5 weeks old

Sleeping baby, and happy mommy!

Again, time seems to be making a mockery of me!  I can't believe I've been a mother for over a month now.  It seems like just yesterday that I was being sent to the hospital to be induced.  Gabby is a constant joy (even at 3:00 am), and nothing makes me happier than her sleeping on my chest in the afternoons.  I had to get a Moby wrap (basically a sling that allows me to carry her hands-free) so that I could get things done while she naps.  Eventually I'll move her to her crib to nap, but for now I'm just enjoying holding her close during the day.  I have stopped pulling her into bed with me during the night, since I figured breaking that habit now would be much easier than breaking it when she's older!  She's actually been sleeping in her crib in her own room rather than the Pack N Play in our bedroom for the past few nights, and she's doing great!  The first night, I actually slept less than I normally do, since I wasn't sure I trusted the monitor :)  Turns out it works just fine, and I was able to hear her when she started to cry and get some good feeding time in on the recliner in her room, rather than propped up on pillows in my bed!  We had 1 night where she woke up at midnight, but in general, we can put her in there around 10, and she'll stay asleep until 2 or 3.  I'm hoping this good sleeping continues!  We do plan on putting her down earlier when she gets older, but for now, I'll take 10:00.

One baby burrito, no onions.

At least she wakes up in a good mood!

As far as sleeping goes, she's actually been really good.  She generally eats around 9:30 or so, and then we swaddle her and she sleeps a good 4-6 hours.  She'll wake up between 2 and 4:00, eat again, and then go down until about 7:00.  If I feed and re-swaddle her at 7:00, she'll sleep until 9:30 or so, allowing me to get up, eat breakfast and shower.  She generally stays awake with a short catnap through the morning, and then falls asleep for a few hours after lunch in the Moby or swaddled.  After that, she catnaps and eats the rest of the day.  The times do vary depending on how she and I feel that day, and if I drag her out on a walk or to the store, but overall, she's pretty good about keeping her schedule.

What she really thinks about going outside

Sleeping off of me during the day for a bit!

Gabby went to the doctor last week for her one month check-up.  She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz, making her only 3 oz heavier than her birth weight.  However, since she lost almost a pound in those first few days, she was actually up half a pound from her previous appointment 2 weeks ago.  Her pediatrician was very happy with that, and said that she should be gaining about a quarter of a pound a week.  I don't see her weight gain as an increase in chubbiness, but I do see it in her length!  The pediatrician didn't measure how long she was now, but I can tell she has definitely grown a few inches--her feet now hang off ,my side while she's eating, and she just seems bigger.  She also outgrew the smallest of the newborn sleepers!  We don't go back to the doctor until she's 2 months old, but he told us to feel free to bring her in for weight checks if we want.  I think we'll just weigh her at home, since taking her in with all those sick kids seems like a really bad idea!

My big girl!

Since my last post, we also had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Pechenino and Auntie Amy.  They flew in from IL on March 7, and stayed until March 11.  They actually slept at the condo that Brian's parents rent here in Sac, and it worked out really well.  While they were here at the house, Gabby didn't get put down once!  Between Grandma and Amy, the only time I actually held Gabby was when I was feeding her.  It was very cool to see my parents interacting with Gabby, and Amy really amazed me by being all about holding Gabby.  Amy was really good at soothing her, too.  The only downside (for Amy anyway) was that it seemed Gabby pooped every time Amy was holding her.  It got to be pretty funny!  We all had a good time together--we went out to lunch every day, we also went shopping and took Gabby out to a park in Sac.  It was really nice to have help while they were here (they cleaned the entire house one afternoon), and it definitely made me more confident taking Gabby places.

Post-lunch.  It was kind of chilly, so this is the best picture of Gabby from that day

I do like the blanket.

With the proud grandparents and auntie

Family photo.  I promise Gabby's in there!

Brian is absolutely fantastic with Gabby--I couldn't ask for a better dad for her!  He basically takes her from me when he gets home from work during the week and only lets me have her back when she needs to eat.  He holds her most of the weekend too, which gives me a nice break and allows me to take care of myself some.  He obviously loves her so much, and can't get enough of holding her and playing with her.  He gets upset when she's upset and he can't get her to calm down.  It's really very cute.  I knew he'd be a great dad, but I didn't realize just how great!

Daddy's little girl

We did have to correct him when he tried to eat her one night.  A squirt of water did the trick!

As for me, I still love being a mom.  Breastfeeding was quite a challenge (and sometimes still is), but I seem to have a pretty good handle on it now.  It's cool to think that I'm still solely responsible for providing her the nutrition she needs to get big and strong.  I'm trying to pump some milk to store in the freezer, but it's really hard to do when I'm home alone with her all day.  Plus, I have trouble getting the timing down--it seems like I just finish pumping and she wants to eat again.  Then she gets all frustrated and head butts the crap out of my boob to get more milk out.  My diaper changing time has gotten much better, and I can (mostly) do it without getting peed or pooed on. Overall, I really enjoy this time I have with Gabby--even on the days when she won't let me put her down, and during that weekend when Brian wasn't allowed near her due to his mild bronchitis and I had 7 straight days with no break.  She is such a joy and a huge blessing!

I just love this little girl!

And lastly, Gabby's future BFF, Phoebe Berry, was born on March 15!  Congratulations to Stephanie, Chris and big sister Charlotte.  Gabby is looking forward to years of fun playdates :)

3 weeks old!

I can't believe how the time has flown!  One of my friends told me that the days would be long, but the weeks short, and she was absolutely right!  Some days seem to drag on for an eternity, but then I turn around, and it's already the end of the week, and she's survived for another one.

On her changing pad (cover by Nancy)

Honestly, this is what I usually see from her when I'm not holding her!

The first week was actually a bit of a blur--I was still in a fair amount of pain from the episiotomy, and it was basically hell trying to get enough rest to heal up from that and take care of a newborn who didn't (and still doesn't) understand that mommy has needs too.  Grandma and Grandpa Romo were in town for that first week, and brought us lunch everyday.  They then stayed through the afternoon, helping with chores and giving me a break from baby for a nap, and made us dinner at night.  Brian was also off work that week, and he was invaluable with fetching me things and making sure I was as comfortable as I could be.  We also had tons of visitors that week (Robbie and Judy, The Berrys, Christina and Floyd, Kelley--love you all!) who brought us yummy food and some much-needed outside world contact.  I can't thank everyone enough for reminding me that there is a world out there still!

Grandpa getting her nose

Grandma and Grandpa Romo

Robbie wasn't scared to hold her!

She is rocking the hat that Judy got her.

We have given her a couple of baths, which since we're new takes 2 of us, so here are some "after" pictures, but no "during".  Rest assured that she cries like a normal baby while she's being bathed!

All happy again wrapped up in her towel

She looks like a Jedi

Brian also set up the living room for us to do a photo shoot with her. 

Sleeping baby

Our best family shot

Mommy and Gabby

The second week, Aunt Jennifer came up from LA to stay with us for a few days to help me get over the transition of Brian going back to work.  She was completely invaluable with helping me to figure out pumping and feeding schedules, and getting me more comfortable getting out of the house with the baby.  She gave me very nice breaks taking care of Gabby while I took care of myself.  I'm so grateful to her for taking time out of her busy life to help us out!

This week has been my first week on my own.  It's been going fairly well, but Gabby is not at all happy any time I put her in the carseat.  We took a walk yesterday, and you'd think I was dipping her in acid.  It was a bit chilly outside with a pretty brisk wind, so I'm pretty sure she was just cold, but it was not a very fun time for either one of us!  I'm sure the people in my neighborhood thought I was crazy! 

Otherwise, we've been dealing with Brian having a slight cold.  He and I decided that he should stay away from the baby completely, since something  minor for us can be really really bad for a small baby.  I didn't realize how much I relied on his help at night with her--it's been hard taking sole care of her and not getting a break.  I know he feels really badly too, since he really wants to hold her and can't.

Daddy, Gabby and Beau in healthier times

Overall, Gabby has been a really good baby so far.  She only gives me 2-3 hour stretches at night between feedings, but she does go back to sleep really quickly after eating.  She's still sleeping in the Pack N Play in our room, and she stays there all night (except feedings) until around 6 am, when I pull her into bed with me so that I can get some more sleep in the morning!  I was always one of those people who swore that I would never bring a child into bed with me, and look at me now :)  It's amazing how much your philosophy changes when you actually have kids!

During the day, Gabby tends to eat every 2 hours or so, depending on how big her appetite is.  She'll usually take a really long morning nap, which gives me a chance to shower and get some lunch in, and then she'll take another shorter nap in the afternoon.  When she is awake, she's super aware and looking around.  She loves to look at lights and anything with a high contrast (I'm wearing a purple and white striped shirt today, and she's been mesmerized).  She has the biggest blue eyes, and the cutest little face and hair.  She's dealing with some baby acne right now, which is because of my hormones coming out in the breast milk, but that should clear up on its own fairly soon.  Breast feeding is going pretty well so far.  I get some pain when she latches, but it goes away after a few seconds.  She actually lost 14 oz between being born and her first doctor's appointment, which is on the high side, but we took her back in 3 days later, and she was back up 8 oz.  She goes back to the doctor on March 5, so we'll see if everything is still on track.  I feel like she is getting heavier, and the newborn clothes aren't fitting nearly as well as they did when she was born, so I think everything will check out just fine.  We have Grandma and Grandpa Pechenino and Auntie Amy flying in from IL to visit next week, and we're all super excited to see them, and for them to meet Gabby!

On that note, until next time, please enjoy this picture of how I spend my days now:

Take care everyone!

Gabrielle Susanne Romo is here!

She's really really here!  It's so surreal to have her actually on the outside.  I keep looking at her and trying to reconcile the baby I see with the one that was growing inside of me for 9 months.  She's so perfect that I just don't know what to do :)

Birth story time!  I'm not pulling any punches here, so if you're squeamish, you may want to not read all the way through.  I'll try to indicate when it's going to get real.

I had been feeling pretty much the same since my 39 week appointment--tired, bored, ready to be done--that I did on the day of my 40 week appointment.  I'd had some contractions off and on all week, generally starting around 2 am and lasting until 4 (fantastic for my sleep), so I figured there had been some progress down in that area beyond the 1 cm and very soft cervix I'd had on Feb. 2.  So I went into my appointment on Feb. 9 at 3:45 pm, 2 days overdue according to my OB, secure in the knowledge that they wouldn't let me get beyond 10 days post due date, and thinking that we'd be setting up an induction for the following week.

I was seeing one of my favorites in the practice, and feeling pretty good.  I was put in a room without an ultrasound machine, but moved since they like to do quick ultrasounds on women who are overdue.  She told me before we started that if everything looked OK, then we would schedule an induction for the following week, but if there were problems, we'd try to get me in sooner.  She fired up the machine and started the scan.  Jacquizza was moving all around, but was clearly very cramped.  The OB started to measure amniotic fluid levels around the baby, and found that my AFI (the fluid level) was around 3.  They like to keep the levels above 5, and anything lower could stress the baby out too much.  She just looked at me and asked "what do you need to do--do you need to go home and pack a bag?"  I told her I at least needed to get my husband home from work, so she asked how much time I needed for that.  I told her probably a couple of hours would do just fine, so we could come back that evening or the following morning if that was better.  She looked at me and said "when we see fluid levels this low, we induce right away--you need to get admitted tonight".  That really impressed upon me how serious this was!  I knew the fluid levels being low was bad, but I guess I was just blocking out how bad it actually was.  I said we'd be at the hospital by 6:00.

I called Brian from the parking lot and told him that the amniotic fluids were low and we needed to be at the hospital by 6:00.  He told me later that he was in the middle of a conversation and just stopped talking and walked out the door.  I drove back to our house, met him there where we finished packing and headed to the hospital.  We got there around 5:45, got checked in downstairs, and then sent up to labor and delivery.  I was in the labor room by 7:00 on an IV and as comfortable as I could be.  I met my nurse for the evening, Becky, who was absolutely wonderful about answering questions and making sure I had what I needed.  We had to wait a few hours to get the pitocin on board, since my doctor was delivering another baby, but we started the pitocin drip at about 9:00.

Becky made it clear that they were calling it an induction since we were using drugs to make me go into active labor, but it actually wasn't a classical induction, since my cervix was already at about 80% effacement, I was 1-2 cm dilated and Jacquizza's head was fully locked at 0 station in my pelvis.  So basically, I had to have less pitocin for a shorter period of time since my body was already on the cusp of labor as it was.  Additionally, the I was hooked up to a monitor from 7-9 and it was showing that I was already contracting fairly regularly, even if I couldn't really feel them.  So things were happening even before the drugs were on board.  The monitors in the Mercy labor and delivery rooms were super cool--they actually showed not just my contractions and baby's heartbeat, but everyone else's who was in labor at the time.  It was really fun to watch them all and compare my progress to theirs.  Kind of like a race that we were all running separately.

Anyway, the pitocin started to kick in and my contractions were getting stronger and somewhat closer together.  Thanks to the yoga DVDs, I was able to breath through them fairly well.  I was actually pretty surprised at how effective just deep breathing was at keeping the pain tolerable.  I quickly developed a routine that seemed to work best for me--I would lie on one side (Becky told me lying on my side would help the pitocin work better, and I couldn't actually leave the room, since once you're on pitocin they monitor you and the baby very carefully, effectively tethering me to the bed) for about half an hour, then roll myself to the other.  They were taking my blood pressure remotely once an hour, so when the blood pressure cuff went off, I would get up and use the restroom.  This lasted until around 2:00 am, when the nurse checked me again and told me I was at 4 cm.  She suggested I try sitting up for a while to change up the position.  Becky got me a chair and I sat down.  It was wicked obvious with the first contraction that sitting upright was not going to work for me at all.  That was the first time I realized that I was not doing this naturally.  I stood, and that really helped a ton, but the contractions were really starting to pick up by then.

At around 3:15 am, I looked at Brian and said, I really need an epidural now.  He found Becky, and she said that she would page the anesthesiologist on call.  The good thing about laboring in the early am is that there are no scheduled procedures, so Dr. Young was able to get there by 3:30.  He asked me if I was sure (I think he's required to), and I said "yes, please!".  He said he usually hears more profanity-laden requests :)  He started prepping the area, and I had the needle in by 4:00.  It actually wasn't as bad getting it as I thought--there was a small burning when he put in the local, but I didn't feel the catheter at all.  I went through the trial dosage just fine, and he started the main drip.  Brian was in the room the whole time, but sat in a chair in front of me.  Dr. Young actually insisted on it--he said he had fathers that were super curious about the procedure and want to watch, but he just refuses to put in the epi until they decide to sit down.  He said the mothers then yell at the fathers and tell them to sit the heck down!

I actually made it to 5 cm without the epidural, which was what my unstated goal was.  I wanted to labor as long as possible on my own, so that I wasn't confined to the bed for the entire labor.  Plus, if I got it too early, I was worried about the epi wearing off before I had to push.  Overall, I managed to achieve the unspoken goal I set for myself, and I'm pretty proud of that!

After the epi was in, obviously I couldn't move around at all on my own.  It actually took about 15 minutes to fully kick in, but each contractions was less and less painful until I didn't feel them at all.  The nurse said I needed to be switched from side to side every 2 hours or so, which is what we did.  It was the weirdest feeling, sending commands to my feet to move and just having them sit there!  I lost all feeling in my right leg, but was able to move my left toes the entire time.  Everything else on the left was blessedly numb.  It made me feel very much better to be able to move something!

After the epi was in, I was able to get some rest.  I never actually slept, but I was able to relax and save my energy.  Becky brought in a sleep chair for Brian, and he was able to catch some catnaps.  We stayed resting/sleeping until about 7 when the nursing shift changed.  My new nurse was named Margaret, and she was also amazing.  She was from England, and had trained under the old-school midwives who she said could tell the amount of dilation based just on looking at how the woman was acting.  I had the epi, so she couldn't do that to me, but she had a ton of fascinating stories!  At about 9:45 am, Margaret came in and declared that I was fully dilated.  She told me it was almost time to push!  I admit that I freaked out a bit, since now it seemed so real!

Gross alert!!!  I'd been having a lot of bloody show (my bed was looking like a field hospital during WWII), but my water actually hadn't broken yet.  Margaret did a cervical check and only then did my water break (all on its own--that's our story and we're sticking to it!).  Unfortunately, the waters contained quite a bit of meconium, which is baby's first poo.  Normally, babies don't do this until they are out of the womb, and it's actually a really bad sign when it happens in utero.  Generally, it means the baby is in distress, and it also means that there's a good chance the baby will aspirate it and inhale it into the lungs with the first breath, which can cause some pretty bad breathing problems.  I was pretty freaked out, but Margaret was great about calming me down, telling me that in her experience, it just means a mature bowel.  It was still pretty vital to get Jacquizza out quickly, though.  So Margaret paged the doctor and the respiratory team and we settled me in to start pushing around 10:00.

Margaret had one leg pulled up, and Brian had the other (which surprised me, since I don't think he really wanted to be that close).  I hooked my hands behind my knees and bent forward to push.  Margaret and Brian were both so encouraging, and I really appreciated having them both there in the room with me.  Although the nurse seemed under the impression that I wanted to know what was going on--she asked if I wanted to feel, and then asked if I wanted a mirror.  Um, not so much!  Brian did watch a push, but I really just wanted to focus on pushing, and not be distracted by thoughts of what was coming out down there!  I pushed for about 15 minutes, and the respiratory team came in to get the warmer set up for their checks after Jacquizza was out.  Shortly after that, the doctor came in (there was a shift change there too, so it wasn't the same one who originally admitted me) and started to get herself settled in.  I kept pushing for another few minutes when the doc said that Jacquizza's head was stuck and not coming out.  Apparently, my perineum is really thick and wasn't thinning out at the rate it needed to.  So the doctor said she wanted to do an episiotomy (basically cutting the perineum instead of letting it tear).  She basically looked at me like I was going to object, but at that point, I knew the baby was in distress and was willing to do anything to get her out quickly and safely.  So she did the procedure (Brian at this point retreated to near my head so he didn't have to watch, although the doctor assured him that I had 7-8 liters of blood, and I could stand to lose a bit), and I started to push again.  After another few minutes, at 10:42 am on Feb. 10, Gabrielle made her entrance to the world.

Unfortunately, she started crying immediately (they were hoping to get her aspirated before she had a chance to inhale the meconium).  The respiratory therapist took her over to the warmer, and she and the nursery staff got her aspirated and checked her over thoroughly.  Brian was splitting his time between me and Gabby.  After a couple of minutes, they determined that she was all right, and moved her back over to me for the hospital's mandated skin-to-skin time.  The doctor in the meantime had delivered the placenta and gotten me stitched back up (and was very proud of her stitching job--she told the nurse that it was some of her best work, then told me a story of a colleague who took out his own appendix).  Everyone left the room except for Brian and we got to spend about 2 hours bonding as a new family.

Mommy and Gabby skin-to-skin in the recovery room

 
Here are some pictures from her first week of life.  I'm going to do my best to keep updating the blog (my goal is once a month), but I'm really not making any promises at this point!  Gabby's been great, and we've had a wonderful first week and a half (with plenty of help from Grandma and Grandpa Romo and Aunt Jennifer), but I know things will only get harder!

With Grandma and Grandpa Romo at the hospital

The 3 Romos

Mommy and Gabby

Oh waiting is the hardest part

Week: 39. 

Baby Size: Anywhere from 6-9 pounds (I don't plan on changing this until we announce an actual birth weight--provided she decides to come out at some point).  I actually lost 2 pounds at my appointment this week, giving me now 31 lbs total gain.  Weight stabilization/loss is actually really common at the end--the amniotic fluid gets reabsorbed to make more room for baby, which drops the fluid and hence the weight.  Jacquizza's heart rate was 156, and sounded nice and regular.  My blood pressure was much higher this week (134/84--I think I was nervous about getting an internal check), but still no protein in the urine.   

Sleep: Aches and pains and general worries about giving birth/taking care of a baby keep me up a lot.  And now we've added the fun of having actual contractions that last from about 1-4 am, and then taper off until they stop all together.  Just a little preview of what my sleep is going to be like once she's actually here?   

Diet and Exercise:  Still hanging in there with the yoga.  It'll be weird not doing yoga every morning if and when she's here! 
 
Movement: Jacquizza still has her nightly dance party from 8-10.  I've also been noticing contractions (real ones, with pelvic and back pain, not the Braxton-Hicks fakey ones), and when they let up, she really starts to move a ton!  I think she hates the feeling of being compressed, and is trying to push everything away from her.  It's pretty amusing assigning dialog to it ("Like I wasn't already cramped enough in here--what the hell does the incubator think it's doing now??")! 

What I Miss: And, again, normal movement, coupled with sleep! 

What I'm Looking Forward to: Super Bowl party!  I love our annual gathering with its overabundance of food and laughing!     

Best Moment this Week: Having the doctor tell me she doesn't think I'll go past my due date.  It would be great to not be induced.  Although as my due date on Thursday approaches, I have less and less faith that the doctor is right!  If I make it to my Thursday appointment, the doctor said we'd start talking induction.

Pregnancy Body-New and Exciting!..maybe:   I am definitely having "real" contractions!  At the internal check on Thursday, I was 1 cm dilated, my cervix was very soft, and Jacquizza's head was in position!  The doctor said it looks like she's ready to go, she just needs things to open up and let her out!   

Baby Milestones: Pretty much all weight gain until she decides she's done--apparently it's 0.5-0.75 pounds per week!  She's also in there practicing the skills she needs on the outside (breathing, swallowing, sucking)!    

Food Cravings: Had my sushi, had some chocolate chip cookies (slice and bake, but still tasty)--I'm good to go :) 

How's Dad?: Very happy to have made it through Super Bowl without a baby!  We kept joking that she was going to wait until he put the ribs on the smoker, and then my water would break.  Well, we made it through the game with Jacquizza still in her parasite phase.  We had around 15 people over, including 2 very active 2.5 year-olds, and Brian as usual outdid himself with the babyback ribs, marinated flank steak, homemade BBQ sauce, and some seriously good guac.  Everyone else brought the sides and some desserts, and we ate so much!  Not everyone was a football fan (at some points, Brian was the only one in the room watching the game), but everyone seemed to really enjoy some aspect of the day--be it the commercials, the half time show or just the socializing.  Brian and I would have been happier with a different winner, but we did have a great time hanging out with everyone and eating a ton of food!    
 

Tid Bits:  I am so ready to be done.  I think I've handing the various ups and downs of being pregnant fairly well, until yesterday.  I think I hit that stage that all pregnant women hit where the fear of delivery is overshadowed by the feeling of just wanting this thing out now!  It would be nice one night to have those contractions last beyond the 3 hour mark (although the internal check did assure me that they are doing something besides annoying me).  I'm getting really short and irritable with everyone and everything--Beau peed on Brian's bathmat, and I went on a tirade about how I can't have a cat who can't even manage to find the litter box with a newborn in the house.  I love Beau, and it was totally the hormones talking, but that's just some of the craziness that's going through my head right now!


Here's hoping this is my last entry before Jacquizza graces us with her presence.  I have a feeling the entries are going to get much less happy and upbeat from here on out if she decides to stay put :S

Waiting is the hardest part

Week: 38. 

Baby Size: Anywhere from 6-9 pounds.  Yes, I know that's a huge range, but it's as precise as it gets at this point!  I'm still measuring small for my gestation time, but I gained another 4 pounds this week, giving me 33 lbs total gain.  Apparently I'm a closer when it comes to weight gain!  Her heart rate was 142, and sounded nice and regular.  My blood pressure is slowly creeping up, but there's no protein in my urine, so no worries for pre-eclampsia. 

Sleep: Pretty poorly still!  If I lie on one side for too long, that hip really starts aching, which wakes me up and makes me roll over.  Add to that if I wake up too much, it wakes up Jacquizza, and then I have to get up to pee.   

Diet and Exercise:  Yoga again every day.  I have been trying to get out of the house once a day, since I realized how depressing it is just sitting here and waiting for a baby to come out.  Fortunately, there's a shopping plaza roughly a mile from us, and I can walk up there to get Starbucks or go to the grocery store (if I don't need anything heavy or perishable).  This also increases my activity level some, which is an added bonus! 
 
Movement: I ate some chocolate ice cream with berries last night, and she proceeded to rock and roll (literally) for about 2 hours.  She also gets going if I drink hot chocolate.  She's having more days where there's less movement than usual (but still enough that I don't have to freak out and call L&D), so I think she's probably getting a bit cramped in there! 

What I Miss: Again, normal movement.  I've started a very attractive waddle, especially when I first stand up, and bending is now more of an issue than ever--it usually takes me several tries to put on my socks! 

What I'm Looking Forward to: Having lunch with friends this week--it'll be good to have actual face-to-face interaction for a while!  I do post to a Facebook group for mothers due around the same time I am, but nothing beats actually seeing people!     

Best Moment this Week: Hmm, I'm not sure.  I can't really say there was any moment that stuck out as best this week.

Pregnancy Body-New and Exciting!..maybe:   I think (think) I've started having some actual contractions.  My abdomen gets really tight, and I get pain in my groin and back.  They are not at all consistent (basically 5 a day), but it's odd to know I'm gearing up for the big event!   

Baby Milestones: Pretty much all weight gain until she decides she's done--apparently it's 0.5-0.75 pounds per week!  She's also in there practicing the skills she needs on the outside (breathing, swallowing, sucking)!    

Food Cravings: Sushi--which will be taken care of on Wednesday :) 

How's Dad?: He started his nesting a while ago, and really hasn't slowed down.  He ordered a vent cover (really a deflector to prevent the air from the vent from blowing directly on Jacquizza while she's in her crib) and wall socket covers recently, and then spent a couple of hours putting them all in.  He also helped to tighten up the carseat base I put in my car, and installed the base in his own, screwed the changing pad cover to the dresser, and checked out the baby monitor to make sure it worked at the distance it promised.  He's been very busy!

We have our Super Bowl party this weekend, and I already warned him that I will be no help at all.  We have about 20 people coming, but all he's really responsible for is the meat (our friends are awesome and are contributing everything else).  And I never do any cooking for this anyway, so losing my help is no big deal.  I do plan on doing some cleaning this week, but I'm not going to stress out about it.  I think our friends will understand if the house isn't as clean as usual.  We keep telling Jacquizza that she needs to stay put until after the party is over!    
 
Tid Bits:  I'm at about 50% success with my cooking.  Everything I make is at least edible, but about half the time I end up in tears during the cooking process.  A lot of that can be blamed on hormones, of course, but also that I'm a huge perfectionist and I hate when things go wrong.  Like last night, I was making chicken with a lemon-thyme sauce.  The chicken breast was pretty thick, and I didn't think to mallet it a bit to get it thinner, so it ended up taking longer to cook through than the recipe said.  This made the broccoli that I cooked very soggy.  Brian ended up having to take over, which kind of defeats the purpose of me cooking in the first place (for what it's worth, the sauce really saved the dish, and Brian said he's had worse broccoli)!  I've had successes as well--my beef stroganoff is really good, as are my pasta dishes, but if you take away all my noodles, I just fall apart.  I know I'll get better as I practice more, but cooking is just not something I'm used to doing, and I get really frustrated very easily.

That's all for this week.  I'll update more about Super Bowl (like if Jacquizza actually lets us get there or starts the not-listening-to-her-parents thing early) in my next entry!

Full Term!

Week: 37.  At this point, most experts consider the fetus to be full term.  However, there's evidence that a lot of brain and lung development continues to happen right up until 40 weeks (and maybe beyond).  Basically, if I delivered now, there would likely be no NICU time, but it's better for her to just stay put for a couple more weeks!

Baby Size: Anywhere from 5-7 pounds.  I'm still measuring small for my gestation time, and I only gained 1 pound this week, giving me 29 lbs total gain.  Her heart rate was 158, and sounded really good!  My blood pressure was elevated slightly (132/72), but I'd had a heck of a hard time finding parking right before the appointment, so I'm totally blaming that.  My BP has been right around 120/70 when I take it at home, which is just fine as far as my doctor is concerned. 

Sleep: Pretty poorly!  I was wondering what was going on when I rolled over, and I realized it's Jacquizza shifting back and forth as I change sides.  I have no idea why it took me so long to figure out--baby brain?--but it makes sense.  If I lie on my back too long, she starts to press down on my bladder, which means again being up and in the bathroom multiple times a night.  And now it takes me forever to roll over!  Poor Brian! 

Diet and Exercise:  Still keeping up with the yoga.  I'm really enjoying the DVDs, and plan on finding some "real" ones to do after the baby is born. 
 
Movement: Still with the unidentified body parts poking out on the sides, most of the time accompanied by rolls and swirls on the opposite side.  She's so big now that it gets a little uncomfortable for me when she really gets going.  She's been hitting my ribs less and less, which I really appreciate, but her head in my pelvis really jams into my bladder sometimes!  She also gets the hiccups at least twice a day.  It's actually the cutest thing--depending on where her abdomen is at the time, my belly starts jumping rhythmically for about 10 minutes.  I also feel her head hitting my rectum, which is slightly less fun! 

What I Miss: Being able to walk like a normal person!  If I sit in one position for too long and then stand up, my hips feel like they are ripping out of their sockets.  It usually goes away within a few steps (thank you, yoga!), but I have to remember that I need to change positions more frequently while watching TV.  This tends to upset whatever cat is on my lap at the time.  They'll be plenty more upset very soon, though! 

What I'm Looking Forward to: Probably being done with work, although I'm also NOT looking forward to that!     

Best Moment this Week: Ordering the rest of the things we need for Jacquizza!  It's a huge relief to have almost everything we wanted to have before she makes her appearance.  Now things just need to get assembled and installed!

Pregnancy Body-New and Exciting!..maybe:   Still hip pain, still Braxton-Hicks contractions, still peeing a lot.  Nothing else really all that new!   

Baby Milestones: Pretty much all weight gain until she decides she's done--apparently it's 0.5-0.75 pounds per week!  She's also in there practicing the skills she needs on the outside (breathing, swallowing, sucking)!    

Food Cravings: Sushi--which may be taken care of this week! 

How's Dad?: I think it really started to get real for him after the labor and delivery class this weekend.  One of the exercises had us putting a clothespin either on the webbing in between our fingers or on our ears and then practicing breathing techniques to manage the pain (obviously meant to simulate labor pains).  I'm pretty sure he didn't realize how much it was going to hurt until then!  He also learned that he really needs to be my support system in there, and help talk me through the really bad pains (before I get the epidural, obviously).  This will probably be a bit of a challenge for him.  Brian is very much a "fix-it" guy--we have a problem, he kicks into ways to fix it.  I think it's going to be hard on him to watch me be in so much pain and not be able to fix it easily.  I've also already told him that he can't just pull out the phone and check the internet in between contractions, unless I've done so too!  I'm sure it'll be fine--as I mentioned, I fully plan on going through the really rough part with an epidural--we just need to work on tapping into his nurturing side before the big day arrives!    
 
Tid Bits:  As of tomorrow (Tuesday), I am officially unemployed!  I'm still not sure how I'm going to handle that--I really hate cooking and cleaning and all the other domestic chores, so I think I'll have a rough time filling my days before Jacquizza gets here (after that I'll obviously be more worried about her and sleeping than if the house is clean).  

For all my complaining above about my hips and my lack of walking ability, I'm really going to miss being pregnant.  This has been a very special time for me, and it's been so cool seeing my belly expand, and starting to feel the kicks and rolls and hiccups of a growing baby.  As much as I really want her to come out so that I can meet this little person, I'll be sad to see her go.  I feel like this is such a special time for the 2 of us, and a time I'll never be able to get back (nor should I try!).  It may sound silly, but it's been nice having her all to myself!

The lost week

Week: 36.  The doctor made a very strong case for me being 36 weeks instead of 35.  This pushes my due date up a week to February 9.  Cue freak out.



Baby Size: Probably more than 5 pounds--it's a very inexact science from here until she makes an appearance.  This week at my appointment, her heart rate was 160, and still sounded really good!  I'm up 2 pounds over the past week, giving me a total gain of 28 pounds so far, which is still right on track. 

The doctor says that the high level ultrasound looked fantastic, and they are not worried at all about IUGR.  It looks like Jacquizza is just going to be a small baby (which makes sense, since Brian and I were both around 7 lbs).  I was very relieved to hear that, and it's made the week a much better one than last week!  I appreciate the doctor's worry, but it was hard on me not knowing what was going on!  As I said above, everything measured great at the appointment (although I'm still a little small), so we're good to go.  I'm also Group B Strep negative, which just means I don't have to have antibiotics in my IV when I deliver.  Yes!

Sleep: Getting oh so much worse!  It's like my body is prepping for having a newborn or something! 


Diet and Exercise:  I've managed to do yoga every day this week, which seems to be really helping my hips and back.  I also think it's responsible for my continued flexibility.  Treadmill is pretty much over.  I can walk for a short period of time, but then the hip and groin pain gets too bad and I have to stop.  Then, I spend the rest of the night walking like a little old lady.  Just not worth it! 
 
Movement: I've been getting unidentified limbs poking out on either the left or right side.  They're high enough up that I assume they are feet, but she could just be very bendy.  Her head is most definitely in my pelvis, though, and crossing my legs and bending forward too much has become seriously uncomfortable! 

What I Miss: I still want some sushi.  Brian's now telling me I have to wait until March.  Fortunately, I eat lunch alone! 

What I'm Looking Forward to: Brian's birthday (although I'm now late, since it was yesterday).     

Best Moment this Week: The baby shower and Brian's birthday dinners.  I had such a great time at all the events that were planned!

Pregnancy Body-New and Exciting!..maybe:  Not much to report.  I seem to have developed a linea negra, after going through most of the pregnancy without one (although it's actually more of a linea roja than negra).  My hips at times feel like they are trying to leave my body, but I assume they really can't fully break out of those ligaments.  Right?   

Baby Milestones: Pretty much all weight gain until she decides she's done--apparently it's 0.5 pounds per week!    


Food Cravings: Still love me some chocolate! 

How's Dad?: He's doing very well.  His birthday was yesterday (34!), and his family was in town for the baby shower.  We went to dinner on the 14th at a place near us called Ravenous (the one I had to book because I procrastinated too long), and it was really a very good meal!  We all enjoyed the food a lot, and ate way too much!  Last night, we went out with his parents, uncle and some of our friends to a BBQ place in town and had a more casual dinner.  I continued my tradition of messing things up by leaving his cake at home instead of taking it to the restaurant, but we invited people back to our house after dinner and had a late cake dessert anyway.  It was nice to see everyone and hang out in a more relaxed type of way.  We have our labor and delivery class tonight and tomorrow (10 hours total!), which should be interesting.  I'm not looking forward to watching birthing videos.

He did have a bit of a moment this week after the shower, when I started writing down all of the things that we still needed to buy.  He said he couldn't believe that we had this room full of stuff and still needed to spend more money.  I think he got over it, but it's really funny to see when the actual cost of having a child hits him!
   

Tid Bits:  
Our baby shower was this weekend, and Jacquizza got totally spoiled by all of our friends!  It was planned by my friends Christina and Stephanie, and they did a fantastic job with the decorations, games and food.  I loved every minute of eating and hanging out.  It was so nice of everyone to take time out of their busy lives to come and see us, and I really and truly appreciate all who were there.  I promise to post some pictures when my mother-in-law gets them to me.  I'm so blessed to have these people in my life!  


This is actually my last week of teaching at the University of Phoenix, and then I'll be off until March (I actually just accepted a class that starts March 13).  I'm excited to be able to focus more on getting things ready for Jacquizza, but terrified that I won't be contributing at all to the household income.  I'm just going to take it one day at a time, and just try to keep myself busy!