38w4d - Well, now I know what they feel like.

Contractions that is. Real ones, not the phony Braxton Hicks contractions that I've been getting for a couple of months. To those readers with ovaries, they feel like really bad cramps that all kind of run together and finally start to break in between. To those of you without, they feel like someone squeezing your gut while simultaneously twisting your organs around.

Things have calmed down now, but yesterday was a long day. I woke up feeling very very crampy. The crampiness started to have little breaks in between so Jon came home. When he got home I took my BP and it was 150/98 (higher than it was last week at the doctor's office). That was what actually worried me the most. I called and they told me to come in. Got to the OB's office and they hooked me up to the fetal monitor and the BP monitor. My BP was still pretty high so the nurse said that alone was reason for me to come in. My contractions were three minutes apart - three! They tell you to call or come in anytime they are five minutes apart for a full hour. After about an hour, the nurse checked my progress I was still only 1 cm. She wanted us to go to labor & delivery across the street at the hospital for labs, but when she couldn't get a hold of my doc (in surgery) or the other doc on call (in a birth) she changed her mind and told us to go get a light lunch and come back. When we went back I was still having contractions but my BP was lower and still no progress.

Sooo...here we are. She told I could walk a little bit around the neighborhood but not too much because of my BP thing. Jon went out and got me a yoga ball last night so I've been sitting and bouncing on that to see if it gets us anywhere. She also told me to take something to help me sleep at night. Tylenol PM, I would marry you if it were legal in Texas. We weren't surprised we got sent home and I'm actually glad the contractions are farther apart now. I either wanted them to STOP or GO, because hanging out in labor limbo is no fun.

Update from Monday

Sorry for not posting sooner. Lots of people have emailed me for an update on my Monday check up. Good news. My blood pressure was down to 108/68 which is super awesome. So, no more talk of inductions for a while I hope. I have an appointment with my doctor on Friday so we'll see where we are then. All I have to do now is get through this last week of work before I can start my leave.

38 Weeks - Modified Bedrest

Well, it looks like I haven't been lounging around eating enough bon-bons lately. I went in for my regular appointment yesterday and my blood pressure was a bit high (130/93 vs my normal 120/80). My feet and legs have been a bit swollen as well, but this was the first time the swelling was combined with high BP. This is a common concern near the end of pregnancy and there is no way to tell who will get it and who won't. I went back in this morning and, while it wasn't exactly stellar at 136/81, it was really no worse. That as well as my bloodwork coming back normal was enough to ward off any talk of inducing in the next few days. I go back on Monday for another BP check so we'll see how it goes then.

In the meantime, my doctor has put me on modified bedrest. I can still work my last week next week, but I need to work from home where I can recline. I guess sitting upright at a desk can cause fluid to pool in my legs and feet even if I try to keep them up. Oh yeah, when I was weighed at my appointment this morning I was 2 pounds lighter than I was yesterday afternoon. So basically I lost 2 pounds of water weight (swelling) overnight just by laying down more. Stay tuned for an update on Monday, but I suspect if I follow her advice all will continue to be well.

Ahem. (points to ticker)

We are in the "teens" today! Crazy.

37 Weeks and Progress

I just got back from my 37 week appointment today and got some good news from my doctor. I am 1 cm dilated, 30% effaced, and baby boy is head-down (that's the direction he should be facing in case you passed notes through sex ed class). Her exact words were "he's pretty far down there" meaning he is what they call "engaged." In other words, he's in position to bail out first chance he gets. The dilation/effacement thing doesn't mean a whole lot by itself since one can sit at 1 cm for weeks. The fact that his head is down low hopefully means that I have a better chance of being more dilated when I see her next week.

p.s. I'm messing around with some different blog backgrounds, so it might change a few times before I find one I like best.

More Maternity Pics!

They're done! Yay! My awesome photographer and now friend, Lyndsay Stradtner, put together a great slideshow of a whole bunch of pictures from our session a couple of weeks ago. I love them and I'm so glad I have these pictures to look back on and remember how exciting this time was for me. Once again, consider yourself warned: you will see more of my big bare belly in these pictures than you will ever want to see.

Click here for a slideshow with music. Sometimes it takes a little time to load up so be patient. Oh, and since we have failed miserably to keep his name a secret to pretty much everyone but extended family, I told Lyndsay to go ahead and include his name at the beginning. Also keep an eye out for Kona's pictorial debut.

And because it's my favorite:

New Poll!

Vote on when you think Baby S will arrive!

Oh, and that second option should read "on HIS due date" but Blogger won't let me change it.

Sneak Peek (35w6d)

Are you tired of opening this page only to see a picture of my fat feet? I thought so. Time to share some nicer angles of "little" ole me. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be photographed by a very talented photographer - Lyndsay Stradtner - as well as my good friend MC who is shadowing Lyndsay to enhance her own awesome photographic abilities.

Lyndsay has already posted three "sneak peek" photos from our session on her blog. Warning: These photos include my bare pregnant belly, so if that freaks you out, I guess you won't get to see my awesome pictures. :) Lyndsay is putting together a slideshow with a whole bunch of other shots from the session, so stay tuned and I will post a link to it as soon as it's finished. Kona may even make an appearance in a few of them.

To any of our readers in the Austin area, please consider hiring Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography to photograph your family. She is one of the nicest most talented people I have met, and you will not be disappointed.

Missing: Two Ankles

Last seen about two weeks ago.

Keep in mind that I'm only 32 weeks and I sit on my butt in front of a computer all day. The next time you encounter a pregnant waitress, salesperson, or some other profession that requires her to be on her feet all day, please be extra nice to her.

More Shower Pics

Two more to be exact. Sorry all, we were just having too much fun to take more than just pictures of me opening gifts.


The cake was beautiful and very tasty. Light blue whipped cream frosting with dark brown ribbons. Good work, Jen.


And that's me. Ann took a ton of gift-opening pictures - thanks Annie! However, you only get to see the one that hints at the fact that I indeed was born with only one chin, and that I will someday get rid of the second and third chins that have appeared thanks to baby boy here.

30w2d

It's been a while since I posted a new belly picture. Sorry it's blurry. The camera battery was about to die so Jon had to take it fast. You get the idea.



Last Saturday was my shower in Austin. It was a blast and I have a bunch of pictures to post, but they're on Ann's camera at the moment. As soon as she gets a chance to upload them I will post a re-cap. I do have a couple of pictures of the awesome diaper/gift cake made from scratch by my sister-in-law, Jen. Yeah, she made this:


Front


Back


Each diaper was individually wrapped with a piece of ribbon. That is some serious attention to detail. You would not believe how excited I was about the pizza pan that made up the base of the cake. See, I've got this addiction to Tombstone Pepperoni Pizza that started way before I was pregnant and I've never had a real life pizza pan before.

Third Trimester (and a How-To)

Third trimester already! As in home stretch. As in three months left. As in let's get some crap done before baby boy gets here! (Yeah, that's his name, Baby Boy. No, we don't have a name yet. No, we're not going to tell when we do. No, I don't want to talk about it, but thanks for your concern, we love you, really).

Two things we accomplished this past weekend were to hang a room-darkening shade in the nursery (thanks mom!) and complete the window valance. I thought I would share with you how I painstakingly created this masterful work of wondow art.

How to Create a Window Valance

1. Take old window valance and have mom iron on some ribbon when she's visiting you.
2. Decide you need a second one to make it look fuller.
3. Purchase window panel that is "pretty close" to the same color at Target since first window valance has been discontinued.
4. Set up sewing machine.
5. Get overwhelmed and ask mom to do it next time you are visiting home state. Tell her you thought it would be so much more special for Baby Boy to have something made by grandma.
6. Hang second valance and curse when it doesn't match the first. Decide to make second (now third) valance out of remaining window panel fabric.
7. Set up sewing machine.
8. Get overwhelmed and ask mother-in-law to do it next time you are visiting her. Tell her you thought it would be so much more special for Baby Boy to have something made by grandma.
9. Iron ribbon on both new valances.
10. Hang valances and brag on your blog about your ribbon-ironing-on abilities.


New valance. Check out the ribbon. I did that.


New room-darkening shade. It works so well in fact that I need to add some sheers for when we want some diffused sunlight in there.

More Nursery Progress

We finally finished the closet! Well, almost, I have a lot of organizing and label-making to do yet. Jon did the painting and fixed the holes I put in the drywall (oops) and I installed the closet organizer. It's a far cry from my dream Elfa closet system at the Container Store, but it'll work. He even has an extra hanging rack to grow on.





I also had a chance to wash and put on one of the cute sheets and the changing pad cover I received from Jamie and my Aunt Lisa at the shower last week:

Double Digits

I just want to point out that our baby ticker is now showing double digits. :)

Baby Shower - Minneapolis

Here are a couple of pics from my joint baby shower with my cousin Jamie in Minneapolis last Saturday. I will post more as I get them. Enjoy!

(Some people told me all they could see was red x's for a while - I think I have that fixed).

With Grandma.

With diaper cake made by Aunt Gerry.

Opening gifts with Jamie.

Still opening gifts. Our friends and family were very generous.

The cake made by our family friend, Carolyn. Carolyn has made all my cakes since I was a little girl.

23w4d

You don't get to see my head because the only shot I could get with the self-timer this morning included a horrendous bottom-up view of my double-chin. I figure, let's give the people what they want, the gut shot:





Kona hasn't been getting much face time on the blog these days, so I'm posting a picture of him with his Humunga Tongue:

And the Crib

Too bad I already used the clever "my crib or yours?" title a few posts back. Turns out the crib wasn't so complicated to put together. I love it to death and I can't wait to but the little guy in it for the first time. Maybe if I keep telling myself over and over again that he's going to be one of those great babies that sleeps in his crib rather than our room from Day 1, just maybe I can will the forces of nature to make that happen.

Halfway There and Nursery Progress

We're halfway there today - 20 weeks - crazy how fast the time has gone. This last weekend was great. My mom came for a visit, we found out we are having a healthy boy, the nursery furniture arrived, we had brand new carpet installed in the guest room and nursery, and we had the first BBQ/pool party of the summer with my mom and Jon's family. Here are some pics of the furniture and a few projects from the weekend:


The crib. Looks a tad complicated so we decided to wait a couple of days to put it together. This is a good shot of the fabulous new carpet too.

I picked out this red microfiber fabric to cover the window seat cushion. Also, with mom's help, we added some ribbon to a plain chocolate brown valance to tie it in with the bedding colors (the blanket sitting there on the window seat).

Close-up of the DIY valance. It barely made it across the width of the window so I need to pick up another one (and add the ribbon to it) to make it look fuller.

Dresser/changing table with hutch. The set came with both brown and polished pewter drawer pulls which I have yet to change out. I did get to two of them on the top dresser drawer and I can't wait to do them all. I love the contrast with the metal knobs. The little plush lobster on the left has become my inspiration to eventually add some sea life inspired art work and decor.

The tall dresser. Still needs its metal knobs too.

Finally, a cute picture of how I greeted my mom at the airport on Thursday. She called me during her layover in Denver and I told her she had to wait until she got here to find out what we were having. I greeted her at the airport in Austin with a big bunch of blue balloons. She figured it out. She's pretty sharp.

It's a...

BOY!

We had our big anatomy ultrasound today at 19w4d, and we are having a healthy baby boy. All of this organs and limbs look great and all fingers and toes are accounted for. Here are some pictures:

Profile of his face and you can see a little arm in the back.

Here is his profile from the other side. He just didn't want to move those arms for us. Check out that belly!

And the goods. I think we can safely say he's all boy.

Nursery Design Ideas

I put together a couple of potential nursery design ideas this past weekend. I like the "red" design for either a boy or a girl, and the "pink" design for a girl (obviously). It's tough to see in the pink sheets, but there are some little spots of turquoise sprinkled throughout the designs. To give credit where credit is due, the sheets are from Caden Lane, the wall letters and closet pulls are from Giggle Brush Designs, the crib skirts are from American Baby Company, and the storage bins are from either Bed Bath & Beyond or Trend Lab.

Click on the images to make them larger and easier to read.