Girls, Dogs, Jewelry - A Fun Weekend

A girl's weekend ... Michelle and Nikki came over for breakfast and then we headed over to "Strut Your Mutt," a fundraiser for a local dog shelter/adoption/lobbying group. I have never seen so many dogs in one place in my life. Leo was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, and my tailbone was pretty achey after all the walking, but it was great to be outside. Afterwards, I treated myself to a pedicure because I looked at my feet with the chipped off nail polish and decided that I would be really annoyed looking at my feet in that condition, if I were to go into labor anytime soon. Later that afternoon, RJ hosted a little girl's get together, with Mojitos and jewelry making. Below are the two pairs of earings I made.

The Amaryllis

Pretty early in the pregnancy, I was diagnosed with placenta previa. The docs very frankly told me that I might have to spend much of the pregnancy on complete or modified bedrest and that we would most likely have a preterm baby, delivered via planned c-section. Upon hearing this news, my mom quickly said a prayer to her dad (my grandpa). She asked that he hold the baby in my womb for as long as possible. She also asked that he show her some sort of "sign" that he had heard her wishes and that we would both be OK. While I am not really the praying type, maybe there is some validity to this .... because I have to admit, I have had a rather uneventful pregnancy.

My mom swears that the mysterious blooming of this amaryllis was the 'sign' from her dad that he heard her prayer. She put the amaryllis bulb under a table in the laundry room around christmas time after it had bloomed a bright red color. The plant had not been watered, nor had it seen much light, and these plants are only supposed to bloom once a year. She found the plant ready to bloom again, shortly after she asked her dad to look after me and the unborn baby. She pulled it out from under the table, put it in light, gave it a drink of water, and then watched as it bloomed into a beautiful light pink flower.

I am sure there is a more rational explanation for why this plant bloomed twice in a year, or why it bloomed a different color the second time, or why I have not had any complications associated with the placenta previa, but a bit of mysticism has given us all hope. Not to mention, the story makes me hopeful that baby Carolyn will be happy and healthy upon her arrival. Steve and I can't wait to meet this little girl, and I now wonder if my grandpa has somehow already met her.

37-Week Appointment

Saw the doc today ... no weight gain, normal bp (102/60), baby is still head down and has dropped somewhat into my pelvis, and her heartrate is strong and steady. In the doctor's words, "You have one happy baby, who is not causing you a lick of trouble, so let's keep her baking for another couple of weeks."

That said, Carolyn is now considered FULL TERM, so if I go into labor, my doc will do nothing to stop or delay it from happening. Until then, she told me to keep active, continue doing what I am doing, to sleep as much as I can, and to drink a lot of water. When I told her that I thought the baby had no intention of coming any time soon, she did not disagree, but did tell me that the baby will definitely be born before July 1st because she is going out of town for a family reunion and that she would not let me go more than 1-2 weeks past my due date. So, mom and dad, no matter what, you will definitely get to meet your granddaughter when you are out here next month.

The Guessing Game

Anyone want to make a prediction on when this baby will arrive or how much she will weigh when she does make her appearance ... if so, leave a comment with your guesses. FYI, her due date is technically June 18th and the average baby weighs approximately 7.5 pounds. Although my docs convinced me early-on that we would have a preterm baby because of the placenta previa, no complication have arisen so far, so they are letting nature runs its course.

36-Week Appointment

An update from my appointment today ... normal BP, normal pee, baby's heart rate is fine, and a whopping three or four pound weight gain over the past two weeks. Wow! That is the most weight I have gained between appointments, so that takes me up to a total of 19 pounds. Maybe this is also the reason why people have suddenly told me that I am looking pregnant.

The baby is head down, ready and in place for labor, but the cervix is COMPLETELY closed, so it is unlikely that she will come anytime soon. My belly still measures small, so I may get another ultrasound next week to re-check my fluid levels. I have weekly doctor appointments from now on.

Another Baby Shower

It is official .... Carolyn is going to be one spoiled little girl!

This afternoon my research team hosted yet another, our third, baby shower. They all chipped in to buy us a gift certificate to "Cotton Babies," my favorite on-line baby store. I came home and immediately spent the gift certificate: I ordered an Ergo backpack carrier, a Maya sling carrier, a few more cloth diaper supplies, and some reusable breastmilk storage containers. What a perfect gift! I love the products that this store sells.

Oh yeah, and they also took a picture of me standing in front of a white board. This picture clearly shows my pregnant belly.

The Evolution of My Pregnant Belly

As much as I hate the look of the changes that have occurred to my body, I figure I should document them as part of this pregnancy, too. Above are the pictures of my expanding belly profile, taken approximately every five weeks since I found out I was pregnant (week 5, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35). The last three are weekly at 37, 38, and 39 weeks. If anything, they provide a record of the full extent of the damage that has occurred in the past 9 months.

34-Week Appointment

Saw the doc again today ... One more pound of weight gain for me, for a total of 16 pounds so far. BP was normal, 102/63. Pee was normal, no sugar and no proteins. Baby is still head down, in the same position she was when I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago. As much as I feel her moving, I was wondering if she was still doing flips in there. I guess not.

My fundal height was 32-33 cm. This is the measurement from the bottom of my uterus to the top; it typically should match the gestational age. I am measuring small, but my belly grows steadily each week, so that is the important piece of information. The small measurement may just mean that I will have a smaller baby, which is what I have predicted all along. Or it may just mean that I do not carry very big, which is apparent when you look at the size of my belly compared to others at my stage of pregnancy.

My doc wrote a script for a breast pump, so that is a big expense that we do not need to worry about anymore. My insurance provides a hospital grade pump and all accessories, if the doc writes a prescription for it. Well, I do have to pay the $25 co-payment for it, but that is a whole lot better than several hundred dollars.

April Showers, May Flowers

It was my goal to get the yard cleaned up before the baby arrives ... and I am happy to report that I accomplished it. All the flower beds are now edged and weeded, the side yard was reseeded, the vegetable garden is planted (that's the dirt pile on the right below), the herb garden is growing, and everything has been fertilized and composted. Maybe I will even get the flower boxes and hanging baskets planted before Carolyn arrives, too. I am not bragging, but these pictures do not do the yard justice. There are literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of tulips and daffodils blooming in the yard right now. If you click on the images and look at them bigger, you can see them a little bit better.





Who would have ever thought that I, who used to cry for hours when I had to trim around the trees as a little girl, would like working so hard in my yard? It has taken several years to get it to this point, but I am pretty proud of my gardens. Someday, we might tackle the front yard landscaping.

The Nursery -- Carolyn's Room

Well, here it is... It is a room fit for a little girl, but one that we both enjoy being in, too. My favorite part may be the closet oganizer I built. Also, I have been spending a lot of time in the chair lately - whenever I want to take a quick nap or make a phone call that is where I am sitting.

There are a few things I still need to hang on the walls. And, I would like to sew valances for the window and make a cushion for the toy box, but I have been putting that off. My reasoning is that sewing is a project I can do no matter how big and uncomfortable I am. Plus, if the rest of the details do not get done until after the birth, Carolyn will never know that her room is unfinished. The major things are in place and that's what counts. The sheets are on the bed and all the clothes and blankets are washed and ready.