloaded!!

Neighborly News

So remember last year when we had our annual snow storm? While having a good time with my neighbors I found out that 3 of them were pregnant and due in the next couple of months? Well yesterday I went to go talk to #27 (who had a boy last April) to find out pediatrician recommendations (and to let them know we were expecting). While we were talking #36 stopped to chat, so I let them know as well. They let us know that while #42 (who had a girl last May) were going to wait another year before trying for kid #2, #43 were pregnant again! With twins! They had a girl in late May/early June. Wow! So three new kids last year and three new kids this year. GV is gonna be right in the middle of the pack. And I was figuring he was gonna be the little one always tagging along with the older kids.

98...

192 days ago I started provera to end another anovulatory cycle.
180 days ago I started clomid.
149 days ago I found out that clomid worked and we finally had our prayers answered.

The past 149 days have been the slowest of my life! People told me that the first two trimesters would be the quickest. But I'm hoping that it will be the opposite for us. Since we've been waiting on preparing for GV's arrival and now we're in full swing hopefully the next 98 days are going to fly by.

In g(uest) r(oom) progress we took the bed to the dump and Kevin has agreed that he'll paint the room next weekend if I have the room completely packed up and mostly moved into the office. I should be able to do that.

The Guest Room

In our house we've got two extra bedrooms. When we moved in, I turned one into my office (I was working from home at this point) and the other one into the guest bedroom. Once I quit my home business and got a full time job, I redid the office so that Kevin would have his own space. My plan when we got the house was that we would use the guest bedroom (which is almost as large as our bedroom) for any kids that we'd have.

However the guest bedroom is over the garage and as such is way unreliable in either keeping warm or keeping cool. We always have to have a surplus of blankets for any overnight visitors during the winter and during the summers the overhead fan is always on when someone is in that room. So I had to revise that plan and knew that when a kid was coming and we started to work on the nursery it would need to go into the current office and the office would need to start sharing a space with the guest bedroom. I guess the good part is that the guest bedroom can accommodate both uses without being too cramped.

Back in January when I would talk about preparing for the baby to Kevin, he would be anxious about doing anything too soon. But in the past few weeks he's actually been talking and interested in shopping for GV.  Every time we stop by Targ.et or Walm.art he always helps me check out the sales rack to find things for GV. So last weekend I made a list of everything I wanted to do with the office and guest bedroom to get them ready. The guest bedroom stuff will need to get done first.

Guest bedroom:

1. Get rid of the bed.
2. Put away bed rails (we're planning on getting a convertible crib so we'll need the bed rails again eventually).
3. Get rid of the headboard.

4. Get rid of the dresser.

5. Get rid of the nightstand.

6. Get rid of the current tacky $20 Ta.rget book shelves.

7. Replace the TV. The current TV is 27". We're thinking of mounting it to the ceiling or wall so it would needs to be an LCD.
8. Clean out my great-grandmother's armoire. We're moving it into GV's room. Right now it houses my candle making supplies, jewelry, dog supplies and some crafting items. I'm planning on moving all that stuff into the five-drawer cart that is currently in the closet. Yes, that cart will need to be cleaned out too.
9. Paint. I don't know what color yet, but the room doesn't get a lot of natural light.
10. Replace the carpet. When we first moved in, Dave went through a peeing-in-the-guest-bedroom phase and not all of the stains came out.
11. Figure out what to do with the PS2 and all the rock band/guitar hero stuff.

12. Move the office furniture into the room (a desk (or two) and 2 file cabinets). Also all the office supplies will need to get moved over.
13. Buy a sleeper sofa.

14. Install nice bookcases.

Progress:
1. Moved the bed and box spring out. Kevin is going to rent a Low.e's truck tomorrow and take it to the dump along with some bookshelves not worth giving away and the cuttings from the crepe myrtle out front.
2. Bed rails got moved into the attic today! Along with our Christmas decorations (don't judge!) and other odds and ends that needed to go up.
3. Listed the headboard on crai.gslist for $25 and sold it! Cool fact: That's how much I paid for it 10 years ago!

4. I bought the dresser 10 years ago at a scratch and dent outlet.

The side was broken and I never got it fixed.

Then over the years I managed to stain the top.

So I listed it for free on cra.igslist. Within 10 minutes of my posting this guy emailed me. He just got custody of his twins and need to get furniture for their room ASAP.
5. I listed the matching nightstand for free too.

One of the drawer pulls is missing and the leg was broken when I bought it.

Never fixed that either. I told the guy that wanted the dresser that I wanted to get rid of both pieces together. He said okay. By the time I finished talking to him (maybe 30 minutes after listing it) I had 15 more emails from people wanting the dresser and nightstand. I ended up having to pull the listing.
6. I listed the bookcase too. It's currently priced at $15. But no takers yet. If no one goes for it we're gonna put it in the attic and wait till the next neighborhood yard sale.

7. I listed the TV too ($50). No takers either.

8. Cleaned out the armoire and drawer cart. Now I need to sort everything out and get rid of stuff that we don't need.

Not bad for one day's work, eh?

Sleep Woes

Last night I was absolutely miserable. Sleeping has become a chore. I use to be a good sleeper, I've always been a good sleeper. I started sleeping through the night really quickly. myMom was worried about me so one night she stayed up watching me in the room and realized that I was waking up, but then going back to sleep all on my own. As a toddler, I would rearrange my covers and then fall back asleep. When I got to first grade I was absolutely devastated when told there was no nap time. Even the mockery of my classmates didn't stop me from campaigning to have it. I could fall asleep anywhere (and have!) and at any time of day. Sunshine? No problem. Lights on? Pfft! Alarm clock blaring? Annoying "car alarm" in my dream, but nothing to wake up over. I love sleep and sleep loved me.
But it doesn't love me anymore. I wake up so many times during the night. Not to pee, not for leg cramps or heartburn or indigestion, nothing pregnancy related. I wake up and most times it takes me a while to fall back asleep.
My new sleeping position doesn't help. I use to fall asleep on my tummy. If I didn't then during the night I'd move onto my tummy. My next favorite position is my back. The one position I don't like? My side. Sleeping on my side hurts. I wake up with my hips hurting. The hip on the bottom hurts from all the weight pinned on it and the hip on the top hurts from the "awkward" angle my leg is being kept at. My knee on my upper leg hurts because of the same thing. Unless I put a pillow between my legs. Which is another reason I wake up. Not being able to switch from side to side with minimal barely-waking effort. It becomes something I must wake up to do. Also my bottom arm either falls asleep or if I extend it straight out, aches from hanging off the bed.
Also Dave has decided that she's gonna start sleeping on the bed. Which is very different from Les sleeping on the bed. Les is 10lbs lighter and so she is easy to move if she's in an inconvenient spot. Also if you move too much near her she gets up and jumps off the bed. Les wakes up a lot and moves to different spots on the bed so while I might wake up once and she's below my legs, an hour later she might be between Kevin and I. Dave sleeps like her "Mom." Once she falls asleep, she's not moving till morning. If you kick and move your legs she's less likely to move or get off the bed. Since she's heavier, she really weighs down the covers and it can be impossible to adjust them in a sleep induced state.
So what does this all mean? I sleep less and less comfortably. I can't do anything to make sleeping better. And it's likely never going to go back to how it use to be.

25 Weeks

How far along: 25 Weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: +10 lbs.
Maternity clothes: I think I've got a good handle on it now. Any extra pieces are just that.
Sleep: I wake up several times a night. The baby books all say that heartburn, leg cramps, bathroom runs and the belly are all to blame but really I'm having none of those issues. I just can't seem to stay asleep.
Food cravings/aversions: I got to go grocery shopping by myself this past week and this preggo lady stocked up on plums and ice cream. Not to be eaten at the same time, but those foods don't usually appear on our shop list.
Gender: Boy!!! Still no consensus on the name yet.
Movement: Everyday and can regularly be felt on the outside.
Best moment this week: Hearing GV's heartbeat on the doppler. They had a hard time tracking it down at first but the best feeling was when they did get it.
What I miss: The sleep of the dead I use to have.
I am looking forward to: Feeling GV interact with things outside his world (prodding, waistbands, dogs barking). Also going down to double digits!
Weekly Wisdom At some point this is going to feel like it's going fast, right?
Milestones: Last full week of the 2nd Trimester!