35 Weeks

To quote my nurse at the regular OB, I'm apparently "in the home stretch".  Whoa.  I even started packing my hospital bag last night, and have washed nearly every baby item in the house.

Here are the stats.  As usual, I'll understand if you skip right on by.

* Belly - It's been sticking out farther than my boobs for a few weeks.  That's saying something.

* Weight gain - The scale crossed into realms that were a little hard for me to see, albeit briefly.  I'm up 30 lbs.  I hate to even say that it's hard, given what most ladies would do to be in my place.  But since so much of my journey to get here involved taking the pounds OFF, I have to have a moment occasionally.

* Symptoms - Heartburn and sore hips.  And that not-sleeping-through-the-night thing.

* Cravings/Aversions -  My sweet tooth remains my constant companion.  I recently took some Nutter Butters, dipped them in dark chocolate, and keep them chilled in the fridge.  They taste terrible...  (cough).

* Clothes - Completely on maternity clothes.  I've even outgrown some of the stretchy maternity pants I bought early on.

* Movement - Tons and tons.  I love this more than I could ever describe.  My mom and grandma finally got to feel her move at my shower!

* Meds - Morning:  Regular multivitamin, iron supplement, 2000 ui Vitamin D, 1600 mcg Folic Acid.  Mid-day:  600 iu Calcium x2.  Evening:  Prenatal, 800 mcg Folic Acid, Rhino.cort , Advair, 450 mg DHA, 40 mg Hydrocortisone, Gylburide.  

New:  I also recently had a 4-dose round of an anti-viral to get rid of a cold sore, as my OB prefers that to a topical like Abreva.

* Mood - I've been pretty upbeat, aside from work.  I'm trying really hard to not let work stress me the heck out, but I often fail.

* What I miss - Not a thing.

* Appointments - Every Monday we have a BPP and blood sugar talk, every other Monday includes growth (the next growth is Feb. 4th, and I'm also to have the delivery discussion with the MFM that day).  Every Thursday we do NSTs (love them!).  The regular OB is up to every week now, with a Strep B swab and cervix check on the agenda for next week.  I also go see my endocrinologist next Tuesday.  Good grief I go to the doctor a lot.

* Medical concerns - My petite little baby (IUGR), nutrition/calories, vitamin levels, CAH, Placenta Previa, gestational diabetes.

* Coming up - JP's work is throwing us another shower on Sunday!

Home Improvements and Baby Shower!

My shower was amazing.  JP and one of my best friends conspired to surprise me, though in the end decided to spill the beans to make sure that I was fine with the location and guest list.  Which, of course, I was.  I am fairly easy to please.  It was held at a locally-owed cafe/restaurant across the street from our store.  Adorable little place.  I got tons of of adorable stuff, and nothing that I plan to return.  Please don't misunderstand this to be a complaint, because it very much isn't, but it's truly amazing how extremely little of what I got came off of my registry.  It makes me wish I hadn't worried so much about building it!

Several folks couldn't make it due to illness, and I totally appreciate the thoughtfulness of not bringing their germs near me.  I don't know if it's as bad everywhere, but EVERYONE around here has the flu!  It's crazy!

The very best part was spending time with my family and friends.  My mom, grandma, and favorite aunt drove 5 hours to be there.  Two of my cousins drove 2+ hours to be there.  It was truly a wonderful afternoon.  My mom and grandma grabbed a hotel room and stayed through most of Sunday morning, as well.  They took me shopping to grab a few things that I still needed.  I was so sad to see them leave, as I won't seem them again until baby girl is born.  I'll stop rambling and get right to the pictures!

I didn't think to take a shot of the outside of the place, so this is one I found with a Google image search.

A shot I took while no one was paying attention.  I was just trying to get a feel for the party in general.

Same here.  It gives you an idea of the decorations and whatnot.  So cute!

My unwrapped haul.  Nice, right?

Me standing next to my unwrapped haul!  So much pink, I love it!

The best Mammaw ever, and one of my daughter's namesakes.  Marilyn Jean.  Looking pretty gorgeous for 83, if I do say so myself.

Caught mid-laugh, ready to unwrap the first of the gifts.  This was my my Pack n' Play!

My travel system!  I pretended like I didn't go pick out, buy, and wrap this myself, and was paid back later. Love it!

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...

An adorable hoodie and pants set from my younger sister, who is house-sitting in FL and couldn't be there.

I had no idea how many baby clothes existed with something embroidered on the butt, but I love them!  This was from my twin sister, who also couldn't make the trip from Denver.

Bathtub from my mother-in-law and her sister.

My mommy found this little shelf and blocks, and customized it with baby's name and some of my nursery colors.  So sweet!

Mom found almost the whole alphabet at a yard sale, but didn't want to lug all of them south.  So she just brought baby's initials!

Here I am, caught making a face, gushing over some adorable little mittens.

JP and I with the sign that my friend made.  Very cute!

My aunt threw this picture together.  It's part of one of my maternity shots, and some hand-made booties.

Another shot of the poster, along with a little preemie outfit from my mother-in-law.  I can't believe how adorable all the tiny little clothes are!

I don't care much for this picture, but it models one of the 6 desserts that we had our choice of, as part of the party package.  This was the coconut cream cheesecake with caramel sauce.  Oh my!

Here is JP modeling the pineapple upside-down cake.  Also yummy!  There was also triple-layer fudge cake, a brownie a-la-mode, turtle cheesecake, and bread pudding with a rum sauce.  Omg.

This, is my very very favorite picture from the day.  JP modeling the diaper bags for the guests.  There is an ongoing poll as to which looks best on him.  We'd love to have your input!

Switching gears, I'm going to share just a couple of shots from our home projects in progress.  Please keep in mind that my house is very old, and in need of a lot of help.  We've gotten a TON done, but there is still a lot to do.

This is the hallway.  We tore out disgusting carpet, and found asbestos tile underneath.  Don't worry, as long as we don't turn it into powder, it's harmless.  The walls and trim are freshly painted, and very soon driftood laminate is going down over top the tile.  This same floor goes throughout my back room, as well, and will also be covered with the same laminate.

This is the future nursery.  I know, I know, we have a lot to do.  JP had been using it for storage for about 10 years, so it took a very long time to get it this cleared out.  We'll use this as a "before" shot of sorts, and as soon as we get more work done, I'll share some "after" shots.

Time for us to grab some lunch and head to our weekly BPP.  Catch you all later!

34 Weeks

Not a whole lot has changed in the last week, except for slightly noticeable Braxton Hicks.  They're leaving me a little sore, which I assume is the point.  My body is getting ready!

I was commenting to a coworker that, optimistically they had me for 6 more weeks, but realistically it was probably closer to 3.  I didn't even really think before I said it, and coming out of my mouth, it was really scary!

I'm still very much looking forward to my shower this weekend.  I promise to take lots of pictures, and will share with all of you as soon as I can!  The following Sunday, February 3rd, JP's office is throwing us another shower with his coworkers.  He's the only male in an office full of women.  It should be fun, too!

Sorry for my brevity.  I am exhausted and hormonal today!

My First Award!

Miss Risa, over at Who Shot Down My Stork? was sweet enough to give me a Liebster Award!  Thank you so much sweetheart!

This award is given to new or up-and coming-bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another. What a fun way to get to know other bloggers!

If you receive a nomination, there are a few rules to follow:

1) Each blogger nominated must post 11 things about themselves.
2) Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked.
3) Blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate.
4) They must choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post.
5) Bloggers must be notified of their award!  (I will likely slack on this one - Jamie)
6) No tag backs!

11 things about me:

1.  I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers.  My brothers are much younger, adopted by my father and step-mother after some really severe neglect in the early, formative years of their lives.  They have overcome some really big hurdles, but still have many more to overcome.  It really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I wish I had been able to remain ignorant of.
2.  I commute 110 miles per day for my job.  I hate that part.
3.  I listen to A LOT of audio books while I drive.  I'm just about done with the existing Game of Thrones books.  Love them!
4.  My celebrity crush is Liv Tyler.  Especially in LOTR where she has the pointy ears.
5.  It is my strong opinion that, instead of Shades of Gray, you should read Anne Rampling/Rice's Sleeping Beauty Trilogy.  I may lose fans by saying this, but I have a problem with the message that Twilight sends our teenage girls.  By extension, I have a problem with erotic fan fiction based on it, especially the kind that sheds S&M in the light that it does.
6.  My favorite music is rock and hard rock.  My favorite song is Metallica's No Leaf Clover.  Give my guitar & drums + orchestra, and I'm in heaven.
7.  I am a huge, gigantic nerd.  I'm doing my nursery in Chibithulhu.  If you have any idea what that is, I may love you.
8.  JP and I met online.  Not via a dating site, but via really silly game.  I owe those folks a lot!
9.  I am deathly afraid of bats.  Very little else scares me.
10.  I am never without my Burt's Bees chapstick.  I may forget my purse, my cell phone, and my wits, but I always have my Burt's Bees.
11.  I have totally been slacking off at work for the last 2 hours, and plan to continue to do so for the next 2!

Here are the 11 questions from Risa:

1. What is your favorite holiday?  I'm going to have to go with Thanksgiving.  Lots of food and family!  Working in retail for a lot of years kind of killed Christmas for me, but I'm starting to find my love for it, again.
2. Are you a morning person or night owl?  I'm becoming much more of a morning person than I used to be.  I can't stay up late anymore, and I can't sleep pasts 7 or 8.
3. What was the greatest moment of your life?  Telling JP that he was going to be a father, and telling my mother that she was going to be a grandmother.
4. Why do you blog?  To help me sort out what I needed to do to be a mother.  And to help hold myself accountable for my choices.  I also wanted to share my story, and meet other ladies like all of you.
5. What is your favorite waste of time?  Facebook, I admit it!
6. What is your favorite book or movie?  The Harry Potter books, and the Lord of the Rings movies!
7. When was the last time you cried?  Yesterday during my growth scan/BPP.  Every time my baby girl gets all her points, I'm so relieved.
8. What causes are you passionate about?  Gay rights and getting kids in to non-electronic gaming.
9. What did you want to be when you grew up?  It changed so often that I can barely remember.
10. Beer, wine, or hard liqueur?  Wine.  Definitely wine!  Though I used to fully appreciate the other two from time to time.
11. What was the most important lesson you have learned in life?  Nothing is as important as communication.  That applies to every person and facet of life!

Here are the 11 questions for my nominees:

1.  When was the last time you played a board game?
2.  What game did you play?
3.  What was the last book you read?
4.  What movie did you last see in the theater?  How was it?
5.  What item(s) are you never without?
6.  What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
7.  Do you have siblings?  Are you close?
8.  What kind of music do you listen to?
9.  Have you ever met anyone in person that you met online?
10.  Do you still have a land phone line?
11.  Do you watch reality TV?

And my nominees for the Liebster are.....

Sprout
Mom PharmD
It's MY LIFE
Mommyhood After Fertility Frustration
Hapa Hopes
My Bum Ovaries
MRKH Musings
Our Journey Through This Lovely Life
Life In Little Hispaniola
Old Lady and No Baby
Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings

Thank you Risa!

January ICLW, and Our Latest Growth Scan

Wow, the 21st really snuck up on me this month!  Here it is almost the end of the day, and I haven't even started yet.  I'll do my best to catch up!

I'm Jamie, I'm 32 (very nearly 33) years old, married to JP  for just over 2 years (but together for 6).  I am 18 months post-op, roux-en-y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery; there's a link above if you're interested in reading more about it.  Since beginning my weight-loss journey (before pregnancy), I lost 146 pounds.  I've gained about 30 of that back in the last 7 months.  I suffer from Non-Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (NCAH), which effects my fertility very similarly to PCOS.  Untreated it causes elevated testosterone levels, insulin resistance, anovulation, etc.   Despite these hurdles, I am 33 weeks pregnant with my first child, a little girl!  It has not been without complications.  I had some spotting scares, which were eventually explained by placenta previa.  We're having some growth issues.  IUGR was mentioned last visit.  We started at 8th percentile, jumped to the 20th and 16th, but have settled back down at 7th/5th at my last two growth scans. More of my IF history and US pictures of my little peanut, if you're in to that kind of thing, can be found in the tabs toward the top of the page.  If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask!

For those of you that have been following along, we just got home for our most recent growth scan.  My little girl has gained just over a pound in the last 2.5 weeks, putting her at 3 lbs, 12 oz, which is the 5th percentile for her gestational age.  Her gain was pretty decent, but we're not catching up like we should be.  The plan is to keep up with the twice-weekly check-ups, to make sure everything else still looks normal.  She has been getting full marks on the BPPs and NSTs, where everything has been completely normal so far.  Fingers crossed that it stays that way!

Another Step in the Right Direction

JP just texted me a photo of himself and his mother, both smiling, waiting at CVS to get their flu shots.

It makes me rather happy.

33 Weeks

I don't have a whole lot else to say today, as I'm still feeling rather brain-fried from work.  I want to be a little bit better about keeping up with my weekly posts, as I don't want to regret skipping them in the last few weeks, down the road.

Oh!  I just remembered that I haven't yet mentioned my baby shower on here.  My friend that is throwing it, with my husband's help, wanted to keep it a surprise.  They decided over the weekend that it was probably best to include me, to make sure I approved of the guest list.  No one wants to upset the pregnant lady!  It's taking place a week from Saturday, on the 26th.  I'm an interesting combination of terrified and excited.  Just as with my bridal showers and wedding, I feel so weird when all of the focus is on me.  I also have that voice going on in my head screaming "you're going to jinx it!".  Shut up, voice.  I'll be sure to fill you all in once it's over.

On to the stats.  As always, I'll understand if you skip right by.

* Belly - It's definitely sticking out further than my boobies, these days.  I spill food on it a lot.

* Weight gain - I'm up 27 lbs.  Eep.

* Symptoms - Oh lord the constipation.  This has been a problem for me more often than not ever since my surgery, but it has gotten worse in the last couple of weeks.  I'm peeing more often, and when I have to go, I have to go, or I'm liable to have an accident if she head-butts my bladder, which she likes to do.  I'm experiencing more hip pain and leg cramps at night, sleeping through the night hasn't happened in ages.  I have some occasional colostrum leakage.  I wouldn't trade a single moment of any of it.

* Cravings -  Mint Oreos, eggs over-easy (which I can't have), fajitas/Mexican food

* Clothes - I am now strictly on maternity clothes.  My regular tops no longer cover my belly.

* Movement - There's a party going on in my uterus!  I should probably record some of the outwardly visible times, for posterity, but that gets that internal paranoid voice talking at me again.

* Meds - Morning:  Regular multivitamin, iron supplement, 2000 ui Vitamin D, 1600 mcg Folic Acid.  Mid-day:  600 iu Calcium x2, 1.25 mg Glyburide.  Evening:  Prenatal, 800 mcg Folic Acid, Rhino.cort , Advair, 450 mg DHA, 60 mg Hydrocortisone, B12.

NEW:  My MFM decided that my fasting blood sugars were high enough to warrant a teeny dose of Glyburide.  Sigh.  It does seem to be helping, though.

* Mood - The frequent MFM visits with BPPs and NSTs are boosting my confidence a little.  Work, though, is draining my will to be awake.

* What I miss - Not a thing, though I did watch my husband have a glass of wine with a longing expression, I'm sure.

* Appointments - Every Monday we have a BPP and blood sugar talk, every other Monday includes growth (the next time is this coming Monday, the 21st!).  Every Thursday we do NSTs (love them!).  I'm also seeing the regular OB every other week.  Cervix checks and weekly appointments start at 36 weeks.

* Medical concerns - My petite little baby, nutrition/calories, vitamin levels, CAH, Placenta Previa, though this has improved.

* Coming up - Baby shower on the 26th!  My mom, favorite aunt, and grandma are all making the 5 hour drive to attend.  Yay!

Training Sucks

Work is kicking my butt, ladies.  I'm training one of my coworkers to do my job while I'm gone.  She's sweet and relatively bright, don't get me wrong.  But... my job is completely different from hers, and it takes her three times longer to do my tasks.  I leave work every day frustrated, tired, and really, really ready to be done.  It is zapping what little energy I have.

Otherwise, things are going well so far.  I had my first NST last Thursday, and I really loved it.  Listening to baby girl's heartbeat and movements for 20 minutes?  Yes please!  Our BPP yesterday also went well.  I hope that we can keep everything looking normal for as long as possible, so baby girl can stay inside and cooking.

Things are kind of improving on the mother-in-law front.  She's been coming over in the evenings and helping  JP get things done around the house.  She also finally made it to one of my appointments, and came with us to the ultrasound yesterday.  She WREAKED of cigarette smoke sitting in my car for the hour drive, and balked about getting her flu shot when I mentioned it, though.  My regular OB says that I should insist on flu shots for anyone who will be handling the baby.  Period.  I would think that her grandmother would be all too willing, but no.  "I've never had a flu shot, and  I've never had the flu."  I'm sure that's true for tons of people... until they get the flu.  Ugh.  I don't know what to do anymore.  I guess I'll request that JP talk to her again, but why does everything have to be such an ordeal?  I even told her I would be happy to pay for it.

I think I'm going to zone out for the last 80 or so minutes of work, providing that no one bothers me.  Fingers crossed.

Our First Weekly BPP

Yesterday we had our first (of hopefully many) weekly bio-physical profile (BPP) scan.  Everything looked good.  My fasting blood sugars are also looking much better.

Every Monday they'll do a BPP scan, which checks her major organs, heartbeat, and blood flow in her cord. Every other week they'll add in growth measurements (the next one should be on the 21st).  Every Thursday we'll go in for a non-stress test (NST). The basic plan: As long as she makes a certain percentage worth of weight/size gain every two weeks, we'll just continue the weekly monitoring until (I assume) I go in to labor naturally. If she doesn't gain that amount, or if something looks abnormal, I'll either be put on bed rest, or be given steroids and labor will be induced, depending on the problem and the severity of said problem.

Fingers crossed that everything continues to look good.

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Depression...

With a short post about something weird I've noticed.

I read about, and expected to experience, the typical extra hair growth during my pregnancy.  I don't know if it's because of the increased steroid dose because of the NCAH, or what, but I am experiencing the exact opposite.  I haven't shaved my legs in probably 8 weeks, and with the exception of a few soft whispy hairs around my ankles, my legs are completely smooth.  I have never been more than averagely hairy, but this is just weird!  The occasional hair that I would find near my belly button have all also disappeared.

Granted, I'm still plucking the occasional chin hair, and there has been no change under my arms.  Man, I have no sense of TMI anymore...

Crazy, right?

<3

Ugh

I so wish I hadn't gone to this appointment by myself.  My baby girl has dropped to the 5th percentile.  She weighs an estimated 2 lbs, 10 oz.  My phone app trackers say she should be 3.3 lbs or 4 lbs, depending on which you believe.  I cried in the consult room.  The nurse hugged me and told me she was going to be just fine, that we were in good hands.  The plan is to go in twice weekly.  Ultrasounds on Mondays, NSTs (non-stress test) on Thursdays.

As far as I know, everything else still looks fine.  She's just small, and also not growing at the pace that she should be.  If they have and idea why, they aren't mentioning it.  They also aren't mentioning what it might mean after she's born.  I'm so tired of being so scared.  I should probably start asking more questions, but I find that really hard to remember to do when I'm sitting in there terrified.

My fasting blood sugars were still high (they want it under 95, and mine have been between 97 and 110), so they're putting me on some pill that I am to take with dinner.  I can't remember what it's called.  I was in a daze through most of that part of the conversation.  Who really gives a shit about slightly high blood sugars, at a time like that?

I'm hoping that the frequent appointments will help put my mind at ease.  I haven't yet let myself worry about what all this is going to do to the training that I'm supposed to be doing, starting next week at work.  Bleh.

A Short Post

I spoke too soon about the Kate Middleton bump.  I've already heard far more about Kim Kardashian, and it's only been what... a day?  Maybe 2?  Bleh.

MFM and growth scan in 4 hours.  I promise a more lengthy post afterward.

<3