It Was a Practice Run

Well 34 weeks down, just 6 or so left... right??? Right. That's to my due date- 09/06/09- cool, eh? We would actually love 09/09/09, but that seems so FAR away right now... and all I have been hearing is, "first time moms are always late... yadayada..." Weeellllll..... I'm not so sure that BabyW is going to wait.... especially after last night!











I've been having Braxton-Hicks (B/H) contractions since about 25 weeks- they are very common, not harmful and only mildly uncomfortable. It's basically BabyW's way of telling me to take it easy, or they are common when it's hot. Yesterday was hot.... yesterday was NOT B/H contractions....!












It started on my drive home from work (and I didn't even stop for a Slurpee!) in nice balmy 102 degree weather. I had mid-line pain below my belly button that felt like a burning sensation followed by a contraction. These were different than all of my other ones- lower and a bit stronger. After the second one, I began timing them and then promptly laid down to rest once I got home. We were also instructed in our classes that pre-term (anything less than 37 weeks) labor can be caused by dehydration so you're supposed to empty your bladder and then drink a ton of water and then lay on your side. So, I did. And they continued.... and continued. Finally after three hours, I called Labor & Delivery and explained what I was going through and well.... we had a little late night visit to the hospital!












Even knowing that it was highly unlikely that this was "it," we still tossed a few things in a bag and jumped (Jason did, I, on the other hand, waddled and scooched) in the car and made the 20-minute drive to the hospital. Despite some people waiting to clear security, they whisked me back to admitting (woo-hoo- this belly is a free line pass at the hospital!) very quickly. Unfortunately, Jason wasn't so lucky and after about 10 minutes he finally made it to my room.












My nurse rocked... despite the duration of time that I'd been having pre-labor, I still felt a bit silly to be at the hospital, but because of only being 34 weeks, it was important that I was there. She did a great job of making me feel quite normal for being there... she was there five times prior to delivering! LOL BabyW and I were hooked up to some monitors with wires snaking around us- wow- she is a marathoner like her Daddy- her heart was thumping away like crazy! And it went up during each contraction. And then I got to have a fun exam! That, was painful- but we found out that her head is really, really low; but I'm not dilated, so BabyW is not going to make a debut this time- thank goodness! Hearing her heartbeat and seeing her healthy and active (the Doc said she is a wiggle worm!) on the ultrasound was a relief- she was kicking the monitor sensors! Oh, and she is huge--- not alot of room left in there- which explains why I feel and look larger every day! My contractions weren't progressing, nor letting up, so they gave me some medicine to ease them and after a few hours, we were on our way back home. Phew- I- WE- were not quite ready yet for BabyW to make her long-awaited appearance! Even after five years, we could wait for just a few more weeks to get just a bit more done around here! And we might need just a bit more practice on our breathing and relaxation techniques!!!!










So now for the Irony: our 'to-do' list for the evening was to situate the nursery and pack our hospital bags!!! So funny!

Baby Showers

You know how when you are always the bridesmaid, each wedding gets a bit harder to participate in no matter how happy you actually are for the couple? You feel like everyone else around you is getting married and here you sit, either hopelessly single, or your significant other won't get off the pot and pop THE question. You are silently screaming inside while going through the motions of participating in whatever wedding related activities you have to participate in (except of course for the bachelorette party...... lemon drop martoonis always help!). Like the JLo in the Wedding Planner, "Those who can't wed- plan."




Well, in my case, complete avoidance was the best policy. I suffered not only from fertility issues but also from a horrible case of baby envy and shower anxiety. Just send a gift, no appearance necessary. It's hard to go to the blessed event knowing that Mommy was able to get knocked up on the first try, meanwhile you are the one who is perfecting her aim on ovulation and HPT pee sticks. And sometimes, it's just too hard to fake your 'happiness.' I did make one exception to this policy last year for BFF Leah after a long heart-to-heart. I just vowed to win all the little shower games, bring the best present (and the rum) and not be the one to cut the "let's see how big Mommy's belly" string at circumference so big it would make her cry. It wasn't as painful as I had thought. Perhaps because I had come to terms with my feelings or because we had actually started fertility treatments and I wasn't feeling quite so 'broken' anymore....




Well, I attended my first baby shower this past weekend since I've amended my policy (and no, it's not because mine is coming up- lol)- it's just easier to attend now that BabyW is on the way and I can actually be happy helping the new Mommy celebrate her own little bundle of joy! Remember, a woman's prerogative is to change her mind- a preggers woman's prerogative is to CONSTANTLY change her mind! Not to mention, my friend Amber lives a few hours away and I haven't seen her in forever, and I'm so all about the food right now! ( :




It was a really nice tea-party themed shower (and yes, I did win a game- I knew how many weeks preggers she is- we're just 3 weeks apart) and-gasp!- even had my first pregnant belly photo taken at Amber's insistence! I am not sporting the cute little bump that she has (my arse is bigger than her baby bump!)- mine is more like a medicine ball! (I shudder to think of what I would look like had I not lost so much weight in the first trimester!) So, because my friend Kindle has asked so nicely (and so often) I am actually going to post my first belly photo for the whole bloggoshpere. I'm sure that this won't be the last photo or baby shower for that matter! ( :

Shopping While Pregnant Can Be Dangerous to Your Health...

It’s happened…. I knew it would, but that didn’t cushion the shock any less. I put on my favorite pair of denim shorts (to enjoy the toasty weather...of course I do have to say that the fact that we've had two days that were over 100 degrees in mid-May is not very comforting for someone that is going to go through high summer in their third trimester!) and I couldn’t fasten them- at all! The old rubber band in the button trick didn’t even work. Well, I could but breathing was completely optional then…. I’ve been able to wear most of my pre-preggo wardrobe up until now and have enjoyed “trying” out new maternity clothes (Mom says: “you’ll get sick of those soon enough, you should avoid them while you can.” Smart woman- hope BabyW takes after her!) From here on out, I have a feeling that my daily outfits will consist of those clothes that can fit my growing (and growing…) tummy. At least those clothes are cute, but I have to agree with mom at this point that I will be happy to ditch the maternity clothes soon enough. I read somewhere along the way (while I was still reading the pregnancy books- more about that later!) that you should just box up all of your ‘regular’ clothes and revisit them about four months after the baby is born. I’ve done that with most of my seasonal clothes in preparation for BabyW’s arrival. (The baby’s room is going to be in the room that was formerly another walk-in closet/ catch-all room since we moved into this house) But I wasn’t prepared to do that with the rest of my wardrobe; and my dear hubby would have to say that I am the Immelda Marcos of the clothes world. I love a good deal and hardly pay full price, but I never quite grasped that concept of the “one in, one out rule” with my purchases!




So this little run-in with my shorts…. I swear I didn’t shed a tear. Or even throw a pregzilla tantrum! It did mean one thing… shopping for shorts! To any normal woman, a shopping trip might be fun, but add on a few extra inches and hormones, and it’s a crisis. I couldn’t go for the maternity shorts though; the ‘secret hidden panels’ that really aren’t so hidden or secret are made out of polyester and is scratchy. Not to mention, if you throw bridal/wedding or maternity in front of anything in the retail world, it automatically jacks the price up 30%! I was on the hunt for cotton shorts with a stretchy draw-string waistband… I bought a pair at Kohl’s but after wearing them once, they definitely won’t fit the bill for the rest of the hot summer. So here comes the scavenger hunt: Old Navy- nope; Target- nope; Ross- uh-huh; same with Marshall’s, Wal-mart, or Gap. Aargh! You would think that I was looking for a freakin’ Christmas Tree in June! In comes the rescue call from BFF- Lane Bryant- duh! I’ve been shopping there for years! Thankfully there is a Lane Bryant outlet near my work and I finally found some that will work. Crisis averted.




Oh, I won’t even tell you how hard it was to find flat sandals for work- everything has a 2” heel right now. Like I said, shopping is not quite so fun when you’re pregnant unless it’s for baby clothes, but I’m so banned from that right now. BabyW already has three large storage tubs full of clothes- the kid is still in the womb and she’s better dressed that I am! ( :




<--- See, what looks "secret" about that panel? Ugh.

My "First" Mother's Day and Shopping Fun with BabyW

I’m pregnant! No sh!@? Last week, I woke up and looked in the mirror and I suddenly “look” pregnant. I guess at six months, that’s a good thing developmental wise, but a bit harder to take as far as the more pronounced girth is concerned. (I’m amazed to find that I'm still fitting into a lot of my former clothes; however those are the ones that are from my fluffier days!) Oh, did I mention that I’ve had four people comment on my “belly” in the last two days. Um, do you know that telling a pregnant woman- no matter how politely you try to word it- that she’s beginning to look like a manatee is just not cool? As long as you aren’t in legs’ length so I can kick you, you might be okay, but I can’t promise that I won’t comment on your badonkadonk when you walk away.



So, about that “belly”- it’s obvious that BabyW is developing quite nicely. At 24 weeks, she is likely around 1.3 lbs and about 12 inches long and has a fully developed body. She’s forming taste buds (actually I believe that she’s had those since day one and passed the good fortune on to me!); and is practicing breathing. And she already has quite the personality; oh and she’s a shopper already! Today at Bath and Body Works, it seemed like she squirmed when I was sniffing the scents, she really moved at one in particular. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, so I moved right along… kinda funny! Every purchase of late has been chosen by BabyW- I have to say that she is as bargain minded as her mommy (two Coach purses for under $200 <yes, they’re real, the Coach Outlet has an “As Is” bin that rocks!>, six maternity tanks and a pair of capris for under $1 and a new source for my Cricut cartridges for under $30!) Score! Retail therapy definately helps alleviate pregnancy symptoms! ( :



So, Sunday was “sortof” my first Mother’s Day- and BabyW and Daddy ensured that I had a pretty relaxing day- the farmer’s market, chillin’ in the sun, and food…. Except I did have to hear ranting and raving due to both the Dodgers and the Lakers both losing (a present in disguise? LOL) The gifts? The new Patterson book and the most adorable card and a $50 Tar-shay gift card with a note especially from BabyW that said she was sorry for all of the kicking and dancing and that she would give me the day off and knew I would spend part of the g/c on her! ( : Smart kid- she must take after me in that respect! I can’t wait until next year when we get to take official Mommy's Day pictures with three generations! ( :



Actually, I can’t wait to meet her period. I never thought I would enjoy being pregnant, but I can say that the past few weeks have been great- I think until I start getting bigger, it won’t be so bad. The first 15 weeks definitely sucked, and I’m assuming that the last month or so will be uncomfortable, but the end result will be so wonderful. I washed the first load of baby clothes last night; Jason came in and I had to explain why doing the laundry was making me cry! The baby detergent stung my eyes- wink! No, it felt very surreal, after so long of waiting for this baby, it seems like just another milestone. Although, I’m sure in two years, I’ll be crying in frustration at the endless load of her clothes, but oh well! Oh yeah- she’s not even here yet and she has a better wardrobe than me! ( ;
Speaking of laundry… it beckons…. I’ll report back tomorrow after our next OB appointment! Cheers- Preggers Chick