Today was my second two-week baby doctor appointment. Another one in two more weeks and then I'll go every week. I didn't gain any weight since the last time and my blood pressure was excellent like always. The baby's heartbeat was about the same as it always is. I got a list of peds (pedes?) from the doctor so I'm going to find one that way instead of calling everyone in the phone book labeled MD.

After my appointment Boots and I went to see some friends of ours and their baby who was born around lunch today. She's so little and cute! Bonus: I didn't pass out even though all the machines beeping kinda freaks me out.

Disgruntled

This blue tub was supposed to be getting painted white today.  The man called and cancelled AGAIN!  We've been waiting for two months.  I guess the $1500 we're throwing at him is not enough to get his attention.  Perhaps a bad review will.

If you're in the market to get your tub painted I can tell you who NOT to call!

33w1d

I fell asleep on the couch before 8 o'clock last night so I'm a day late again.

This week the kid is supposed to be the size of a pineapple. I like pineapple. Pineapples are pokey though, which kinda fits because he/she has been jabbing me in the ribs for at least three hours tonight.

Baby doctor appointment tomorrow, baby shower at church Sunday.

32w1d

Pictures are a day late this week. I didn't have time yesterday morning before work and then I was too tired after work since I worked late. But you don't care, right? A photo is a photo, even if it's a day late!

Check out my shirt. I'm starting to look like one of those guys you see in tv shows that live in a trailer park and answer the door with a beer in their hand.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous. I'm not nervous really. I'm scared something bad will happen and I'll have to have a C-section. (not the end of the world I know, but not what I want) I'm feeling overwhelmed by my to-do list that ain't getting done and I feel like I'm running out of time. (I AM running out of time!)

I got some new (to me) baby furniture this week, but have barely had time to look at it when I walk by it, much less clean it up and bring it inside. I'm excited to get to work on those two pieces whenever I get an off day!

I had the most absurd/scary baby dream so far last night. In my dream, I woke up in the trailer my family lived in when I was in high school and someone handed me a tiny baby boy, eight hours old. Apparently, he was mine and had been born in a similar manner to how they knocked you completely out in the fifties and when you came to, "Look! Your baby!" I was upset because I'd missed him being born and didn't get the chance to feed him right away. He was screaming his head off, badly needing a diaper change but there was not a single diaper in the house! The whole time, my mom is holding his two week-older sister. Bizarre.

Reading Material

  What does it take to get ready for a baby?  Most normal people think about things like cribs, diapers, how they're going to feed it, and maybe buying a few tiny baby outfits.  When I found out I was pregnant, I thought, "I have so many books to read!"

  As my husband will attest, I want to know everything there is to know about how to do something and the right way to do it.  (This bugs the crap out of him, mainly when it comes to home improvement stuff I know nothing (initially) about.)  So when I set out to have this baby I started with a huge list of books.

  I have compiled for you all the baby-type books I have and read, and a list of ones I want to read and haven't yet all in one neat little post with links in case you want to look at the covers or find where to buy them for yourself.  If you're not into books, feel free to skip this one.

  After hearing about it from Natalie I knew this was one I had to read.  It's the first book I bought.  I like the concept behind it and can't wait (yes I can) to try it out on my own bean.  Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

  This book I got from my online book club (www.paperbackswap.com) a good ten months before I even found out I was pregnant.  Let's call it foreshadowing.  Or extreme preparedness.  What to Expect When You're Expecting

  This book was given to me by a friend the night I took the pregnancy test.  The same friend that twisted my arm into buying that pregnancy test.  All three of them.  Thank you.  :)  Your Pregnancy & Birth

  This book was given to me by my insurance company after I signed up for a free wellness program they asked me to participate in.  I read a little of it but, it will probably be more useful to me later.  Taking Care of Your Child: A Parent's Illustrated Guide to Complete Medical Care

  My mom gave me this book within a week after she found out I was pregnant.  I've enjoyed reading it week by week.  Birth Right, God's Plan for Your Pregnancy Journey

  When Boots and I went to the beach at the beginning of August we stopped at a Books-A-Million and bought this book and read through all the girl names on the five hour ride home.  We found six we liked.  Still haven't made it through all the boys yet.  100,000 Plus Baby Names

  For Christmas, my co-workerfriend gave me HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method (it has a relaxation CD!) and Preparation for Birth: The Complete Guide to the Lamaze Method. 

  The book I recently bought and am still reading is Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.  This book was recommended to me by my mom the day she found out I was pregnant.

  On my "Want to Read" list: 

Unbound Birth: How to Have a Natural Birth in the Hospital

Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby's First Year

Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods - and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater

The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook: 130 Recipes That Will Help Your Baby Learn to Eat Solid Foods - and That the Whole Family Will Enjoy

  Phew!  Are you suffering eyestrain from imagining me doing all that reading?  I love it though.  Now imagine all these books stacked up by my side of the bed and falling over every couple of days!

  **Disclaimer: Amazon doesn't know my name!  (Although if they did, would I get free books?)  Don't call them up fussing because I linked to books they sell!  I'm lazy and this was the easiest way to find them!**

  P.S.  Any books you think I should read that I've missed???

Baby Doctor

Today's appointment went very well besides the fact I forgot to collect my specimen and gave them two drops that barely covered the bottom of the cup. The nurse said my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat were fine.  The doctor measured my belly and declared everything to be right on schedule.

I asked my loaded questions and got the answers I'd hoped to hear, hopefully truthful.  The doctor said it was up to me as far as medications go and that when I'm admitted they'll ask me my choices.  He said a woman had a baby naturally two days ago and its not very common but not unheard of.

I didn't ask him about how soon the cord would be cut, guess I'll save that for my next appointment in two weeks.  Time is winding down.

31 Weeks

I'm a day late posting this. I should have written it yesterday, but I just ran out of time.

Boots snapped a few hurried pictures of me after I didn't do my hair (it's been raining a week straight, can't fight the frizzies) and before we ran off to town. We stopped at the rug store and bought (surprise!) a rug for the baby. Can't wait to roll that baby out and stare at it. Then we hopped over to the phone store and I finally got a new phone. This one gets picture messages and has a camera/video camera that's really going to come in handy when the kid gets here. Then after a quick bite at the mall and fast looks at "too big for infant" clothes in two kids stores we schlepped off to baby class #3: Caring for Your Infant.

You saw the picture of Boots and the plastic doll, right? So silly.

We watched another graphic video, I think I'm getting desensitized to nekkid "bottle" parts which is probably a good thing since baby class #4 is Intro to Breastfeeding. And the teacher said I need to bring Boots! Really?

She was serious; apparently he has a part in this too, although I'm having a hard time imaging what.

I briefly spoke to another girl that is hoping to have an unmedicated birth on her way out the door after class was over. Wish we'd of had more time to talk. (The nurse/teacher {different one this time} is so prodrugs it ain't funny. She joked that she wanted her epidural before she got to the hospital. Probably not a joke though.)

Back to 31 weeks! This past week I experienced something I have never before been through ever in my entire life: the heartburn. It's so gross. Like a cold, burning sensation in the back of my throat that makes me wanna laugh at the carpet. I've been eating chalky antacids like they're candy (tropical berry, tastes pretty good actually) and no matter what I eat I can't sleep at night. The first night I seriously thought I might die. Besides Rolaids, what else spells relief?

Sometimes I swear this kid can do the splits. I'll feel two bumps in completely opposite corners, think left ribs and right hip, at the same time. Or maybe he's kicking and fist bumping. Tonight it feels like he's trying to kangaroo kick his way out of my belly button. (I don't know he's a he, I'm just guessing.)

Tomorrow is another baby doctor appointment and the day Rachel asks all the questions she should have asked at the very beginning but didn't know to. Big day!

Caring for Your Infant

Big news!  I got a new phone!  This picture is the first one I took with this new phone.  Expect a post on how the class went and a 31 weeks update tomorrow.  And, I'm on instagram now.  Follow me @eatingcrowpie.

Getting Ready for Something We Know Nothing (really) About

Yesterday morning, Boots and I went to our Preparing for Childbirth class at the hospital we plan to have our baby at. I went to work for an hour (we're insanely busy right now!) then met him there just before the three hour class started. We had the same instructor as last time, but two other couples and one girl with her mom that we'd never met before. One of the couples has the same due date as our baby, too.

We started out by going through a book that the hospital provided and listening to the instructor as she shared some general information about labor and delivery and the process of being admitted if the birth isn't scheduled. None of this information was new to me since I've already read several books about childbirth and have at least one more to go.

After a bathroom break (pregnant women always gotta go!) she cranked up the overhead projector and without any "graphic images and nudity" warning at all we were watching a video about four different pregnant women and their labors and deliveries and got clear shots of their nekkid lady parts. Yikes.

I hate watching tv shows and videos of this stuff. Why do all these women look like somebody taped them to the stripe in the middle of the interstate and let 70,000 18 wheelers run over them? Are they putting on for the camera? Somehow, I don't think that's how it really happens. Why would you want to have a camera crew in your general area when you're having a baby, much less "in your business"? Ay yi yi......

She asked for questions several times and although I had several I wanted to ask I got the feeling that people not as crunchy as me, i.e. everyone, weren't going to find them very beneficial.

Like, "Why can't I have anything to eat or drink?" I knew the answer would be "because you'll aspirate and DIE!" You're allowed ice chips and water from the time you're admitted until the baby is born. You can have suckers and hard candy in your mouth, but that's it. In the event of an emergency, I am not worried about aspirating and dying. In the event of a non-emergency in which I can't eat for-let's guess a nice, round 12 hours- I am worried about my sugar getting low, getting the shakes, puking everywhere, and then having some sort of "get the baby out fast" emergency. I can't go long periods of time with having something to eat. How am I supposed to live?

About five minutes into the book information I kind of got the vibe that the hospital is very pro-drugs. They make more money off of you that way, right? They have to. There was much talk about different types of pain relief meds and only a few little words about "going natural" and "you'll need to learn relaxation techniques." That's it. That's all she had to say about that. Apparently, when someone's arm gets gripped and "give me the meds!" is shouted through clenched teeth they have no qualms about administering the drugs. There was never any mention at all about how all that crap affects the baby. Zero. None.

After the video we packed into the elevator and rode upstairs to what I call "the baby floor." We toured the labor, delivery, and recovery room where the baby will be born and then the OB room where you spend the rest of your time after the baby is born. Barring any complications, you're "released" when the baby is 48 hours old. We peeked in the nursery at two fairly fresh babies and looked in the waiting rooms filled with bored people. We didn't go to the operating room (yay!) where the emergencies happen or the NICU where the sick babies are (double yay!).

And that concluded our class. I got what I ultimately wanted (tour of the facilities), but left with lots of questions. The man's role was never mentioned. Is this something Boots is supposed to just show up to and watch? I've read about how the "support person" is going to be your best asset, but when will he learn that? Does instinct take over at some point and he'll become my shining knight in the LDR room?

Don't get all up in arms because I didn't ask the lady my questions. I'm saving them for the doctor when I go Thursday. Hope he's ready. I'll be packing a birth plan.


**I realize that the hippie way is not for everyone and that I'm weird (ask my uncle) and anyone that wants to have a baby without meds is crazy (ask my aunt.) If you're reading this and feeling slightly (or majorly) offended, that was not my intention. To each his (her) own. Your choice is your choice, regardless of what you choose. I'm not trying to make anybody mad, I'm just sharing what's in my head in my space of the Internet. Disclaimer, over and out!**

Our Crib (Not MTV)

30 Weeks

Holy cow, 30 weeks. I think back and 20 weeks ago I said with a sigh, "Only ten weeks?" Now I feel like, "Only ten weeks!" Yikes!

The baby is the size of a cabbage and I feel like I must be the cabbage patch itself.

This kid's new favorite hang-out is underneath my ribs on the right side. Not so comfortable, truthfully.

Sometimes I wonder just what the kid is going to think of me.

Yep.

"The experience has been likened to having built a boat in the basement and then wondering how you will get it out."

--Preparation for Birth, The Complete Guide to the Lamaze Method by Beverly Savage and Diana Simkin

Stereotypical

I just ate pickles and then ice cream.

He laughs!

I slept late yesterday morning since it was my first real day off in two weeks. I was tired. The night before, I laid on the couch watching tv and watching my belly move from the kicks from the little person inside.

It must have stuck with me because I dreamed about being hugely pregnant and going to the baby doctor with my mom. The nurses laid me on a big table and pulled my shirt up to check out my belly. The baby's face was so close to my skin that I could see the little facial features and even tell that he (I could see that, too!) had really dark brown hair and was laughing and talking. I could hear him!

Is that not crazy or what?

P.S. I was worried about whether or not to tell Boots that it was a boy. ;)

29 Weeks

Resolutions 2013

In the past, I've made a few resolutions that I thought were pretty good.  This year I'm keeping it simple: raise the baby.  That's it.  I figured that'd be hard enough.