Week 40

So this is the "last" week of pregnancy. So far it has been a busy one.

Yesterday I was feeling a little off. Over the weekend I had pulled a muscle in my back/shoulder, and you all know that takes a little spunk out of your step. But I hadn't been seen by the doctor in over a week, was feeling a little swelling in my limbs and a few occasional moments of a racing heart. I called the doctor's office to see if I could move my scheduled appointment up to be seen that day.

The nurse called back to get a little info on what I was experiencing. I explained, she said there were no appointments, but that I should head straight for Ingham Regional for an assessment. It sounded to her like the beginnings of preeclampsia. So off we went to the hospital. I was strapped to monitors, explained symptoms to a billion people, and within an hour was told that I just felt "yucky," which I agreed with. Within a few hours of leaving work, I was back at my desk, happy that everything was OK. Yucky I can deal with.

So today I had my scheduled appointment. It was a usual quicky appointment with a short exam. Sparing you all the gory details, some things are progressing quickly; others, not at all. I know those values of effacement, dilation, and station don't mean a whole lot until I'm in active labor, but it would have been nice to be a little further along.

So many people have given statistics on how many babies are born/on time/late, it makes my head spin, but the conclusion I've come to is this: she'll come when she comes. So far we haven't had any contractions, not even Braxton-Hicks. It seems that this first-timer will get all the "fun stuff" at once with no practice. Oh well, it doesn't make it any less exciting!

The current plan of action? My next appointment is next Tuesday, if we make it that far. If I make it to one week past due, we will schedule for inducement. Elena is active as ever and seems perfectly happy, if not a bit cramped in her current home. If there are any changes, we'll be sure to get the word to all of you.

Last trip to Ann Arbor

I had my last regular exam in Ann Arbor yesterday. Everything was normal, nothing amazing or interesting to report. Elena is still head down, which we like. No ultrasound this week, so no weight estimate, but the doctor's pelvic palpations lead to the comment "Normal sized baby."

We're at 15 days and counting until Elena's due date. Pretty much everything here is set and ready to go. Everything is washed and in place. Bags are packed. Contact lists are written.

Yesterday the doctor requested that I schedule inducement at 1 week overdue, so Elena will be here within 3 weeks for sure!! Yay!!! Actually, 3 weeks feels like forever. I swear this baby girl has been trying to claw her way out for the past 2 weeks. Either that, or she's throwing a MAJOR tantrum in there.

In the meantime, we will stick close to home and await her arrival. We intend to enjoy one last Thanksgiving as just the two of us.

Hope everyone out there has a great holiday!!

Kiki's Bedroom Toursplosionpalooza 2007

Here it is. Enjoy!

A Quick Update

Sue and I went to Ann Arbor Thursday for what I THOUGHT would be my last trip there before labor. No such luck. While I did have my last ultrasound, I still will need to go back for an OB appt once more before delivering (assuming Elena doesn't surprise us with an early arrival.)

Nothing too exciting to report. Elena weighed in at 5 lbs, 2 oz, but the Dr also noted that, at this stage in pregnancy, that number could be off by as much as 15%. So really, she could be anywhere between 4 lbs 6 oz to 5 lbs 14 oz. And she still has 1-2 lbs to grow!

Right now Elena is content to be a little rocker and roller. She rarely takes time to sit back and relax, but stays on the go constantly. And she is still as strong as ever. She kicked (pushed, nudged, whatever) so hard yesterday, it cracked my back!!

So we are at 5 weeks and counting, further excited by the birth of Linnea, which is going to happen at any moment (or at least I hope, for Jilly's sake!!)

Home Sweet Home

Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, Elena's room is really coming together. She has a nice clean bed, complete with sheets, to sleep in. She has a soft, comfy changing table to get changed on. She has enough clothes to fill her dresser for the next year, and tons of toys. She will certainly be living the high life!!

I have washed everything and put it away. It wasn't as hard as I anticipated to find space for everything that we received as gifts. It just required me to clean a few areas of the apartment that had been neglected!!

I'll try to get a few pictures of Elena's room up soon so you can all see. These last few weeks in utero are going to be busy ones, so no guarantees!!

Elena goes to school

Actually, it's her parents who are going to school. We are now 3 classes into our 6 session Child Birth program. So far, we are both skeptical. Is it bad that every relaxation technique I've been shown so far, I think "Well THAT'S not gonna work"? I guess I'm just not a lavender aromatherapy/Kenny G kind of girl.

It's actually funny because many of the techniques require equipment that we would have to take to the hospital with us. I am imagining Ray's Beetle chock full with a birthing ball, rice sock, CD player, fan, car seat, suitcase, etc. Where would this laboring momma sit!?!

We also had another appt. in AA today. Pretty run of the mill, nothing too special. For a moment I thought we might get a 3-D ultrasound pic, but Elena had herself situated so that there wasn't enough fluid around her face for a clear picture. She's gonna make us wait to see her (although Ray is convinced that she has her mom's nose).

The good(?) news is that she has FINALLY turned around to the right position. No more breech baby!! Hopefully she will stay that way for the next few months. AND her new position makes it SO much easier to kick me all day. We've really started to bruise...uh, I mean bond.

And she is getting heavy, too!! She weighed in at about 3 pounds 3 ounces today (43rd percentile for her age, up from 35th). So far I am comfortable with this. Given her "big boned" parents, I was thinking I might have to give birth to a turkey large enough to feed the whole B clan!!

Back to the Dr. in Okemos in 1 week and back to AA for probably the last ultrasound in 1 month. We're getting closer!!!

One, Two, Three...KICK!

I went to the Dr. last Friday for my first appointment of the third trimester (good result on the blood glucose test!!) They gave me some paperwork to read over that outlined things to know for this last phase of pregnancy. One new thing that I was instructed to do was start counting Elena's kicks, to help monitor that she is remaining active and healthy.

Now, the Dr. said the average baby will kick around 3 times per hour, and 10 times in periods of high activity. It's this ten kick hour that you want to make sure the baby has. The suggestion is to have a snack and then shortly thereafter, lay down and start counting. I don't have time to lie around for an hour and count!!!! So, ever resourceful, I devised a plan. I created a spreadsheet (I do love my Excel) that covered my hours at work. Since I am at my desk much of the day, I figured "I'll make a tick mark for each kick and track it that way. Not too disruptive, and then I can easily determine if she has kicked 10 times in an hour. GENIUS!!!!"

So there I was yesterday at 8:30am, sitting with my chart, ready to go, expecting 26 to 33 kicks over the course of my 8.5 hour day, based on the averages stated to me. Maybe a few more, since we all know this baby seems to have a bit more energy than others. Imagine my surprise (exhaustion, irritation) when 5:00pm rolled around and Miss Elena had kicked, swished, punched, head-butted, and poked me 99 times!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong, I am elated that this is an active baby, full of life (although I see some LOOONG nights in our future.) However, this exercise of drawing attention to how active she is MAY have been a bad idea. I think the genius plan will need to be revised so that once I have hit that ten kick mark, the chart goes away for the day, and I try to forget that I've got an aspiring punter with me!

A Day at the Fair

In our annual tradition, we went to the Michigan State Fair yesterday to see all that Michigan agriculture has to offer. It was a bit of a mixed bag. There seemed to be less agricultural displays and more sponsorship displays. It seemed a bit weird that the "Miracle of Life" display, formerly housed in a tent in the center of the fair, was tucked in a side building behind several rows of Chevy cars and trucks.

One thing that we had never done before was go to see the Anastasini Circus performance. It was pretty good. It was your typical, predictable circus stuff, but isn't that what makes the circus so great!?!

We only caught a bit of the pig races, which was OK with me. The group that put on the races really need to get a new show!! Another old standby that I love, even though the program never changes, is the lumberjack show. I love to watch them demonstrate with their saws, and also have log rolling contests. Being a lumberjack must be a really hard job!!

The Final Countdown

 

There are officially less than 100 days until Elena's expected arrival. Exciting!! We got this little Baby Countdown clock from Ray's mom early in the pregnancy. It hasn't held TOO much interest until today. And now we're in DOUBLE DIGITS!!!!

Last night we went to the parent's baptism class for preparations for Elena's baptism. Now, I know what you are thinking, "This early? Isn't that jumping the gun a bit?" Elena will be baptized in January 2008. The preparation class for that group of baptisms (and incidentally, the next available class) will occur during the period that we may still be in Ann Arbor with Elena. Luckily, we looked into baptism early, and did not miss our chance to go to the class this time around.

Per the request of MANY people, here is a quick glimpse into Elena's room. There's not much to it yet, but it is starting to take shape.

3 More Days.....

....until my next post. Stay tuned!

A Day in Ann Arbor

It is 6:00 and we just returned from a full day in Ann Arbor. Four appointments in one day. Quite a lot, but well worth the time, as we were given good news all day long!!

As evidenced by the many tests, pokes and prods she endured today, Elena is doing very well. She currently weighs in at 1 lb 1 oz, up 2 oz since our last visit. Her heart looks very good (the cardiologist couldn't stop taking pictures!!)

But the best news of all came from the surgeon. While we have been taking all precautions and considering all possibilities that are wrapped up with an omphalocele, the surgeon said that he feels that Elena's condition is more consistent with an umbilical hernia. This is better for a number of reasons. Needless to say, we are VERY happy and relieved parents-to-be today.

We also got a tour of the NICU and labor and delivery areas of the hospital. This baby is gonna be born in style!! We were happy to see stellar facilities, and were happily surprised to see how friendly the ENTIRE staff was.

Other highlights of the day were our lunch excursion to Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger and a visit to our nephew on the way home.

All in all, a very good day for this family (seriously, how many times did I use the word "happy" in this post?) Now we can kick back, relax, and concentrate on battling the heat!!

Baby Bling

Following our good news on Thursday, we had a burst of energy and decided to complete our baby registry. We're registered at Target/target.com and amazon.com So it's done!!

We actually had a lot less to add than we thought. And I'm sure we'll think of other things that we need, but for now, the list is about perfect. One advantage to having an amnio is that we know with certainty that this little girl IS a little girl. That makes choosing bedding and clothes a bit easier.

It was so much fun picking out books for the Amazon registry. I picked mostly books for older kids, but I couldn't HELP myself. I think I'm gonna need help finding baby books.

Little by little Elena's room is beginning to fill with her baby stuff, mostly toys at this point. I think the cats will be a bit sad when they are displaced from all their favorite lounging spots.

Elena's first triumph and test (of Mom's patience)

We got the awaited call from U of M today. The tests from the amnio came back completely normal. This means that many of the most serious chromosomal abnormalities can be eliminated from the list of possible complications.

The call from U of M was one that we were both dreading and wishing would come sooner. Needless to say, we are very happy with the results and we continue to have a very positive outlook.

It is becoming increasingly clear that little Elena is going to give her parents a run for their money. She seems to be very headstrong (could this possibly come from her mother!?!?) and likes to kick. Hard. Today she sent Mom to the the Dr. with what felt like persistent and uncomfortable spasms. After a quicky ultrasound and tonal heart check, we found that Elena was positioned belly down across Mom's tum, kicking her way toward "the exit."

As she writes this, Mom is in bed, as ordered by Dr, hoping that "Kiki/Kicky" will find a more suitable position for BOTH of us. Luckily, nothing at all serious, but scary none the less. Do they make soccer shoes in size newborn?

Reunited......

Sunday was our annual family reunion. I love the family reunion and always have. When I was small, once I was out of school for the summer, I would start counting down the days until we could go to Uncle Dick's.

Once there, I knew I could expect to gorge on hot dogs, salads, cheesy potatoes, and, of course, Y's cookies. Then I would play in the lake, in constant fear that the seaweed would touch my feet if I ventured into the deeper water. Then a ride on the boat, the FAST one, not the pontoon!!!

Throughout the day I would enjoy running around with my sisters and cousins, occasionally stopped by an older relative that obviously knew who I was, but I certainly didn't have a clue who they were. By the time mom or dad said it was time to go, I would collapse into the back seat of the car, exhausted, happy (and full, if we stayed long enough for Second Feeding.)

These days, it's more difficult to make it to the family reunion. Work schedules, previous engagements with the in-laws, and distance have all prevented me in the past. But in those years when I can go, I still count down the days, and arrive with my ears pricked for that dinner bell.

Facebook Frenzy

I'm obsessed with Facebook. For at least a year now family and friends (all younger than I) have been telling me to start a Facebook account. I couldn't bring myself to do it because it seemed like I would I would be the creepy "old person" offering candy to the kiddies.

But I relented. And it's awesome. I can't stay away. I have to know if anything has been updated. Did someone write to my wall? Is so-and-so on Facebook, too? I must know, and now!!!

When will the madness end!?!?!?

More thoughts from Parenthood

Just a few of my hubbie's thoughts on our bundle of joy...

Baby Updates

So our first ultrasound was yesterday. And....it's.....a.....girl!!!!!! Elena Marie is expected to arrive on December 2 (ie. no change in due date.) Though, as her mother, I am biased, Elena is as cute as a button. Granted, a button that looks like a Doplar radar map, but cute none the less. We were given 5 pictures to take home (Elena's first work to go up on the fridge!!)

We did get a bit of a surprise. There is a complication with some of her abdominal development that is currently being explored. We spent the morning at the U of M perinatal assessment center, speaking to a genetic counselor, doing another ultrasound (5 more pretty pics!!), and ultimately a decision to have an amnio done (ouch!)

At this point, we are just waiting. 2 weeks until the test results are back, so we have a better idea of what we are dealing with. We got a lot of info and are just taking it in right now. The focus, of course is on the positive. Aside from abdominal abnormality, at this time everything else looks great. She is currently weighing in at 9 oz (imagine my brief panic as I momentarily confused ounces with pounds and considered the size of my HALF-TERM baby).

We'll be sure to keep everyone updated. In the meantime, you can check out a few of Elena's poses.



P.S. Shout out to my Huron Towers crew!!!!

Birthday Bliss

I can't believe I didn't say anything about my birthday last week!!! It...was...awesome!! And it just keeps getting better!

I took a little teasing because this one was the big Three-O, but I say "who cares!!" I'm a girl who loves her birthday whether it is Three-O or Three-O-O.

My husband couldn't quite wait to give me my gifts, so he gave them to me the day before. FUN!!

Then my team at work decided to do it up for me. First was a little prank. When I returned from lunch, everything that usually resides on the right side of my desk was on the left, and vice versa. FUN!! Then were the flowers and balloons delivered to the front desk. FUN!!! Finally was the ice cream cake. FUN!!! FUN!!!!

When I got home, we went to a BBQ at a friend's house. We hadn't hung out with them in a very long time, so I really enjoyed the opportunity. There was hot dogs, cake, kids and video games. You guessed it...FUN!

Today, was the day where we celebrate all June birthdays at work. It was "Christmas in almost July." It was so cool. I have to say that the team in charge of putting the party together did such a good job. There were little Christmas trees with presents for the birthday girls. There were Christmas lights and carols playing. The treats were brownies, Christmas cookies, chex mix, Christmas-y Rice Krispie treats, and punch. It was the coolest.

Overall, this may be the best birthday I've ever had. It's been a really fun week. So far, 30...not too bad!!

Making Progress

We now have a crib and a changing table. "Kiki's Room" is beginning to look legit. It's weird because we are currently in this middle limbo of being very prepared and also pretty far away from needing any of this stuff. On one hand, I feel better knowing that we are gradually collecting things that we will need when Kiki arrives, but at the same time s/he won't need any of it for another 5 months or so!!

With any luck, in less than 2 weeks I can stop writing s/he and we will have a specific gender, along with a specific name. My ultrasound is on July 9. I have been practicing drinking 32 oz of water and holding it for an hour or more. Yeah, I think that we are just going to have to hope that the Ultrasound tech is very skilled and can get a good picture on MUCH less water than that!!

The Kikster stays the course

I had my doctor's appointment. All is well in Kiki's little uterine world. Heartbeat is strong. 1 month until the ultrasound. Yay!! Then we'll finally know if this growing bulge is XX, XY, or as I suspect, BWWW.

I have to say, i find it a bit annoying that the doctor's appointments are so incredibly short at this stage. I'm sure my insurance company shares the sentiment, since those things cost a pretty penny whether they are 5 minutes or 50 minutes. I'm not sure why this is so irritating to me, but it really is.