29 weeks! (updates and an awful dream)

Weekly Survey

• How far along?: 29 weeks
• Total weight gain: Weigh in yesterday puts me at +24
• How big is baby?: Approx 2 pounds, 12 ounces
• Maternity clothes?: Yep
• Stretch marks?: Still no, but my linea nigra is getting longer! :* (
• Sleep?: I'm waking up more often in the night, not to pee, but to turn over
• Best moment this week?: Hearing Wiggler's heartbeat at our appt
• Movement?: Every day
• Food cravings?: None really
• Labor signs?: Nope
• Belly button in or out?: No change from last week
• What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy
• What I'm looking forward to:
• Milestone: We now have two week appointments rather than four week appointments.

Yesterday was pretty rough on me. It started out in the shower (mind out of gutter please!) when I noticed that my oh-so-lovely linea nigra is actually getting longer! It popped up pretty early in the 1st Tri and has always been fairly dark, but it only went from my belly button, down and I could deal with that. Now it's also creeping it's annoying little self UP from the belly button! Something about that made me feel really... what's the word... icky.

So I get myself all dolled up for the day and then have to chug the glucola for my GD test. That actually wasn't so bad, it really does taste just like flat orange soda, and I like orange soda, so no big deal. But I HATE getting my blood drawn, and it's only made worse that the phlebotomist isn't the most gentle of people. After that was all taken care of I did the normal appt stuff with my doc's medical student, but I had to request to see him so I could go over my birth preferences. How annoying is that? I schedule myself to meet with this guy and when I come in for the appt, I still have to request to see him...? Whatever. So I give him my list of stuff, and right off the bat he takes off some of my most important requests! I didn't want to be hooked up to an IV, but he insisted that I have to have at least a hep-lock. I guess I can compromise on that. I also have to have continuous fetal monitoring; intermittent monitoring is just not an option. Tell me how I'm going to be able to walk around and change positions whenever I want if I'm strapped to that stupid machine? Then he scratches off my preferred birthing position claiming that if I do it that way, he won't be able to help me. To which I think that I don't want his help unless I absolutely need it, and every book I've read says that this is the best and easiest position to give birth in. Doesn't matter though, it's not an option that he's even willing to consider. That one upset me the most, but it was made even worse when I looked over to DH for support, and instead, he's giving me this "are you freaking crazy?" expression. He was looking at me like I'd grown another head. I know I'd talked to him about it, but he acted like it was a complete surprise. I've joked about it before, but now I truly believe that he doesn't pay attention when I talk. The rest of the appt was passed in silence. I was afraid to speak for fear that I'd burst into tears. We left the doc's office, went and got something to eat and then I had to go to work when what I really wanted to do was climb into bed and have a good cry. Even though I didn't get there till around lunch time, my day dragged.

When I got home from work, I tried talking to DH about why the things I had on my list are so important to me, but I think he's fully taken on the doc's side. The man went to medical school after all, and what do I really know about having a baby? I contended that there were plenty of other doctors out there that also went to medical school who would say the exact opposite of what he was telling us. Arguing ensued and near tears again, I just stopped talking.

We've decided that we can't afford the Bradley classes after all, so I'm going to have to call today and let them know that we're not going to come back. I feel really bad about it and anxious that we're going to be missing out on good information, but we have no other choice : (

I think the stress of it all really effected my sleep last night. I had the most horrible dream! DH and I were at the beach with our puppies. We were all playing around on the sand and running in the water. Just having a good ol' time. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, we are dragged into the ocean by a humongous wave! We all come up together and DH grabs our little boy doxie (Toby). I see our big dog (Shelby), so I get to her and put her paws on my shoulders and as I'm reaching for our little girl doxie (Biddle), another huge wave comes down right on top of us (I have no idea where the waves were coming from, I remember seeing only smooth water). We come up again and DH still has Toby and I still have Shelby, but now I can't find my little Biddle anywhere. I'm searching frantically and screaming her name over and over, but she's nowhere. DH dives under the water to see if he can find her, and nothing. I turn in circles, still screaming and screaming but seeing nothing but water. And then I woke up. The thought of losing my little girl is just heart wrenching, I love her so much. We've been together since she was just a puppy and she's been with me through everything. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I fished her out from under the covers (yes, she sleeps with us) and cuddled with her. She must've sensed that something was wrong, because rather than go back to her little nest, she laid right by me the rest of the night.

I'm hoping that today goes a lot better. I need a break . So on a cheery note... here's the belleh!

Strategically placed hand ; )

Our first class

After work yesterday, I had to race home so that I could let my puppies out of their kennels for a while. I felt so bad that they'd been cooped up all day long and then had to go right back in a half hour after I let them out. I had to keep telling myself that it's only one night a week for the next 8 weeks, they'll be OK. Didn't help, I still feel really guilty. The class didn't start till 7:30, but because it's kind of far away, DH wanted to leave at 6:30 so we wouldn't be late; he insisted that being late for the first day of class would not be good. He's so cute. We got there with plenty of time and ended up waiting outside in the truck for about 20 minutes.

The night was full of surprises. First, both of our instructors are blind! Not saying that's a bad thing, and I know it shouldn't matter, but it definitely caught us off guard. A little heads up would've been nice. I'm sure I came off as a complete ass when I stammered my introduction. Next, we were only one of two couples in attendance, which I'm kind of ambivalent about. On one hand, I like that the group is a little more intimate, but at the same time, I like to be able to blend into the crowd when I feel uncomfortable. Can't do that here! And the final, and most embarrassing surprise came when I realized that I didn't have my checkbook with me! I still can't believe it. I left it in my other purse (I change purses a lot). OMG, did I go beet red! I felt like that guy who realizes he forgot his wallet on a first date. Luckily, she said I could bring it to the next class. Honestly though, I'm not sure if we'll even be able to keep up with the classes. We just finished our taxes and ended up owing a nice little chunk of change. Now I'm thinking that this expense isn't as justifiable as I'd originally thought. I'm wondering if it would be enough for me to try and train DH myself out of the books I bought. Everything she's talked about so far I've read in the books and already told DH about. Will this be more like a refresher (which we don't need) or will we still be getting good information?

The class itself was OK, although the instructor came off as the type of person that will talk your ear off about something she believes in and bash you over the head with "facts" until you come around to her way of thinking. That vibe came off in the beginning when she claimed that u/s techs are wrong about the sex of the baby 50% of the time...? I know some can be wrong (too early to really tell, or the tech doesn't get a good view) but 50% of the time? She also didn't have very nice things to say about ultrasounds in general. I don't mind "crunchy" people for the most part, it's the fanatics that bother me. And after listening to her for an hour and a half, I'm afraid that she just might fall into that category. I like to research and make up my own mind about something, so I dunno, I'm going to have to think on this some more.

So ultimately, I'm torn. I'm fairly confident that I'd be able to guide DH in what I need from him come labor time, and I'm sure he'd do great, but at the same time... WTH do I really know!? Ugh, I hate that feeling of not knowing what to do. Do we keep up with the class, even though we kind of can't afford it and might actually end up being something neither of us enjoy participating in? I think a discussion with DH is most definitely in order here. Any insight from my wonderful readers would be great too!

Nervous and Excited!

We have our first Bradley class on Monday! I.cannot.wait!

28 weeks!

Weekly Survey

• How far along?: 28 weeks
• Total weight gain: Forgot to check it this morning
• How big is baby?: Approx 2 pounds, 7 ounces
• Maternity clothes?: Yep
• Stretch marks?: Still no (yay!)
• Sleep?:Feeling more tired now, but I think that's because I'm still going to bed really late.
• Best moment this week?: Getting the wall hangings for Wiggler's room! They're so freakin' cute!
• Movement?: Every day, and the kick counts start this week too.
• Food cravings?: None really
• Labor signs?: Nope.
• Belly button in or out?: Still mostly flat, got a little bitty bulge starting though! Eek!
• What I miss: Being able to shop at "regular" clothes stores. Why is maternity stuff so dang expensive?
• What I'm looking forward to: Putting up the wall hangings and some shelves this weekend : )
• Milestone: Found a birthing class!

I've come to the realization that some of the maternity tops that I bought early on will not be lasting me the whole of my pregnancy. How annoying is that? You shell out all kinds of money ('cause let's face it, PG clothes are not cheap) and then you can't even wear it the entire time. Bugs the heck out of me!

Update on my slacker-ness: I'm pretty sure I've found a birthing class! I put in e-mail inquiries at a few places and holy crap are they expensive! But one is much lower than the others and is taught by a husband/wife team. I think DH will have an easier time relating if he has a male point of view to draw from. Classes start next week!

I've also gotten all the paperwork to fill out for Maternity Leave! I CANNOT wait until I can leave this place! In the mean time... my job SUCKS! I've never before had a job that I dreaded coming to. Ever since they disbanded my department, I've been trolling around in Accounts Receivable. OMG, how do people do this day after day for years and years? It's so far beyond boring, I don't think there's even a word for it. Of course, it probably wouldn't be so boring if they would freakin' train me to do something other than match each item on this invoice to the items on that shipping manifest. That's all I've been doing since January! Another girl that got here the same week that I did is learning so much! I think it's my supervisor not wanting to invest time in me knowing that I'll be gone for a very extended period of time. I'm secretly hoping that DH will be able to find a second job (or something that pays more) that would allow for me to be a SAHM.

And just to show that I am trying my hardest to NOT be a slacker... You'll be proud to learn that I've been putting my birth preferences in writing! I swear it never occurred to me that I should've "interviewed" my doctor before committing to him. There's so much I need to find out from him before this little dude decides to make his entrance. It's a good thing that I have an appt next week, that way, if I find out stuff that I'm not comfortable with, I'll still have time to switch. I'm hoping that this one works out though, I really like him so far.

I guess that's all for now, so here's the belleh:

27 weeks!!

Weekly Survey

• How far along?: 27 weeks
• Total weight gain: 22 pounds, kinda stalled didn't it?
• How big is baby?: Approx 2 pounds, 3 ounces
• Maternity clothes?: Yep
• Stretch marks?: Still no (yay!)
• Sleep?: Pretty good : )
• Best moment this week?: Seeing all of our friends and family in Cali!
• Movement?: Ryan is starting to have spaz attacks. He'll just go completely crazy for a couple of minutes. I think he's starting to get cramped. Poor baby.
• Food cravings?: White Cheddar popcorn
• Labor signs?: Nope, I can wait 13ish more weeks for that!
• Belly button in or out?: Still flat, but now my belly button ring scar is looking truly horrendous!
• What I miss: Being able to paint my own toenails
• What I'm looking forward to: Our next appt! Unfortunately, it falls on Tax Day, but what're ya gonna do?
• Milestone: 1st week of the 3rd Tri!!!

We spent this past weekend in California. We hadn't been out there in seven months! Seems like it was a lot longer than that, I missed everyone so much. I went with my friend Jaime and SIL to Babies R Us to beef up the baby registry on Saturday morning. I only had the basics on there before, now it looks like an actual registry. I feel better knowing that it's done now and I don't have to worry about it. Jaime also hooked me up with an entire maternity wardrobe! It's all stuff she used while PG with her girls. She has such great taste and I got some really cute stuff from her. She also loaded us up with boy stuff she got at her baby shower and couldn't use because she had girls (they were Team Green both times).

AND they gave us their old high chair! This thing is so cool, it's totally adjustable and will even work when the little one is big enough to sit at the table with us!

Wiggler also chose that day to start showing off for everyone. SIL and I watched while he bounced all around and did weird things to my belly's shape. Talk about a strange feeling. You go all your life with nothing going on and then one day there's a little baby in there kicking your butt from the inside!

Saturday night was the designated boys' night, those guys are so great, I love hanging out with them. I just wish they didn't make it their mission to get him falling down drunk every time we go over there. DH isn't a big drinker, but those guys are seriously hard core. He usually sticks to beer and I always have to monitor them and make sure they're not giving him the whiskey and vodka that they all love. He doesn't handle the mixture well and I usually end up with a truck covered in puke. **so gross** My brother and SIL came over too and she and the guy friend that wanted to throw us our shower scoped out the house for the decoration posibilities. I'm so excited for that! Their plans are sounding so awesome! I'm counting down the days till May 9th! After all that was taken care of, the guys proceeded to initiate my little brother into the group. He was holding his own until he switched from whiskey to beer. Never a good idea. I tried to warn him! Oh well, at least now he knows better!

We went and got our rings inspected at Robbins Brothers on Sunday. I love getting my ring back all sparkly. So pretty! We visited SIL's parents, hung out for a while, and then met up with some other friends for dinner at OLIVE GARDEN! Love that place. Have I mentioned that before ? ; )

Monday morning and afternoon were spent with my in-laws where we were surprised with all kinds of goodies they had accumulated for baby.

Umbrella stroller:

**Notice the box of Girl Scout Cookies? Yeah, this PG lady is NEVER without her Girl Scout Cookies!!**

Crib Sheets:

Really cute blanket:

Miscellaneous stuff:

A whole bunch of clothes!:

And shoes!!

Well, these are technically slippers, but I LOVE the little bears on the toes!

These have to be my favorites (the cars KILL me!):

We also brought home the bumper! So of course I had to put it on the crib. Crazy not to, right? And notice the dust ruffle? ::dies of cuteness overload::

I'm really at a loss as to what exactly this is. It’s a bitch to get set up, but it all folds down into a neat little portable package. The only thing I can think of is a changing pad, but it’s really complicated for something that you would need fairly often. I have no idea WTH we’re going to do with it. It is kind of cute though.

The drive home this time was more brutal than usual. I can't really put a finger on why, but it was like the car ride that would never end! We got in too late to be able to pick up my babies (pups) from mom and daddy's house, so they had to wait till Tuesday night : (

Can you believe it!? A dozen weeks or so and this kid is going to be here! It's so crazy to think about; it's all gone by so fast! Here's the first 3rd Tri belleh pic!

I’ve been such a slacker lately! I’m only just now amping up my search for birthing classes (I’ve been looking, but not like I should’ve been). And I really need to go meet with our HR people about maternity leave. Does anyone want to volunteer to do this for me?