Saturday, May 23, 2009

5/23/09






I haven't written in awhile so I thought I should start back up again. This weekend Aspen's grandma and grandpa Nicol are visiting. We are having so much fun. We've been hanging out and today we even went to the computer history museum. Aspen is getting bigger and bigger everyday. He's starting to hold his head up really well now during tummy time. Here are some pictures from today.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

4/21/09



It's been awhile since I have written. Mostly from pure exhaustion and not picking up the computer since Aspen was born. :) He is a great little guy and we are so thrilled to have him. Everyday he does new things that are so great to watch. He is smiling more and more now and I just love it b/c to me it means so much more than just a "smile". I will definitely be the "over analyzing mom" about all of his milestones..watching to make sure he is meeting them with ease. Having the job I did in the past (a verbal behavior therapist) I know all of the developmental milestones that a baby/toddler/kid should be meeting. So having Aspen smile at 3 weeks old when smiles don't typically come in for another month or two is just awesome. And he does it socially too. It's not just gas or something like that. He smiles at both Matt and I while maintaining great eye contact! I just makes me so happy to watch him look up at us with that gummy smile :) It's so cute!
He's sleeping right now on his pillow. He loves to sleep on the couch next to us on top of a pillow. It does look very comfortable!
I am finally starting to feel myself again. My pain is gone and I think I'm almost completely healed although at times it is uncomfortable still. All the pain is so worth it to have such a great little guy to spend our lives with.
Matt is back to work full time now and at his Google office today. It was hard at first having him gone b/c breastfeeding is such a demanding thing. I didn't realize how much went into it. And Aspen is the kind of breast feeder that just wants to nurse and nurse and nurse for hours. So pumping has been my saving grace. If not he won't sleep for a long time at all. I figure I will try and do the breast feeding for a year. After that I want my boobs back to myself. :)
Today is Cali's first birthday. We are going to take her to the park tonight to celebrate. :) She's going to get extra pupperoni today as her treats. I'm sure she will like that.
Well that's it for now. I'm going to look into a cleaning lady now b/c I just do not have any time to do all of those things right now. I'm sure once he gets older I will but I want to savor this time and spend as much time with the little guy as I can b/c I know that they grow up quick. :)

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

3/31/09 #2

My Birth Story:
We went to the hospital on Wednesday March 25th at 7:30am. Being induced was actually nice b/c it allowed me to prepare everything before. I got to the hospital and they got me all set up on the contraction monitor and the fetal monitor. Then at 9:00am the pitocin was started. At first nothing was happening and they just kept coming back every 30 mins to up the level. Then at 12:00 I started feeling horrible contractions. They went from nothing to strong contractions every 1-2 mins. At 1:00 I had to pee so Matt went with me to the bathroom (with the IV) and I thought I peed down my leg as we entered the bathroom. It was my water breaking. We called the nurse and she confirmed it was my water breaking. At 2:00 I could no longer stand the contractions and was begging for the epidural. He finally came at 2:30 and put it in. The first time he did it it only worked on my left side. I could still feel the contractions on the right side of my body. So he re did it and it was fine. The problem came 2 hours later when the epidural would wear off. He had to come back every 2 hours and give me more medicine. The nurse came at 4:00 and checked me and I was only 3.5 cms and 60% effased. She turned me to one side and then came back an hour later and turned me to the other side. At 8:00pm I started feeling pain down low and in my rectum. The epidural was wearing off and it was hurting. She checked me and said I was 9cms. I couldn't believe it. At 9:00pm she came back and I was 10cms and ready to push. At this time the epidural wasn't working at all and I wanted him to come back and make it better with more medicine. At the same time the baby's heartrate was sky high and getting to 200 at some times. I also had a fever topping 101 at the highest. The nurse told us that we had a decision. Have the medicine and risk a c-section b/c they had to get him out b/c of the fever and heartrate or push him out with the pain. Matt made the decision for me before I could and I'm glad he did b/c I was really in pain. He said we were going to do the pushing and get him out. He knew I did not want a c-section and this was the best thing. It was very painful but I did it and an hour and 13 mins later Aspen Isaac Nicol was born and it was the best day of our lives. He had a fever when he was born of 103 but it came down in the next 3 hours to normal. They watched him for infection and took his blood about 4 times to make sure he was ok. He was and got to come home with us on Friday March 27th at 7:30pm. We are all doing fine now and breastfeeding is getting better. It was rough at first but now I'm getting the hang of it. Pumping has helped a lot and the baby is doing good with the breast and the bottle (with breastmilk).
That's it for now. Gotta go feed my child :)

3/31/09






We Welcome With Joy.....Aspen Isaac Nicol. He was born March 25, 2009 at 10:13PM. He weighed 8lbs 12ozs and was 21 inches long. We are all very happy and he is such a great baby!

Monday, March 23, 2009

3/23/09

My parents are now here waiting on the baby! :) It's been nice having them here. Last night we went to the Mongolian BBQ with them to eat. It was very crowded and hot in there. But the food was good. Today we went downtown Palo Alto and walked around and then ate at a hamburger place there. I got very tired walking around and can't really go out and do things despite wanting to. So we came home and my mom and dad walked downtown to a coin shop my dad wanted to go see. He really likes coins. He bought our little guy a piece of Platinum as an investment. :)
Today my new sandals that I ordered in the mail. I've been wearing my tennis shoes this whole pregnancy b/c my feet hurt in the beginning and I can't wait to wear sandals again. I'm very excited for that ;)
Tomorrow we go in to get our prostin gel. We are very excited for that. We are supposed to call at 3pm and go at 4pm. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. We are looking forward to it.
Well I will keep everyone posted on the baby status!
That's it for now.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

3/21/09

So today I cleaned b/c my parents are coming. I probably shouldn't of b/c now my body aches but I did b/c that's what I do :). It does look nice in here now. I know that my mom will help me keep it nice in here while she is here. She is the only person that I know that is cleaner that I am. She's a neat freak. I guess that's where I get it from :) She's already asked for a list of things for her to do when she is here. So I made one for her :) It makes me happy thinking that I won't have to worry about those things too for awhile at least :).
Matt just went to the Apple Store. My phone seems to be broken. Feels weird to be without it. He gave me some old one incase I need to call him while he is gone. I have to say after having the Iphone it's pretty "ghetto". I know that sounds horrible and spoiled but you do get used to phones and not having my email, facebook and internet is not fun. I kinda feel naked w/out it. :) Hopefully he will get a new one of it fixed and bring it home the way it used to be.
Matt was a big help today. He went to Target, the pet store and the grocery store all while I cleaned. We are stocking up for when all of the fam. is here and when the baby comes too. Now everything is done and we are just waiting.
Well, my parents should be here in 2 hours so I'm gonna go take shower #2 for the day.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

3/18/09

Today wasn't a very exciting day. Got up took a nap and then we went to the nature preserve to exercise Cali and for us to walk. Walking is getting harder and harder everyday for me. I guess it's the extra weight of the baby that does it. It really kills my back. But only one week from today guaranteed that he's coming out!!! Yeah!!!
We're just relaxing at home tonight. I'm making spaghetti for dinner. That's it for today. Sorry it wasn't an exciting day :)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

3/17/09

Today I cleaned most of the house. I did everything except mop the floors (I did swiffer them though). I also took a nap but it was on our small couch and I woke up aching :) Guess I don't really fit on that couch anymore. It's getting warmer out here. The house is starting to get hot towards the end of the day. Our heat is set at 61 and it's 69 in here. That's a problem with this house in the summer time. Especially since we don't have AC. We have portable AC's around the house that go in windows but no AC. When we moved here the people we rented the house from said they never needed it. That was a big fat lie. They had to be crazy to not have AC. I told Matt that I will never live in a house again with no AC :) We are both AC people. It's weird too b/c this house is a older house but has been totally updated everywhere else except the AC and the windows. We have 2 portable AC's right now but I foresee us getting a couple more by the time the summer hits. They work well but only cool off that room.
I'm feeling pretty good today. My mom said that sometimes people go into labor when they feel the best. Maybe that will be me. Probably not....I've come to the conclusion that he's gonna stay and come out when he's 3 :) He seems pretty happy in there right now. When he moves you can really see it now. And Matt just loves to feel his body outline through my belly. Matt is gonna be a great daddy and is just so excited to meet his little guy!
Well that's it for today. Matt should be home from work in a couple of mins and then we might take Cali to the park.

Monday, March 16, 2009

3/16/09

Today was our 39 week doctors appt. I lost another pound. Doctor didn't seem concerned. I'm also still measuring at 37 weeks. Heartbeat was a little faster than last week but she said that this is because their heartbeats are like ours and go up and down. I think they go down when they are sleeping too and he was awake during the exam. She did another cervical exam and I'm still 2 cm's but have thinned out to 50%. So not much progress...just a little. This weekend I also lost my mucus plug. Sorry if TMI :) We got all excited thinking labor was going to start but it didn't. I was up at midnight showering just incase. I've always said that I don't want to be the dirty butt girl walking in to have the baby. :) So I've been showering 2 times a day to prevent this from happening :). We walked a lot this weekend. Cali liked that. We also ate some spicy Indian food. I just got done about 10 mins ago from eating some pineapple. It's supposed to be a natural food to jump start labor. Don't know if I believe that or not but I'm trying anything.

As of now we have an induction date scheduled for the 25th. This is the day after my due date. The reason that we decided to do this is that 1) I'm uncomfortable and 2) our parents will be here and we want to take full advantage of their help and for them to have as much time as possible with the baby. He is full term so there is no risk involved. The doc also said that my cervix would be a great one to induce if we had to b/c of the progress already made. She also said she didn't think that we will have to do that but would schedule it just incase we do.

So that's it for now. Wish us luck on having a baby sooner than later :) We are so excited and just can't wait to meet this little person ;)

Friday, March 13, 2009

3/13/09

No sign of labor yet. I woke up today with a backache again but nothing is happening besides that and a baby that feels like he's trying to climb out of my butt. :) I also had a lot of diarrhea today which is supposed to be a sign. Sorry if TMI :) Matt and I went to the park with Cali and walked laps around it. We are also trying acupressure points that are supposed to naturally induce labor. The natural ways don't bother me because if he's truly not ready to come he won't regardless of what we do. Tonight we are just taking it easy and waiting for our little guy to make his decision on when he is ready to come. That's it for today.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

3/12/09

So last night I had a weird pain. The pain was in what felt like my cervix and rectum and it lasted for about a min. It kinda felt like falling on a boys bike bar like when you are little. (not sure if guys would understand that or not). It went away after a min and I was fine but man oh man did it hurt. After that Matt and I went to the park last night and walked 6 laps around our park. I also bounced on our exercise ball a bit and ate some spicy italian sausage and went to bed. This morning I was sitting down talking to Matt and the same pain came and lasted for another min. It hurt so bad I cried. So this morning I called the doc. She said to come in at 1:50 to get checked out. We went in and she did a cervical check. She said my waterbag is still intact and that my cervix has now rotated to the correct "birthing position". She also said that I'm now 2 cm's and have made significant progress since Monday. She asked if I wanted my membranes stripped and I told her to go ahead and do it. It wasn't comfortable but wasn't too bad. I'm so uncomfortable now that I didn't even care. My back hurts and my whole pelvis hurts. She then did an ultrasound to check the baby's fluid and said it was great. Then she gave us a note for the hospital to give to them if I go into birth this weekend that said to page her if I go into labor.
I just ate and took a shower. Everything is packed and ready for the car. Matt took Cali to the park earlier and is gonna take her again in a bit. We're trying to wear her out incase she has to be left in her cage. Hopefully my parents or Matt's parents will be here within a day so that she won't have to be caged for long. We also have one of Matt's friends that is gonna come by and take care of her until they get here.
Well, that's if for now. I'm going to lay down and get some rest incase I need my energy soon!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

3/11/09

The past couple of days have been very uncomfortable for me. The baby is definitely in my pelvis b/c I have pressure down there and I feel him head butting my cervix. But I guess that means it's closer to time so that's exciting.

I bounced on our exercise ball for a good hour last night trying to help his journey out. I was so tired afterwards and don't know why b/c I took like 3 naps yesterday.

Today I am cleaning the house. It's my weekly cleaning and I thought if I was standing up for a while then maybe he would have gravity on his side. Plus the house really needed it.

Cali is sleeping now on the couch. She's tired for some reason today. I just love it when she takes naps. She is like having 10 kids at one time all the same age. She requires more work than a kid. And I mean it. She is pretty smart though. I taught her to roll over last night and it took all of 2 mins. to teach her. She now knows how to roll over, high five, sit, lay, get her ball, knows who daddy and mommy are, can get the kitty, knows her 3 friends names and will run to the window if you say their names, knows the words outside and car ride and definitely park, can sit up with her paws up in the air, and can spin around. She's a good smart dog, just needs tons of attention. So when she takes a nap or goes to sleep it's like heaven! :)

Well, I'm going to take advantage of Cali sleeping and clean the rest of the house.

Monday, March 9, 2009

3/9/09

We had our 38 week doctor's appointment today. She checked my cervix and said I'm 1 cm dilated and the baby's head is low in my pelvis. So that's a good sign. :) She also said I'm measuring 37 weeks now and am 38. She said this happens when the baby drops down. I guess this makes since now since I have that squishy spot under my boobs. I can definitely tell he's dropped some b/c I'm peeing a lot more lately. Hopefully he decides to come sometime soon! We are very excited to know that there is progress being made :). Everything is ready now all we need is a baby.
Matt just left to go back to work and I think I'm going to take a nap. That's it for now :)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

3/8/09

I had read something today that basically described my shower routine to to tee so, since I just showered, I would let you know all that is entailed in being a pregnant woman and showering.

Lying sprawled out on the couch....I think about taking a shower.

An entire episode of "A baby story" goes by and I still haven't moved. Finally, I flip myself onto the floor. I decide to take a small rest and Matt comes in laughing. I swing my legs for a bit for the momentum to get up. Still laughing, Matt grabs my hands to give me a pull. Because I now outweigh him by at least 20 pounds, I almost take him down. Finally, the two of us triumphantly stand up.

Winded as though I have advanced tuberculosis, I slowly huff to the bathroom.

Now is the tricky part...removing the clothes. I peel of my shirt and after a few tries unsnap my bra and succeed. My new pregnant cannon-sized boobs bounce off my belly and jiggle a bit and finally settle down several inches below where the bra secured them. I then slip down my maternity sweatpants and granny panties and awkwardly lean to take off my socks. There are indention marks where the socks were because my legs, ankles and feet are swollen.

Now that I am naked I stare at myself in the mirror with disbelief. Holy Crap! Is that really my body?!

Step into the shower and try and shave the legs. I try to suck in my belly while arching my back, still failing to have a view, lifting my leg onto the side of the tub and go at it blind, rinsing the bloody razor every few swipes. Meanwhile, I'm praying that the hair won't grow back until delivery. Holding onto the walls like a handicap rail, I wash my lower body. I can no longer see my hooha and washing it and my bottom is becoming quite the chore. I am usually scrunched over praying I don't fall and hit my head on the tile or tub and trying to wash the soap out. Then I have to twist around and try and do my bottom too.

I pee while in the shower because I can't wait until I'm out. Then I have to wash again because I just pee'd down my legs.

After the shower is done comes drying off. I never thought I would have this much acreage to dry off. And it's not made any easier by the fact my towels keep shrinking. Before long, I am going to start using pool towels and convince myself it's not a problem. I also feel like I need some sort of hydraulic lift to dry under my boobs these days.

I then sigh as I pass the bathroom mirror and into my closet to that mirror to try and find something to wear. Looking at my closet with all the pre-pregnancy clothes (most of I put in the basement) I have a short cry and then grab a pair of ugly grey or black sweatpants and a maternity shirt that no longer fits and my belly hangs out of the bottom. This usually takes a while because I'm in such denial about how big I really am thinking "oh my gosh I really can't fit this anymore".

Finally I am done. Exhausted I make my way back to the couch and take a nap.


---This is my routine to a tee. Hope you all enjoyed learning how a pregnancy shower works. I never before knew what it was like and wish I did ;)

That's all for now.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

3/7/09

Today was a good day. I woke up early b/c the sun is coming out earlier (until tomorrow when we change the clocks). Matt went to get a haircut this morning and when he got back we went to BestBuy and he bought a new monitor for his office. It's also going to be the tv for the office too. We also went to the Apple store to get something else he needed. After that we came home and then he set up his monitor and office stuff and also put a rug out in the office. I went out when he was done and cleaned it. It looks nice now. Then this afternoon we went to a nature preserve to go for a walk with Cali. She had lots of fun b/c we took her ball and the chuck-it to throw it really far. She's out now b/c she got so much exercise :).
We are thinking that the baby has dropped b/c I have a squishy spot under my boobs where the baby used to be. Looking in the mirror I can't really tell but Matt felt the squishy spot and said he thinks he has defiantly dropped down some. Hopefully it's not just wishful thinking :). I guess it really doesn't matter b/c the doctor said that dropping has nothing to do with the onset of labor. She said you can drop while in labor or drop weeks before. It just gives me reassurance that things are gonna happen sometime soon. :)
Well, the baby has hiccups and sitting the way I have to, to type on the computer, is making me feel them in my hipbone so that's it for now.

Friday, March 6, 2009

3/6/09

Yesterday we decided to invest in an exercise ball. This is supposed to be good to get the baby to drop down and get him ready to come out. Anything to help right now is appreciated. I am growing more and more uncomfortable everyday now. My body seems to be swelling little by little and I'm having trouble sleeping at night b/c the only thing I can sleep on is my sides and they are horribly uncomfortable now. I woke up today with my whole neck and head hurting for some reason.
So last night I bounced and bounced and rocked back and forth. I'm going to do the same today. Not sure if it will work or not but I'll try anything (except castor oil) about now.
We will be 38 weeks on Monday and have another doctor's appointment on Monday. Hopefully she tells me something positive about him coming out! We would be so happy!
Well I'm going to enjoy my nap today b/c I don't think i slept well last night. That's it for now.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

3/4/09

So I think the hemorrhoid is getting better...which is weird. But I did read that when the baby restricts the blood flow to that area that's when it happens and also just the weight of the uterus. So who knows. Maybe he moved. It's still there but seems better for some reason. :)
I cleaned today. Yes, again. Cali is a pig so it needed to be cleaned again. I usually really clean once a week. And today was the day. I did everything except Matt's office which I will do tomorrow.
Matt came home a little early today and we took Cali to the park, I mean swamp. Yes, it was like a swamp. It was filled with water and Cali basically went swimming :). She would run and you could see the water splashing behind her....like a car driving through puddles. She came home soaked! We spent like 10 mins outside drying her off. I was not about to let her go inside like that into my clean house :) It was actually kind of warm when the sun was out.
Tonight is going to be pizza night. My nights of pizza are numbered so tonight I'm eating it for one of my last nights ;) (the weight loss plan starts right after birth).
Well that's if for now. I have to go and tell Cali to stop barking through the window at her neighbor "boyfriend". His name is Coda and he's a golden retriever the same age as her. She just loves him to death. She's barking and shaking her hinee at him through the window while pawing at the window. So funny to see.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

3/3/09

So today I woke up with my very first hemorrhoid. Yep that's right.....a hemorrhoid. I couldn't believe it and didn't really know what it was until I thought about it. I read that it's from the pressure on my veins and lower area not getting enough blood and the pressure going high down there. It happens in late pregnancy with or w/out (in my case) constipation. I sure hope it goes away after but I have heard it will probably get worse after before it gets better. Oh well...the joys of motherhood have hit already :) My body will no longer be the same again ;) It's all worth it though.
Not much else going on today. I guess the hemorrhoid is enough. Matt just took Cali to the park. I stayed home to make sloppy joes for dinner and b/c it's raining out and the park is probably a mess. I'm sure they will have fun though.
Can't believe it's already March. The countdown has begun and I hope this kid comes out before any more hemorrhoids do! Hopefully he makes his exit soon! :)
Sorry if too much info for some of you. :) That's it for today.

Monday, March 2, 2009

3/2/09

Today we had our 37 week Dr's appt. It went well. I'm measuring 38 weeks but am only 37. She said this is fine though :). Heartbeat was great and the test came back that I am negative for Group B Strep. That is good b/c being negative means that I won't need to have antibiotics before and during labor. We were told that he could come anytime now b/c he's considered full-term after 37 weeks. That was exciting b/c I can't wait for him to be out! He's huge and so am I. ;) :) She didn't do a cervical exam today. She said that she usually waits until 38 weeks to do an exam if I want her to. I told her that yes next week I would want that....just to see if anything is progressing (hopefully). :)
Yesterday Matt and I went grocery shopping and to the pet store to get Cali's food. She has a sensitive stomach so she has to eat food for that. And you can only buy it at a couple of stores around here. She only eats that food with her vitamins and supplements daily and a couple of pupperoni's and that's it. If she gets any treats she gets diarrhea for 2 days. And that is not fun to deal with. She's pretty much a wild doggie right now b/c she's been caged up all night and then this morning while we were gone to our appt. It's raining again so she can't go play outside and that gets her pretty wild. Rain or shine we will probably take her to the park tonight for her exercise b/c she will need it.
Well, I made chili last night for dinner and I think I'm going to go and eat leftovers for lunch.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

2/28/09

It was about 68 degrees here today and very nice. We woke up and took Cali on a walk to the bagel shop and then went to the park for some ball with Cali. We talked about going to San Fran. today but decided that we would just go to a nature preserve and take a walk with Cali. The place is actually next to the hospital that I will be delivering at. Cali had lots of fun. She ran like crazy and came home a very tired doggy! :) Matt was a big help today. When we got back he cleaned the cat litter, brought up the rug from the basement that we are putting in our living room and then he vacuumed it. Then he took the car and got it cleaned inside and out and is now installing the car seat. He did a great job too! :) We are definitely ready now! That's it for now.

Friday, February 27, 2009

2/27/09

Today I took a great nap! It was about 2 hours and I slept great. The couch is the key. I think I sleep better on it for some reason. Matt came home a little early so we took Cali to the park for her daily exercise and then we walked downtown (3 blocks from our house) to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant. It is good and better than BD's Mongolian BBQ! You even get to make your own ice cream cone at the end. It's yummy. But then the walk home was a little hard and it took me longer to get home. I think the baby gained a pound at dinner. My skin feels like it's ready to POP! :) It's hard to believe that we only have 3 more weeks this coming Monday. We are so ready though. Not much going on tonight. Just hanging around home with the animals and Matt. :) That's it for now.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

2/26/09

Today I had to get the oil changed in our car. We have to take it to Acura b/c we've tried taking it to other places (the fast places) but they don't have the oil that is needed for our card. So, Acura seems to be the only place we can take it. The problem with going there is that it takes so long to get the oil changed (at least an hour). The Acura where we bought our car in Carmel, IN was so nice. They had nice chairs, free food, a room to go in if you wanted to sit at a desk for your laptops and was just all around nice. The one here...not so much. You basically sit in the service department and the place for the chairs is about 5 feet by 6 feet. It's tiny. I was amazed when I first took it there seeing the differences between the two places. This time the oil only took an hour so it was pretty fast :). Then I came home and went to Target. I stocked up on my cleaning supplies today. Then I came home and attempted to clean the hardwood floors again. They got a bit cleaner but I just can't manage to keep them clean. They are so much work :) It could be b/c I live with a dog, 2 cats and Matt :) None of them are particularly good at keeping it clean. It's ok though. I like cleaning...just don't like the floors b/c they take so many steps and so much maintenance.
The baby is doing good. He let me sleep last night so I was happy when I woke up :) Still can't wait until he makes his appearance.
Well that's it for now.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

2/25/09

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Didn't do much. We did go to the grocery store when Matt came home from work and to the park with Cali to get her daily exercise. I was pretty tired all day yesterday so I went to bed early but got up all the time to pee and was wide awake from 3:30-about 6am. Then I fell back asleep until about 7:30 and had to pee again :).
I cleaned again today. I know most people think I clean all the time but really it was dirty again. It's the animals that make it so dirty and I can't stand living in dirt. I always wanted hardwood floors and now that I have them I know what a pain they are to maintain. They get so dirty so fast. And you can't just mop them. You have to get the dust off first and then mop them. So it's two steps instead of just one with carpet. They do look nice right after they are cleaned but they don't stay that way very long :).
My belly button is officially out for good. It's been out on one side for awhile but now it sticks out on both. It's pretty weird to feel it. It's like a bubble :).
Well I think I'm going to take a nap finally. Hopefully I will be able to.

Monday, February 23, 2009

2/23/09

Today was our 36 week check-up. I'm still measuring a week big..measuring at 37 weeks. The baby's heartbeat sounded good and they also did the Group B Strep test today. We will know next week if I am positive for it. We asked when the baby will be circumcised and she said it would be the next day by the pediatrician at the hospital. We also asked how long I will stay in the delivery room before being moved to the maternity room and she said about an hour. The baby stays with us for the hour and then Matt goes with the baby to the nursery to help with the bath and baby assessments. He gets to stay with him the whole time so that's good b/c we aren't going to get the Hep B shot so he will be the one to tell the nurse not to do it. Then he brings the baby back to the maternity room where I will be moved to. We also asked about the epidural and if I decide to get one when that would be if I wanted it. (some dr's make you wait until a certain dilation). She said if I decided to have it I could have it right away if I wanted it which made me happy ;). I can't wait until he comes out b/c I'm so uncomfortable right now. I feel like I can't breath and am just huge. I am ready to get him out :) I asked the doc what would happen if he didn't come at 40 weeks and she said we could start talking eviction (induction) anytime after 40 weeks if we wanted to. I never thought I would want to be induced until now and when I can't imagine being pregnant that long! :)
We went to the park with Cali this evening. Then we came back and Kitty escaped to the next door neighbors porch. (the gardeners must have left the side gate open and he found a way out) :)
Well that's if for now. I'm going to watch tv and get ready for bed early (I'm exhausted and haven't really done anything). The joys of being huge :)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

2/22/09

Yesterday I spent cleaning Matt's office and some of the house. I just can't seem to get things clean enough. I've read that this is a good sign that labor is coming soon. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks because I'm getting miserable! Everything hurts and is sore now. And when I wake up from sleeping my whole body hurts. I can't wait for the little guy to be out and for me to start getting my body back again! :) The hugeness of pregnancy is no fun.
We got Cheesecake Factory carry out last night. That was yummy. It's kinda funny how I'm always checking my Facebook now and we just drive right past it going to Palo Alto to Cheesecake Factory :).
Matt took Cali to the park just now. (it's 9:00am here). She was wild and I'd had enough of her so he took her to run her energy off. She wakes up every day a holly terror. But after her exercise she is fine. (or at least tolerable). It looks like they are probably getting rained on b/c it just started raining again. The other day we were watching the news and the emergency alert system came on and said "severe weather" and it was just raining ;) Matt and I laughed so hard at that. People in CA don't know what severe is! :) So funny.
Today we are going to exchange our baby gates b/c one of our cats can jump them. We have to get taller ones so that they can't get in and smother the little guy! :) Hopefully we can find one that works.
We have our 36 week check up tomorrow. They were supposed to do my Group B Strep test last week but since we saw a different doc last week I think they are going to do it tomorrow. That's the test that they do to see if you are positive for the Strep bacteria in your intestines. Apparently it's very common and 40% of all women have it. They just give you antibiotics before you deliver and you are fine. It doesn't hurt adults but can hurt a newborn. Apparently it's just a bacteria you can get from food, water and etc and you don't even know you have it b/c it doesn't cause any harm.
Well, it's off to the shower for me.

Friday, February 20, 2009

2/20/09

I just got done putting music on the baby's IPOD. His IPOD is actually just Matt's old IPHONE (he and I both got the new ones) but he did get a new IPOD cradle for it. It is a cool one....looks like LEGOS! :) I love it. I put all the kids music I could find on it! A lot of it I had from working with Megan. She used to love music so I had a lot of kids songs already downloaded.
Went to the park with Cali and Matt. Cali had fun and is now sleeping on the couch :) Kitty is sitting on the baby's tummy time gym on the floor like he is a baby :).
Well, that's it for now. Looking forward to this weekend. Going to go and eat some left over lasagna now :)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

2/19/09

The past couple of days have been cleaning days for me. Even Cali got cleaned :) Matt gave her a bath last night. She was so dirty from the rain. It has actually rained here for the past week or so about everyday. Today was the first day of sun with no rain in awhile. Most people wouldn't like it that it has rained non stop but I do b/c in a month or two we won't have anymore rain until November. Today was a very nice day though with temps around almost 70. It's gonna be like that for the next 3 days. Then I think it's supposed to cool off to the 60's and rain for the weekend. Still not too bad of temps.
Our to-do list is getting shorter by the day. It only has a few odds and ends on it. On Monday we will have our 36 week check-up with the doctor. It's coming down to the wire and we are ready! :) It's just a waiting game now!
I had to take a nap today b/c I am peeing a lot more during the night. About every hour or so I get up to pee and it actually wakes me up out of my sleep. I am lucky though b/c most of the time I can go right back to sleep.
I called Viacord today to ask about our cord blood banking box that Cali ate the corner out of and they said that it should be fine. I'm glad I called though b/c I would have hated to get there and them say "we can't use this". At least now I know that it will be ok :)
Well, I'm making lasagna again (a pregnancy fav. of ours) so that's it for now.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

2/17/09

We just got back from the doctor's today. I am measuring 36 weeks so we went for an ultrasound to see how much the baby is weighing currently. The ultrasound was awesome b/c the doctor went into detail showing us all of the anatomy. He said the baby is very symmetrical looks very healthy. We got to see the little guy practicing his breathing, vernix floating in his fluid, his fluid level which was great and we got to see that he was going to pee b/c his bladder was full. :) The doctor said that the baby is measuring 36.5 weeks and is weighing in at a whopping 6lbs 4oz right now. Technically he could gain 1/2 lb a week putting him at 8.5 lbs at 40 weeks! He's a big boy! ;)
So it was a great day seeing the baby again! :) That's it for now!

Monday, February 16, 2009

2/16/09

So I didn't write yesterday so I have 2 days to write today ;) My mom and I painted the tree on the nursery wall. Matt had to project it onto the wall and we traced the outline and then painted it. It turned out really nice! Then we put the baby's name in wall letters over the top of it! It hangs right above the changing table. I love it! I must say we did a really good job! :) My mom also got to go with Matt and I to our hospital tour yesterday. It was fun b/c we got to see everything from the L&D rooms to the maternity rooms. They showed us all the equipment and answered any questions we might have. There was probably 15 couples on the tour with us and it was put on my the midwives in our office. I'm glad we went b/c now we know what to expect and also b/c my mom got to see where the hospital was.
Today has been kind of a lazy day for me. We had to take my mom to the airport in San Fran. this morning at 4am. So I came back and slept. Matt couldn't go back to sleep so he's been wiring our outside office/bedroom for internet and making it into his office since I kicked him out of the nursery :) He's been making due with the basement but now he's moving into a better place.
Well I think that's it for now.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Matt's baby pic compared to the ultrasound


2/14/09

Today was so much fun. My mom is here and we went to our 3d/4d 34.5 week ultrasound. The baby looks so much like Matt. It's amazing how much. We compared Matt's baby pic with our ultrasound and it's so similar he could be Matt's clone! It was fun though. He didn't have much room to move around and had his hands in front of his face most of the time but we did get some good ones. He's a very cute baby! :)
We also sketched the tree on the nursery wall and we will paint it tomorrow. Matt projected it on the wall and my mom and I sketched it. We are very excited to paint it. Tomorrow we have our hospital tour so that should be fun!
Cali has a cough today. We think it's kennel cough. Nothing too big to be worried about. From what we have found out it will just pass in a week or so. It's a dry cough and she sounds like she's got asthma but I think it's a cough. It's only every once in awhile too. She's fine other than that though :). She went to the park 2 times today so that made her happy! :)
Well that's it for now. I'm going to bed :)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

2/12/09

We had our 34.5 week Dr. appt. today. Doctor said the baby sounds very happy so that was a good thing. She also said that my tummy was very "solid"...whatever that means. I guess I thought that pregnant women are supposed to have "solid tummies". Who knows. She also said that she's not sure if the baby is head down or not but she thinks so. The reason being is that she said that where his butt should be is very hard. We will find out on Saturday when we go to our 4d ultrasound. We can't wait. We also can't wait for my mom to come tomorrow night. She hasn't seen any of our baby stuff yet (besides the stuff we got at our shower that we had shipped here) so I'm very excited to show her everything. It will be a short trip (only the weekend and she leaves on Monday morning) but just having a couple of days to show her everything will be great. We also have a hospital tour on Sunday that she gets to go with us to. We get to see the delivery rooms and the after delivery rooms. Looking forward to that too. And my mom and I are going to paint a tree on the nursery wall. So that should be fun! Can't wait until she comes!
Cali got some new toys today. She just loves getting new toys. She's like a kid when she finds something new in her toy basket. Matt's parents dog likes worn in toys.....not Cali....she would be happy with a new toy everyday if she could have it. So when she gets something new it keeps her busy for a long time. It's great! She's sitting here beside me right now licking her new ball-bone-squeaky toy like it's the best thing in the world. I think she's grooming it or something. Who knows but it keeps her busy and that makes me happy! ;) :)
Well that's it for now. I'm making lasagna so we are going to eat now.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

2/11/09

Today was very productive! I cleaned all day long. Now I'm paying the price for it with sore feet and a sore back but it was well worth it. Everything is done before my mom comes except a few odds and ends but the big cleaning is done! I just love having a clean house. I found a new cleaning item that I love. I usually only buy natural or organic cleaning products but I broke down and tried something probably full of chemicals. It was the Magic Eraser and I just have to say it is truly Magic!!! I love it and was amazed by how well it cleaned everything from walls to baseboards and even the bathtub! I highly recommend it to anyone! Matt was a big help today too. He cleaned the cat litter and took down the doors to the closets that I wanted him to take off so we can have extra room and gave Cali a bath! :) She was outside most of the day playing in the backyard which is mud b/c of all the rain so she was filthy. Matt is a great doggie bath giver!
We were supposed to have a doctors appt. today but she canceled b/c of an emergency c-section. So, we are rescheduled for tomorrow morning. I'm excited to go b/c I have some questions for her this time. Either the baby has dropped or he's huge b/c my pelvis aches and so do my legs. My lower back is hurting too so I'm just wondering if he maybe dropped. Who knows b/c I still have horrible heartburn so maybe he's just huge! :)
Matt went to get Olive Garden for dinner b/c there is no way I can cook now after cleaning all day. I can barely walk to the bathroom to pee (my feet hurt so bad). Olive Garden sounds good....I love their salads! Well, I think that's it for now.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

2/10/09

I cleaned blinds and windows today. Not a fun job but it had to be done. And now that it is done I am happy. I also did half of my dusting. It seems that I can't just do all the cleaning in one day like I used to do. I have to break it all up throughout 3 days or so. Either way it gets done :). Matt just went to Lowes and got new blinds for the office windows. We got them at Walmart a couple of days ago but they didn't fit so he took those back and got ones cut from Lowes. Today I've felt very achey all over. We got to the doctor tomorrow so I'll be sure to ask her if this is normal. Well, that's it for now. Going to eat! Yeah I'm starving!

Monday, February 9, 2009

2/9/09

Today wasn't as productive as the weekend was. I cleaned a little and then took a well needed nap. Woke up with a headache though....that seems to happen now when I take naps. Matt and I took Cali to the park. She had fun. She's getting to the point on the way home we can take her leash off and she will walk beside us. She's no where near close to being able to do that on the way there. She would run all the way there if we took it off then :). I made homemade macaroni and cheese tonight for dinner. It was good. Matt loved it. He ate 3 plates full. :) Nothing else going on besides feeling huge! My legs and "everything else" is getting hard to shave now too. Matt said he would do it if I needed him to. I don't think that will be necessary :) That's it for now.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

2/8/09

Today we went to the beach in Half Moon Bay. We took Cali....She loves the beach. Loves to play ball and frisbee and it's good b/c it wears her out pretty quickly. It wasn't hot, it never is there (about 60 degrees year round at that beach). It's weird b/c in the summertime it can be 20 degrees warmer 2 miles away from the ocean. The temps here in the summer are all crazy. You can drive 5 miles in any different direction and experience 10-20 degrees of a difference. You never quite know how to dress.
After the beach we came home and went to Babies R Us and bought a breast pump. Matt was very excited about getting it so he can feed the baby. I was equally as happy b/c then I can maybe get some sleep while he feeds the baby :). Then we went to a PetStore and got Cali some new balls since Matt chucked one onto a cliff at the beach. After that we came home and took a nap before our birthing class tonight.
Our birthing class is almost over...next week is our last one. It's kinda good b/c it's getting really hard to sit on the floor for 2.5 hrs. I get so uncomfortable sitting there b/c certain positions make me have to pee all the time. The class is pretty fun though. We go through just about everything to do with labor and after and watch a few short videos sometimes. Tonight we watched one about some elk, yes elk, that gave birth with epidurals. It was a cartoon talking about the pros and cons of epidurals. It was quite comical but mostly it was just against epidurals.
We just got done watching the 60 mins with the flight crew from the airplane that crashed. It was pretty good. Now we're going to watch Big Love and I can't wait. It's a weird show but we love it :) That's all for now.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

2/7/09

Today was a very productive day.  We drove to Gilroy to go to Super Walmart.  We have to drive 45 mins away just to find a supercenter.  It's very frustrating but I'm slowly getting used to not having many big stores around here.  And the ones we do have are so crowded you never want to step foot in one :).  Especially Walmart.  So we drove to Gilroy and it was well worth it.  On the way there Cali (our dog) decided she wanted to start eating our cord blood banking (viacord) box that is in the car with the other bags for the hospital while we weren't looking (she was in the back of the car with the seats down).  Matt thinks it is fine while I on the other hand am going to call them and or ask the doctor if the box is still ok.  Then on the way back Matt decided he wanted to let her walk around outside and see if she needed to go potty and she bolted without the leash on into a muddy field.  Needless to say her paws were caked with mud and now our car is caked with mud :).  That dog is a handful sometimes.  
Matt put up the roman blinds in the nursery and they look good but one seems to be cut incorrectly and is defective.  It's not even, coming down the side, so you see part of the window.  It's not "that" noticeable so we aren't sure what we are going to do.  Those blinds were on backorder from Pottery Barn and took 3 months to get here.  Who knows what we will do.  He also put up the baby gates (actually cat and dog gates) in the nursery door and our room door so that the animals can't get in.  And he put up our no soliciting sign on our door so we won't get anymore shady people.  (We get at least 3 a day).  He did a great job!  :)  He likes to call it his "chore list" but he does a great job at completing it!! ;)  
Well right now I'm making dinner so that's it for now.

Friday, February 6, 2009

2/6/09 #2

I had to comment on the Octuplets birth in Southern CA.  It's been bothering me since the story was released and I am pretty sick of hearing people's hate and general mean spiritedness comments on their birth or where they came from.  It's not pretty what you see on many comment sections ranging from blaming fertility drugs for the worlds overpopulation problems to criticizing women who use fertility drugs instead of adopting and calling them selfish.  Some people are saying women shouldn't be allowed to use fertility drugs b/c of the large number of multiple births when in fact this is the minority.  Women walk into a fertility clinic seeking one baby and one baby only and the doctors try for one baby.  A lot get no babies at all, some get one (like my husband and I did) and a set few get more than one.  Most clinics will only "transfer" not "implant" (the media and the woman who had the 8 babies keeps saying) 2 at the most.  The people who are commenting on most of the websites are probably insensitive, uneducated and spewing hate b/c they have nothing better to do.  Seeking treatment for infertility is a right any woman should have and it is not selfish to do so.  The people who are judging fertility patients for wanting a biological child need to get educated on the fertility process.  What has happened is rare.  It is a gamble walking into a clinic but when you are faced with not being able to conceive you take that gamble.  It is a natural desire to want your own child.  Adopting is a beautiful thing but not for everyone.  You can't judge until in that position.  And the overpopulation problem isn't due to the small number of families that decide to do fertility treatments.  Our country is flooded by immigrants everyday that we as a country pay for and provide services too.  I will not judge these people for wanting a better life for their children and themselves but when people judge fertility patients for "overpopulating" then you really need to look at reality.  Fertility patients are not our problem.  Most of them have enough money to provide for their children or they wouldn't have had the money to do the treatments in the first place.  It seems that this woman is being judged b/c she is a single mom and raising children on her own.  Personally I think she has too many kids too but that's not to say that for her that number is fine.  I question what treatments she did have b/c this has not been clearly mentioned yet.  I would love to hear the doctor that treated her and know exactly what she did.  Until then, I will not judge her and just hope all of her babies are staying healthy.  

2/6/09

I got some sleep last night so that was exciting.  I think I only pee'd 5 times so I slept more than usual! :)  Woke up and it's raining again.  Very exciting b/c it doesn't rain here very often and it's rained 2 days in a row!  I miss rain here in the summer b/c it's like a desert here minus the super hot temps.  It's actually hotter in Indiana in the summer.  
Matt came home with flowers for no reason yesterday.  I just love it when he does those things :).  They were a spring mix of flowers.  Very Pretty.  
This weekend is going to be busy.  We are going to put up our roman blinds for the nursery, get our ottoman, which should be in today, take down and replace the blinds in our outside office building, put up baby gates for the animals so they can't get into our room and the nursery anymore, go to our birthing class, I've got pre-natal yoga and I'm going to clean.  It should be a good fun weekend though.  
The baby had big hiccups yesterday.  You could really feel the jolt of the hiccup when he did it.  He might have been laying in a different position when it happened.  My belly button has come out on the left side only now.  It might be b/c of my gall bladder scar in my belly button that it happened that way.  Just weird that only half of it came out :)  It feels funny to touch too....Kinda like a bubble.  
Ok that's enough for now.  Gotta go control my crazy dog. :)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

2/4/09

I'm feeling bigger every day now.  I looked down while at the park yesterday and realized I can no longer see my feet while standing.  :)  The baby seems to be running out of space too.  When he moves he really moves and I can really feel it.  Sometimes it's enough to get an "ouch" out of me.  He also has hiccups about 3-4 times a day now.  Matt and I love to get the stethoscope out and listen to him while he hiccups.  It sounds and feels like a fast pulse.  You can feel him doing it if you put your hand on my tummy.  It usually lasts about 5 mins.  We also tried to figure out where he was laying last night.  His head seems to be down by my left hip bone and his knees and feet are in my right ribs.  The last time we were at the doctor she found the heartbeat on my left side below my belly button.  We are definitely getting really excited for him to get here.  We also got our roman blinds from Pottery Barn in the mail today.  Matt just has to hang them up and the room is complete except we are still waiting on our ottoman.  It should be here this Friday.  He is also going to put baby gates in the doorways of our bedroom and the nursery so that the animals can't get in the rooms.  Well, I think that's it for today!