Irritable Uterus- welcome to the third trimester

10/24/06:
I am on bedrest for the next week. Yesterday I went to work like normal, but felt a lot of pressure and heaviness in the pelvic area when I walked. I talked to a friend who told me I should call the doctor. My doctor’s office aid I should go home and lay down. After going home the feeling was the same so I called back and they sent me to Mary Birch Hospial for woman, labor and delivery. I was held for about 5 hours and monitored for pre term labor contractions. Apparently the pressure I had been having for the last few weeks were pre labor contractions. They gave me a shot to relax my uterus, which didn’t work. Then an IV, which also didn’t work. They did a couple tests which indicated I wasn’t dilated and sent me home with some medication to relax my “irritable uterus” and orders to stay off my feet as much as possible for the next week. I have a follow up on Halloween. Then well see what will happen from there. My first day of bedrest was pretty boring, I mostly read and watched TV, napped for a while. Keith was a sweety and went grocery shopping and made me dinner. It’s really strange not being able to do anything. I found myself actually wishing I could excersize today! I must be getting desperate already!

Last weekend we went to Julian and celebrated Grandma’s 80th birthday by taking her to a drag queen show. She didn't think it was as funny as we did, which was a bummer- but I hope she knows our hearts were in the right place. At least it will be memorable.

Octoberfest!

October 8th 2006 26 weeks
Last night we went to Octoberfest in LaMesa with my Sis. This is my favorite time of year. I love Fall. The weather, the holiday decorations, the festivals. All of it. It was obsenely crowded with a great mixture of drunk kids and family people. There was a fair share of old castouts from the 60’s, grey ponytail men in camoflage jackets, meandering the crowd- looking somewhat lost and totally at home. We went with the intention of Bratworst and Funnelcake but ended up at a local mexican eatery, Marios. I held my own, walking a litle funny for the shooting pains down my lower back and leg, and feet swollen and sore. This morning I feel a little like someone took a hammer to the bottom of my feet. But I imagine we’ll go back today so I can actually look at the crafts and enjoy some of the booths without the danger of someone shoving a funnel cake covered in fudge down my back.

I finally signed up for some birth classes for keith and myself to take over Halloween weekend. And it looks like my sis should be sending out the baby shower invites next week. Things are moving along at a frightening speed! Sooner than I can really imagine, little Miles will be here- maybe sleeping nearby while I blog this...

Life goes on...

September 28th 2006 about 24 weeks
Only 3 1/2 more months! Miles is getting bigger and more noticable. He gets my attention regularly with kicks and jabs that can now be felt from the outside, which is fun for Keith. We have trained the doggies not to sleep on our bed anymore, which was easier than I anticipated. They now have a big bed that they can share, or another little one if they don’t feel like being close.


I have been swamped at work, which is exhausting. Keith has been a huge help, making dinner at night and helping with the house chores. I come home dead tired and fall asleep by 9pm.

I am so excited for the holidays! I think these next couple of months are going to fly by. I imagine I’ll do a lot of my shopping online over the next few months. Partially to try and spend wisely and partially because shopping all day wipes me out now, and I imagine as I get bigger and more uncomfortable, it’ll be even worse. This will be the last year for a while that I can go shoping without a monster stroller!

Jungle Mural finally complete!

September 12th 2006
So I finally finished the mural in the baby’s room. It took me a lot of research and fear overcoming then just doing it in basically one day. I drew it out in one night and then painted it on Sunday. I think it looks pretty good! But you be the judge of that as I have posted a bunch of pictures to go with this.


I had the doctor’s (OB) appointment this morning and heard little Miles heartbeat. He sounds good and strong. I felt him moving around today, his movements seem to be getting bolder and sometimes it feels like he is doing summersaults! But mostly it’s just little kickboxing moves. Jab-jab-uppercut!

I have been feeling pretty good. Tired, and still with the crazy dreams. I mean super scary, crazy, exhausting, can’t put that on a family blog dreams. I would love to sleep all the way through the night without waking and without dreams. But I guess that wont be happening any time soon!!

We found a crib!

September 5, 2006 Day 122 (20 weeks)
We have been getting the nursery together. We have a crib (thanks to Mom!) and a changing table now. It’s looking pretty cute. All we need to do now is the fun decorations stuff. I bought some letters that spell “Miles” for the wall and hope to have some sketches for the mural done soon. I think it’ll be really simple. I am going to paint each letter of his name a different animal print and hang them on the wall above the crib. The room is so small and is somewhat crammed with furniture, so I don’t want the wall to overpower the small space.

I feel Miles moving around every day now. Still small flutterings but he usually gets my attention every couple hours or at least once a day when I’m holding still.

I’ve been feeling pretty good. With the exception of being tired more easily and feeling bigger and bigger everyday, which I suppose is very normal. So all is well!

It's a Boy!!

8/30/06
I have been super busy at work and exhausted at home, which doesn't leave me much time to blog or upload pictures. Which I hope to do very soon. We had our ultrasound yesterday and discovered that we are having a boy! And so far, he's very healthy and doing well. Looks like he is going to be long (tall) as his femor bones is long for his age. He was moving and dancing, kind of doing a movement that looked like crunches. I don't really feel his kicks yet. He is facing up and toward my spine, so he is kicking the placenta, not my stomach.

I have been feeling really good. I started taking Omega 3 (thanks Erin!) on the advice of a friend and whether it's that, or just the 2nd trimester that is making me feel good, It's hard to say, but I'll take it.

Oh, and we now have a new due date of 1/19/07. Which is a Friday. That makes me about 19 weeks and 5 days. Farther along than we thought. We need to sign up for some pregnancy classes soon. As slow as this has been going, it's going fast.

Prenatal Yoga

I went to a prenatal yoga class last night. It was awesome! I loved it. It was really nice to be around a bunch of pregos. There was the full range of 12 weekers to “my due date is tomorrow” and there were probably about 12-15 ladies in the class. I loved it. It was the first time I was in a room full of people I KNEW I had something in common with. I got home at 9:15 and crashed. I’m a little sore today. But the class was really good for me. I never realized how quickly you lose it when you don’t use it.

A few days ago

We went to Mom’s on Saturday for my Grandpa’s 84th birthday party. Shelly made great lasagna and I made a carrot cake. The Mackays came to the party and it was pretty fun! Everyone’s rubbing my belly now, which doesn’t bother me so much anymore. May be the last time someone rubs my belly and thinks it’s cute or exciting! At least until a few months after the baby is born, and then I’ll hope that’ll be Keith’s job.

I felt great all week last week. I had energy and a good mood. Today and yesterday I have been tired again. Sleepy and lead weighty. I imagine the baby’s having a growth spurt. I have started taking Omega 3 supplements, which I hear is good for baby’s brain growth and my mood for some reason. So far, I haven’t noticed a difference. I’ll take them anyway.

Tonight I’m going to make a calzone from scratch. Well kind of, I have wheat bread dough from Trader Joe’s. Yum!

The size of an Avocado.

August 17, 2006 Thursday
I have been feeling much better. Worlds better than I did. In fact I almost feel like the old me. Which makes me hopeful that the worst is over, at least for now.

The baby is now about the size of an avocado and will double in size over the next few weeks. That’s pretty exciting. There is a woman at work who is a month ahead of me and it’s interesting to watch how she grows and have a kind of guideline for how I will look in a couple of weeks.

We will get the ultrasound to see the sex of the baby on the 29th. In just under 2 weeks. So expect an announcement or tell me if you don’t want to know. Keith and I will be taking some classes at Sharp to prepare for birth and baby. I think that’ll help me, but especially help Keith know better what to expect, and take some of the scariness out of it. Not much else is going on. The weather has cooled off tremendously, and that is making life easier. I am looking forward to Fall like never before. I can’t wait until October! My favorite time of the year.

Exorcist Anyone?

August 12, 2006 Saturday 8:34 am
Okay, so I have been sick. Very scary- been to the hospital 2x this week, had an EKG sick. I know what your asking yourself, “how’s the baby?!” Thanks, the baby seems to be fine. And after 2 days of sleeping, exorcist style vomiting and comatose laying around, I seem to be much better today too. This has been a very scary week. Keith has been wonderful during this sick time. Taking care of me, calling the hospital, taking me to the hospital, sitting with me-even cleaning the puke out of my car when I let loose on the way HOME from the hospital on Thursday. He’ll be a great dad. If he can hold it together while scooping puke from the front seat, I no longer worry about him changing a diaper! He truly is a renaissance man!

I have an appointment with my regular OB on Tuesday, followed by a cardiologist. So we’ll see how everything is going along. I still think I feel the baby moving around at night, but still can’t be sure for sure. I measure around 41” around the belly button (I started at about 36-38”) and I have gained a scary 17 pounds. I gained a ton in the first few months, but now I am back on track gaining about a pound a week, which is what I should be gaining right now. Unfortunately the weight I gained in the beginning can’t be added on to my weight in the future. It doesn’t work that way. L

So now I am hopeful things will be good for a while. I am up today, showered and ready to take care of business. Just a little slower that usually is all.

Better Today

July 30, 2006 Sunday evening 8:47 pm
I have been feeling better- the weather has cooled off, even rained a bit. Coincidence? Probably not. I think I feel the baby moving around at night but it really is hard to tell. Exciting though. I am not in my 15th week a little more than a third of the way through. I bought a scrap booking album today and I intend to get started. This little blog will make an appearance for sure. I think I will make this into a paper version. With more intimate photos. I can add the baby pics and tummy pics that I wont publish otherwise.

I’m not looking forward to work tomorrow, or the next day for that matter. But what has to be done has to be done. What seems important now will soon take on such different meaning.

Sleeping beauty?

July 29, 2006 Saturday morning 7:15am
I woke up to rain. Finally! The sky has been so heavy, putrid, HOT. It finally cracked open. All the green (and brown) outside are singing. Reaching for the clouds. I went out with some string and twine and tied up the tomato plants. Found some old scissors and cut off some of the crunchy brown. The Basil unsalvageable. My poor yard! Usually I spend much more time with my hands in the earth. Although looking at the backyard on any given day, you might not be able to tell. I love digging and planting and eating what I’ve grown. There’s so much satisfaction in that. I have been so tired the past few months with the heat and humidity making things close to unbearable. Last night I fell asleep at 7pm. On Friday. My poor husband. But I needed it. I woke up at 6:15 this morning ready to greet the day! So it’s 7:20 and I feel my old self, already productive somewhat, in the yard. I’m wearing on of Keith’s old black A shirts, covered in paint stains. Damp from the mist and rain. My feet are still covered with old grass clippings. I really shouldn’t be tromping about the house this way. But I think I’ll make myself a good breakfast and set to cleaning up this place while I still feel so good. You never know when you suddenly will feel struck and need to lie down.

Baby Pictures-13 weeks!

July 23rd, 2006 8:05 Am
I am finally posting the baby pictures from out last hospital visit. I wrote little explanations on the pictures so hopefully you can figure it out. The baby is too big (how exciting!) to get him/her all in one shot, so there are two pictures, one is a good picture of the body the other is of the head.



It has been incredibly hot. So hot that it’s making me sick. We have been looking for a little air conditioner for the bedroom but it appears all of San Diego is sold out. Bad planning on our part. Yesterday it was 110 degrees in La Mesa. Now that’s just ridiculous.

I am really starting to show now- I should get a picture of my belly soon. Kind of been putting that off! But really it exciting to actually look pregnant. This is the first week of my second trimester. I am really excited to start the second trimester. I expect to be greeted with more normal emotions and bucket loads of energy. I’ll let you know how reality meets my expectations.

Movin' and shakin'

July 18, 2006 Tuesday 8:01 am
We went to the Doctor yesterday and everything is going great! My blood work came back fine and blood pressure is normal. The baby is now the size of a tennis ball and we say her/him move around and could see the heart beat. It was amazing! Thrilling! Keith and I are so excited now for this new little baby- it gets more real and real. I laid in bed this morning and daydreamed about where the crib will go and what decorations we will have. I want to start buying diapers now, although I believe I will use a diaper service- maybe not. I have some research to do. Anyone have any input on diaper services?

I have a new picture to of the baby to post, but I left it at work- I’ll do it tonight.

It's too Damn HOT!

July 16, 2006 Sunday 8:15 am
It has been so hot! It’s the kind of heat where you wake up in the night sticking to the sheets and sweating on your pillow. It may be time for an air conditioner. At least for our bedroom. It’s nice that I am due in January, so I wont be too big in the heat of summer. As I sit here typing, I’m sweating- and I have a fan in my face. When you’re pregnant your body temperature runs higher naturally, so it’s a double whammy.

I got my hair dyed at a salon yesterday. I know that’s controversial. I decided it would make me feel better all around to have nice hair. My hair was dull brown with a lot of grey. Now it’s black with cherry red streaks. That big chunk of grey in the front? Now cherry red. I was assured by the salon that they all had their hair colored during their pregnancies and they color pregnant woman’s hair all the time. I am secretly worried that my Doctor will yell at me tomorrow. We have the second doctor’s appointment tomorrow. We are pretty excited. Keith is hoping we’ll get to see the sex- But I think we have to wait until like 18-20 weeks for that. I am hoping to hear the heart beat.

Room Service Please!

July 12, 2006 Wednesday 8:34 pm
Wow, I haven’t written anything in a long time. We have been busy getting ready for Doris’ arrival- and now she is here! Whew!

I feel like I have gained weight like a madwoman. I guess I should talk to my doctor about it on Monday. I need to start an exercise regimen and stick to it. I feel pretty embarrassed about the gain. However I am conflicted too. I try to let things just go with the flow. But when you are pregnant, people freely to judge you; what I eat, drink and look like are all open to criticism. Also the gain has been bad for me all over, my ankles hurt, I get winded going up stairs, and I’m uncomfortable in my own skin.

It’s all for a good cause though. I can’t wait to hold our baby! I will have plenty of time to take off any excess weight after the baby is born. And I know I will. Right now I am just host to a wonderful guest, who is using my body as a 5 star hotel. When s/he orders room service, who am I to say no? Maybe that’s the problem!

The fun has just begun

July4th 2006. 1:30pm
I have been really busy working and trying to pull the guest room together for Doris’ stay here. Every day I think I need to blog, but then something comes up. We are going to a barbeque later today at Judy and Ted’s. Another drinking holiday. You don’t realize how much drinking goes on until you have to quit. Sad how much I miss it. I wish I didn’t have the taste for it.

I made Keith stay home instead of going out with his friends to PB and now I feel like a bitch. I guess I didn’t make him, he has free will. But I don’t like the idea of him going to PB with the guys on a drinking holiday. I have no faith that he would be home safe and on time in order for us to go to the Mackay’s. And I know everyone would be sad if he wasn’t there. (although I’m sure his friends are sad too) He is dreading his upcoming birthday and lamenting about getting older. Crying about not spending time with his friends and having to work all the time. In the back of my mind, I’m like, “oh boy, you have no idea what we’re in for.” I don’t think it has set in yet for him what it’s really going to be like to have a newborn. The longer I am pregnant the more I think it’s too bad that men have no idea. Could not have any idea, what it’s like for the woman who is pregnant.

This is kind of a negative blog entry, isn’t it? I have been fighting morning sickness every afternoon, and I am grouchy, stressed and over tired. I have crazy dreams every night and my sleep is either interrupted by having to pee or the dogs tap dancing around on the hard wood floor. I need to relax.

30 going on 13.

June 28, 2006 Wednesday- My birthday!
I had a great day today! I couldn’t wish for any better off an internet chain email (send this to 10 people and your wish will come true). Short recap of the day. Breakfast in an Ocean Beach waterfront restaurant. Quick antiquing down the main drag. Bought the baby a really cute knit hat with trains on it (Dad would approve). Bought me some ninja shoes from a hippie store. Then we went on a shopping spree at a Motherhood store and practically bought a new wardrobe so I can get dressed for work without crying (hopefully). We went home for a sec and regrouped then off to Sears and Sleepyheads looking for a twin mattress for Mom in laws stay with us. Didn’t buy anything though. I actually showed restraint. Then we went home, showered, I put on my new prego dress illustrated in the above picture and we went to our favorite local Italian restaurant, Tiramisu. We had a fabulous meal and now I am sitting fat and happy tapping away to tell you all about it.

I am definitely "showing" now. Maternity clothes are good at making you look even more pregnant. Which I guess is better than just thick or worse, fat. I’m still at the stage where no stranger dare ask. And I almost feel the need to explain to strangers that I’m pregnant. Thankfully, I refrain. I felt good all day. Great energy, and mood. I am hoping to go to yoga in the morning and am hoping I will be back to my normal workout routine now. Maybe that’ll help level off my weight gain. It’s tough to excersize when all you want to do is barf and sleep and barf then eat then sleep some more. I swear I just turned 13 not 30.

Dutiful Husband

June 24th 2006 Saturday
I just poured a piping hot cup of decaf Joe and am contemplating the work that should be done today. I really need to clean the house and I should do it now before it gets hot and I get tired. Waaah. Keith is in there over sleeping and grumpily yelling at the dogs who are trying to get him up (probably by licking his back). He’ll complain later about how his head hurts because he overslept. We are due to hit Hash House A Go-Go (http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/) at 10am to catch up with some friends. We haven’t told them yet that I am pregnant. I don’t like saying, “We are pregnant,” I think that is most certainly false. Although Keith is a loving man, he really can’t know what it’s like and he’s not the one trudging through the afternoon in his cube, with a mouth full of warming saliva and a gut pressing up against his straining pants. So I am pregnant, and he is a dutiful observer. I think he would happily agree.

new floors, popping stomachs and mother in laws.

June 23rd 2006 Friday evening
We just finished installing the new faux wood floor in the baby’s room. I say we, but I mean mostly Keith. It looks pretty great! I think it’ll go well with our pirate-y theme.

Much to my dismay, my stomach has popped out. I’ve tried to suck it in, and hold my breath, giving myself pain and gas. That sucks. I think I’ll stop fighting reality and go with it. I judge myself and say I shouldn’t be showing yet, but who’s to say that? I think my experience is unique and I need to relish in each stage. I’m not going to be this small for long. And it’s undeniable that I am beginning to look pregnant in mid week 9. I should take a picture.

I have been emotional. Let’s say- from tearing up because I think everyone will forget my birthday, to laughing hysterically until I cry and gag over next to nothing. I am basically a raging PMSing 13 year old girl again. I want to sleep and sleep and I don’t want to exercise. Even though I know I need to. We have so much to do before Doris arrives (my mother in law will be staying with us for a month or so) and Keith (my hero) is working himself to the bone at his real job, side jobs and this house. I am learning to accept that we are not perfect and the house will have a life of it’s own. Although, I would kill for a house keeper right now.