Year End Wrap Up

The end of another year, Hubbs and my last year as "just the two of us". It's pretty crazy to think about.

The last few weeks have been rough. I'm on modified bed rest, being monitored closely for Preecclampsia, and overall just feel icky. I can't shake this cold and had to take a Christmas Eve trip to Labor & Delivery for high BP and some contractions. My platelets are dropping, but not to a scary level. I get the fun of blood work and a 24 hour urine test every 2 weeks. After the L&D trip, my Dr said it's not a question of IF I'll get Pre-e, it's a question of WHEN.

At this point, it's looking like we'll be lucky to make it to February. My doctor's office is just trying to get me to hit term and then it's likely I'll be induced. Basically, if things keep going the way they are, I'm going to pop out this kid in 5 weeks or less. It's kind of a frightening thing to think about, but I'm sure they know what they're doing. We've set up the crib and I've sorted all of the 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes and burp cloths and receiving blankets and such and they're ready to be washed. We have an overabundance of baby blankets, but I'm sure somehow we'll still run out.

Really all I have to do now is sit and wait and try not to get worked up or stressed out. Seems simple enough. I still sleep like crap and am starting to get grumpy about it. Hubbs just lays there snoring loudly next to me and it takes me well over an hour to fall back asleep. Oh how I envy his ability to just conk the eff out. Yea, yea, treasure the sleep now cause when the baby comes, blah blah. Through the night I itch and scratch and can't get comfortable. I wake up every morning with a pounding headache and swollen hands. My feet are starting to get fat, which is fun, I can still see my ankles though, so that's a win in my book.

I think I vaguely recall before I got pregnant and was struggling with IF, I hated the pregnant women who complained, knowing that I would trade with them in a minute. Yes, I am thankful that I get to have these symptoms at all, and should be super excited about the fact that in a month and a bit, I'll have a little girl to show for all of this effort and pain.  At the moment though, all I want is a nap and I woke up an hour and a half ago... lol.

Jug of Doom Version 2.0

Hello my old friend. I was sent home with a delightful urine hat and jug number two. Apparently, I get to experience this fun every 2 weeks now. The BP is still hovering on the borderline of dangerous and if it gets high enough, it's off to the hospital and I'm probably going to have to pop out this kid far earlier than anticipated. 

I'm also now on modified bed rest. Really, this is what I was doing anyway since I got laid off, but now it's official. She pretty much told me to just try to spend more time horizontal than vertical. I can manage that I think.

It's becoming increasingly obvious with every visit that there is absolutely no way in hell we are making it to the Feb. 23rd due date. I so knew this was going to happen. I've told her about a couple of my other symptoms and she explained to me that if some of them don't go away with a warm bath or heat pack, I get to take a trip to Labor and Delivery for monitoring.

I feel like I should be more scared, but I really believe that everything will turn out ok in the end, so I'm not too worried. They've caught the problems early and are monitoring me closely, which I'm pretty sure is half the battle.

Is It Naptime?

I feel like I spend the majority of my time lately trying to figure out when I can take a nap. A lot of the time, it's whenever the heck I want.

Yesterday I tested for a job, and was invited back to interview today. I think it went well, apparently there are 2 open positions and they're interviewing 5 candidates. The nice part is, they maintain a list of the people who pass all of the steps, and then hire from the list as more openings pop up. Hopefully this works out because it would be nice to have a salary and a stable job for once. They also don't seem to care that I'm 7 months pregnant, and are totally fine with me starting the job in March or April after Ducky is born.

Hubbs' last day of school is today. Super proud of him for deciding to go back and finish his degree. He doesn't get to "walk" until May, but it'll be nice that he's done.

Tomorrow is my first bi-monthly check-up at the OB to make sure that my BP is behaving and I don't develop pre-ecclampsia. I've noticed some extra symptoms over the last week, luckily none of them pre-ecclampsia related, but I'm going to have to ask about them anyway. Better safe than dead has always been my life motto, and I think it's especially relevant in pregnancy.

Hubbs and I had a nice 3am pillow chat last night. Fears for raising a kid and what love means to us. I've never been overly romantic, and when thinking about marriage, I really just wanted to find someone I could stand to be around for the rest of my life. I think the way every person feels loved is different, and therefore the way everyone feels the emotion of love is different as well.

I've really been craving playtime with a kitten lately. I have no idea why. Maybe it's some sort of weird mothering instinct, but I am so all about playing with a kitten right now. I love those snuggly little purring furballs. Is there anything better than a tiny kitten napping on your chest? Why yes, Hubbs is allergic to cats, and yes, I am also allergic to cats. I pretty much just deal with it because they are so darn adorable. I also really want another pet, maybe I just desire things to take care of. I know that this kid will pop out soon enough and she'll take up ALL of my time.

I was slightly disappointed to learn that my insurance only covers a manual breast pump. If I get this job, it means I will definitely need an electric pump, although if I get this job, I'll be able to afford a fancy pump. I'm also hoping to be able to pump for Hubbs' shifts so he doesn't have to wake me up to plop a baby on my chest every few hours. I'm just hoping my boobs cooperate, because free boob milk sounds a lot better than expensive formula.

Well this post was all over the place, as per usual lately. lol. Something tells me it's time for one of my famous afternoon naps. 

Almost Forgot to Post

Almost forgot to post something today...


I had an eggnog milkshake for dessert. It was awesomely, magically, amazingly delicious.

Hormonal Mess?

I was under the impression that pregnant women were supposed to have crazy mood swings and be hyper-emotional due to all of the hormonal changes... I'm still waiting for that to happen. Maybe I'm just lucky and managed to escape the awfulness, or perhaps it's just waiting to strike.

Hubbs only has a week left of school and we're going to have a "super date" to celebrate next Wednesday. An afternoon trip to the movies to see "The Hobbit", followed by a delightful and delicious dinner at Carrabba's. We have a gift card for the restaurant, which will be nice, we can splurge and go a little nuts with it.

I cracked open the hot chocolate last night, big mistake. lol. I've discovered that Ducky definitely likes it so I think I'll have a cup a day. It's been pretty cold in the apartment and despite the fact that I'm bundled up in sweats and blankets, the cocoa helps keep me nice and toasty. Hubbs has forbidden me from messing with the thermostat anymore because at night he roasts to death. I really need to find the box that my slippers are packed away in...

29 Week Belly Update

From the one picture, I'd actually deluded myself into thinking my belly was smaller than in previous weeks' pictures. Nope... definitely not. It is getting pretty big. I'm hoping that since I have such a long torso that maybe it won't get too much bigger. Everyone keeps telling me that I "look great" though, so that's nice. I do think it helps that I'm still down 15lbs from before I was pregnant.

I'm probably spending more time than I should lounging around the house and napping. I'm going to justify it by saying that in 2 months, I'm not going to get any relaxing or sleep time, so I should stock up now. It is officially "pamper mommy time" up in this house.

I did get Hubbs' Christmas shopping mostly done. All that's left now are the little stocking stuffers that Santa will bring. Gibbs' present from Santa Paws came today, delivered by Santa's helpers at Amazon, so we'll just have to hide it from him until the big day.

Good News Everyone!

My labs finally came back and I don't have the diabeetus. Which is super exciting news, hurray for getting to continue eating ice cream almost every night.

My jug test of doom also came back within the normal range, so at the moment, I don't have preeclampsia, which is awesome. They're still going to monitor my BP and everything, but hopefully everything will be just fine.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we're going to have a kid in about 2 months. A child... a living human that we are solely responsible for... it seems like a very daunting task. I think we're up for it though.

Hubbs' last week of school is this week, finals the week after, and then he is DONE! Hurray! His graduation ceremony won't be until May, but it's still nice that he'll officially be considered a graduate with a Bachelor's in something or another. I'm not sure which category Spanish falls under, arts maybe? It doesn't really matter.

His job is on hiatus now as well, and he's debating about getting something over the holidays until he gets to go back to work around February-ish. Pretty much whenever the snow decides to melt. It would  be nice to have a little extra cushion to tide us over the winter, but it's really up to him.

I have a job interview next week! Well, I'm testing for the job, and then they invite the people who passed to come back the next day for the first round of interviews. I've tested for this type of job on two other occasions, and have always made it to the final interview process. Here's to hoping this is lucky number three. I also have a slight advantage, since Hubbs works for the same city I'm applying in, they do a nepotism sort of thing, where they're more likely to hire you if you have relatives who work for the city. You just can't work in the same department. Also, they don't seem to care that I'm super pregnant, because training wouldn't start until around my due date anyway. Wish me luck!

Jug of Doom

Warning, this post is mostly about pee...

Yes, I did have to google "how to pee in a urine hat" because I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do with that thing. It's surprisingly easy. There is something very bizarre about peeing in a little hat that sits in the toilet, and then carefully pouring said pee into a ginormous jug that you store in the fridge between pees. It's definitely one of the most ridiculous things I've done in my life.

Luckily, I haven't had to pee much today. In fact, I don't think I pee nearly enough now that I think about it. With a monster of a baby kicking my bladder, surely there should be more of a need to pee. Maybe I just haven't had enough to drink today. I know I don't drink as much as I should, probably only half. I really need to start picking it up a bit. Apparently, being dehydrated can lead to contractions, which doesn't sound fun. DRINK MORE, ME!!! So far I've barely filled up any of the jug and on some of the forums online, chicks were saying they filled up one whole jug and needed a second one.... A SECOND ONE! At this point, I probably could have gotten away with a solo cup for how little I've had to go.

I think I'm least looking forward to my early morning pee, which lately, has been around 4am. It's the one time of day where my body is like "OMG GO NOW!!" I'll really need to remember to go to the fridge, and get my huge jug, and then go to the bathroom. Fun times.

I haven't heard back about my glucose test from yesterday, so I'm hoping that means everything was fine. Perhaps they're just really slow about results. I think the last time they tested me for a UTI, it took a week for me to get the results and that was only because I called and asked them about it.

Tomorrow, I'm curious about the logistics of carrying a giant pee-filled jug into the lab. Should I buckle it into the passenger's side on the way over? I know I'm supposed to put it in the bag they gave me, but it seems like a good idea to buckle it in also. I can only imagine if I get pulled over in the 3 minutes it takes to drive to the hospital.

 Officer - "Whatcha got there ma'am?"
 Me - "Oh you know, just the last 24 hours of my pee."

Good times. I almost hope that happens now. lol.

28-Week Check-Up

Ducky is still doing well, which is good. My BP is still a bit high, so I get to enjoy the magical wonder that is the 24-hour Urine Collection something or another. It sounds pretty annoying. Collect ALL of the pee in a 24 hour period and store it in a giant jug in the fridge... oh joy. I'm going in every 2 weeks now to keep a close eye on the BP and to monitor me to make sure I don't develop preeclampsia.

I had the blood draw for my 2nd RhoGAM shot, which I have to go back for tomorrow. I also got my 2nd 1-hour glucose test done at the same time. For future reference, the fruit punch flavor tastes way better than the orange. Eventually I just pinched my nose and chugged it down. If I fail this one though, apparently the 3-hour test is lime flavor, so that could be fun. It would be really nice not to have to worry about the diabeetus in addition to the possibility of preeclampsia, so here's to hoping this test comes back fine.  

I'd applied for a job back in September that I was excited about because it had a salary and everything. They invited me to test for it yesterday. Perfect timing... really. I'm going to ask when they think the job will actually start, because if it's not for a while, there's a chance I could still do it. If it's soon however, there's absolutely no point of going through training and then immediately going on maternity leave.

I think I'm just going to take it easy and relax and try not to worry about the things I can't control. Hopefully, at the end of it all, we'll wind up with a real live baby and everything will be just fine. 

Snow Day

Hurray for the first real snow of the year! Hubbs has the day off, since you can't really landscape a cemetery in the snow. Not sure what we're going to get up to today, but hopefully some hijinks.

Our dog, Gibbs, is a HUGE fan of the snow. I'm pretty sure peeing in the snow is his favorite thing in the whole world. It's hilarious to watch him prance around in it and get his little grinch-like paws all snow-covered.

Hubbs came home from his advisor meeting with my Christmas present all wrapped up and then hid it somewhere in our apartment. I guess I better get cracking on his present then. He wants a Seahawks beanie to keep him warm at work, so I think I'll get him that and a little something extra as well.

Tomorrow is my 28-week check-up as well as my 2nd RhoGAM shot and my 2nd 1-hour glucose test. Hurray for being special and having to do things multiple times... grr. Hopefully this time goes just as well because I really don't want to have to deal with the dreaded gestational diabeetus.

Third Trimester

We're coming around the home stretch. Crazy. Last month, I pretty much sucked at blogging every day, even though I'm home, not really doing much of anything at all. This month, I will endeavor to do better, even if it's just a sentence or two.

We'd gone to Vegas for Thanksgiving, so at least I have somewhat of an excuse for not blogging those days. We left on Wednesday, halfway through the drive there, I puked in the car. I haven't thrown up in a car... um... ever. I decided it was something I ate since the majority of it seemed to be dinner form the night before. Overall it was really gross and unpleasant considering we had to drive about twenty more minutes before there was a gas station where I could freshen up. I spent the rest of the day feeling icky. On actual Thanksgiving, I felt well enough to eat real food. I nibbled a bit here and there and it was fun to spend time with family. The next day we went out to this amazingly delicious restaurant that's become a new family favorite with my brother and his wife and my mom. It got progressively more and more awkward the drunker my mom and brother got, but that's pretty typical. The food was yummy. Our last night we went to the Cheesecake Factory and nommed more delicious things. Basically, the days were filled with lounging on the couch and binge-watching the Food Network while the nights were filled with scrumptious food. I'd say that makes it the perfect vacation. We ended our trip with a stop to Raising Cane's so I could give in to my craving for their obnoxiously good chicken fingers. It turned out to be a good idea because we were completely stopped in traffic on the freeway for a good two hours just outside of town. It was brutal. Getting home took about 8 hours total instead of the usual five and a half. That part wasn't so fun.

It's seriously shocking to me that we just hit the 3rd trimester marker. Before I know it, this kid is going to be here and that is pretty insane. Our apartment is full of baby stuff, but it's all still in boxes and gift bags, and I definitely don't feel ready. At this point, I'm doubting that I ever will feel ready and that's probably ok, a little fear is a good thing, right?