Week 35 -- Happy 35/35!!!

Today I am 35 weeks pregnant and I have only 35 days until our due date! It seems to be both an interminable period and like it will just fly by. We still have so much to do.

Well, we got one thing out of the way this weekend, and that was our childbirth class. Yes, the instructor actually showed up this time. Though not without informing us that she was actually the director of the program and our usual instructor was now no longer with the program. Hmm....I wonder why? The class is a one day intensive class that's 9 hours long with some breaks. For the most part, Rob and I found it pretty informative, if unnecessarily long. The regular classes are about six weeks long for three hours each. We never would have made it through that. Of course, most of the information, I was already aware of, due to my reading up on all this stuff. And neither of us process information well by having someone just talk at us. We both like to read. So Rob read through all the hand outs and booklets that we were given at the class, and he felt pretty set from those. The most helpful part was probably the hospital tour. We found out where we come in and when and got a look at the rooms (though I had already seen one of the labor and delivery rooms). Of course, the best part of the class is that it was free, because of the debacle two weeks ago.

I have to give a shout out to the woman sitting next to me during the class, who wins the award for the stupidest question asked in 9 hours. She asked whether, when you have a c-section, they remove your organs and your intestines and then put them back in after they remove the baby. That was quite entertaining. I now have a visual of the doc pulling your intestines out hand over hand like a clown pulling handkerchiefs out of his mouth.

After all the shower excitement, I felt like Bagel and I were getting so spoiled, but we were even more spoiled this past week. My coworkers surprised me with a mini shower when we were down in Richmond for our hearing! Bagel got his tummy time mat (Monkey Island!) and a gift card and a really cute and snuggly outfit. It was so nice of them to do that. Despite the fact that there isn't a whole lot going on in Richmond, Bagel and I had a nice time down there. We ate lots of fried green tomatoes and even had some fried okra to almost rival Mimi's. While Bagel isn't keen on vegetables, he seems to enjoy the fried part quite a bit. :)

This week, Bagel is continuing to fatten up like Hansel and Gretel. His body has gone from 2% fat at about mid-pregnancy to more like 15% fat. Can't wait to cuddle that chub. We learned at the childbirth class that one reason I am continuing to fatten up as well is to grow some fat stores to get me through labor, since the lame doctors won't let me eat. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not do well with not eating. So I'll try to pack on some poundage to get me and Bagel through the horrific time when I can't eat anything. Bagel is still rocking the honeydew size. He's about 5.5 pounds this week (allegedly). He is still quite active, and I can feel his little feet pushing out quite a bit on my right side.

Next week will be quite exciting. I'll have my first internal exam at the doctor's, and then I start weekly appointments.

I know you guys feel so spoiled as well with all the pictures I posted from the shower, but I'm feeling just so generous. Here are some belly shots that Aunt Julie took at the shower. So these are 33 (almost 34 week) shots.

Here is Bagel with a few bites of his namesake:



And here, I'm showing Bagel how much I love him:

Week 34.2 -- Shower Time!

As promised, here are some pics from the shower last weekend:


Mmmmm....cake love. It was delicious! We had a fantastic spread:


There was lots of family in attendance:






And good friends:




We played the toilet paper game, where they tried to guess how rotund I've gotten:


Lynn won!


We also played a game where everyone brought a children's book and I had to guess who brought which book. It was so hard!


We also decorated some adorable onesies for the Bagel. Well, other people decorated adorable onesies. Mine were terrible. Thankfully, there are no pictures of those.






And everyone brought wonderful gifts for Bagel.






I know that last pic was blurry. But it's a good belly shot. I'd love to say that Bagel loved all the attention, but he slept through most of it. Stinker.

Week 34 -- Bagel is Showered With Love

At our baby shower! We had such an exciting and exhausting week/weekend. Grandma and Grandpa were here for a visit, which was all kinds of fun, and now they're off jaunting around Italy. Such a rough life.

Saturday was the baby shower, and it was fantastic. Thanks to Grandma and Aunt Julie for a fun and delicious shower. We had great food, fun games, and lots of time spent with family and friends. Everyone got to guess how fat I am now, and everyone brought a book for Bagel and I had to guess who brought which book. I was terrible at that game. But now we have some great books. We also decorated onsies. You can tell which ones I made, because they're awful. You can tell which ones Julie and Kate made, because they're awesome. Bagel got some wonderful gifts, including several adorable outfits, a car seat, snuggly blankets, and a hand knitted hat, kimono, and blanket from Auntie Laura, which are beautiful.

I know you're all scrolling down, looking for the pictures. They're coming! I'll update with pics later when I get them from Jules. She chronicled the day with her fancy camera and even took some cool belly shots of me. I'll put them in a separate post, even. :)

I also had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Well, it was supposed to be a doctor's appointment, but my doc was stuck in the OR, and my appointment was with the nurse/midwife in the practice instead. I had never met with her before. She. Is. AWESOME. She just spent way more time with me than a doctor ever would. We took a listen to Bagel's heartbeat, and she stayed on it for a good long while, because she could tell I was enjoying it. He was thump thumping along at 141 bpm. She also took the time to point out where all his little parts were in there. She showed me where his head was (still down!), and his little tush, and his kicky feet. Then we went in her office to discuss my questions and whatnot.

Apparently, in August, my platelets were 138K. The midwife said that's ok, and they'll test again next appointment, since they'll be taking blood then anyway. My next appointment is in two weeks, and it's going to be a biggie. That's when they start doing internal exams to check how things are progressing and when he might come out (even though it doesn't really tell you when he's ready to come out -- he'll get here when he gets here). They'll test me for a bunch of stuff too. The midwife suggested that, at 36 weeks, I start taking Evening Primrose Oil. It's supposed to soften things up for the baby to come out. She said it shortens labor. Bring it on! After that appointment, I'll be seeing the doctor weekly. I've already set up all my appointments through November 4th (in case Bagel decides to show up late to the party). I can't believe it's all flying by this quickly!

This week, Bagel is still rocking the honeydew, which we enjoyed at the shower. He's also about the size of a 5 lb bag of flour. So we could make bagels out of Bagel. But please don't.

He might be so big now that he's taking up all the available space in there and can't just float around. He might even be all tucked up. I don't think he is though, because I can feel his little feet all stretching out into my ribs (fun!). This week, his adrenal glands are producing hormones and his skin is becoming less red and wrinkly as he fattens up. Also, his testicles are probably descending this week. What a milestone! I'm still waiting on mine.

Week 33 -- Silbley FAIL...and WIN!

I was looking forward to logging on yesterday and blogging about our super special one day intensive labor and childbirth class at the hospital where Bagel will come into the world. On Sunday, Rob and I got up super early for our 9 am class because the national triathalon was that day and totally blocking all the roads to the hospital (AWESOME). We got there at about 10 minutes before class started and were the only ones there. Couples started to trickle in. And trickle in. And wait around. And get restless. And wonder where the hell the instructor was. And complain to hospital personnel.

About half the men felt they needed to "do something." So they all went and moved their cars to find street parking so they wouldn't have to pay so much for Sibley's expensive lot.

After an hour, a woman finally came in, apologized profusely, and told us that the class was canceled. They just could not get a hold of our instructor. No one had any idea where she was or why she wasn't in contact. She said we could take any other class and they would schedule us in whether the class was full or not (they offer this class every weekend). So we left feeling not so confident in the hospital where our precious Bagel is entering this world. But Rob was happy that he got to watch Week 1 of football.

The head of the program called me yesterday, rescheduled me to the date I wanted (the 26th), and said they were refunding the entire class price! Confidence restored! Now we get a free class and it won't interfere with football. So it all works out in the end.

My stress level seems to be ratcheting up with each day closer to my due date. I just feel like there's so much left to do before he gets here. I'm starting to resent having to go to work every day because I just want to be home cleaning, organizing, and putting together furniture. It's making me realize that our daycare option in my building at work was a good call. I certainly wouldn't want to be feeling resentful like this for the next few years, wishing I were home with the baby instead of working. This way, Bagel will be just down the hall. At least until preschool.

Despite the stress, I've got so much to look forward to, in addition to our childbirth class. Grandma and Grandpa are currently winging their way across our great nation and will be here this evening for a visit. Hopefully, they will get to see some belly dancing from Bagel while they're here. We've also got my shower this Saturday! I can't wait to celebrate Bagel with friends and family and feed him some cake. He'll love that!

Bagel's no longer a squash! I am now officially in Month 8 and he is a honeydew. Yum! He's between 17 and 19 inches and more than four and a half pounds. If he's been a shortie until now, he could actually grow a full inch or more this week alone. Gadzooks! My amniotic fluid has reached its max amount this week, so I now have more baby than fluid now. That means that it's a lot easier to feel all his moving about (which he's doing right now). He now opens his eyes when he's awake and closes them when he's sleeping, and he can tell night and day. This is because my belly is stretched like crazy, so he can see all the light shining in through the skin. He definitely has his sleepy and awake times. He's generally up and kicking when I'm on the metro on my way to work. And sometime between 2 and 4 am, he likes to spaz out and practice field goal kicks. I think he's already worked his way up to a 50 yarder. The best thing this week is that he's developed his own immune system to protect him from mild infections.

Week 32 -- The Best Nest

I am in serious nesting mode. I know it's something that's supposed to set in just prior to when you give birth, but I think I'm a prodigy. I've been going nuts with the house cleaning and organizing. It's not big things like mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. I keep noticing these tiny little things around the house that bug me and I just have to fix. NOW. Like scrubbing the walls for fingerprints. And getting down the paint from the attic and touching up corners and baseboards with it. It got to the point that I saw a woman walking a snow white dog the other day and I got very anxious wondering how she kept him clean. Stop the madness!

We've put up curtains in Bagel's room now. They're navy, which butches up the purple walls rather nicely. See?

Ok, that's a terrible picture. It's too sunny in there and no flash on the iPhone. Here's a linky.

I had a breastfeeding class at the hospital last night. I learned a lot and, most importantly, learned about the breastfeeding resources at Sibley like the lactation consultants and the cart that comes around and they can fit you for nursing bras. Now, if they can work a dessert cart into the rotation along with that, then I'm all set. Sadly, Rob couldn't make it as he's in La La land doing a deposition. But he'll be back in time for our intensive full day childbirth and childcare class this Sunday. Let's hope the cafeteria is actually open this time. That's right. I was in a 7 pm class full of pregnant chicks and the cafeteria was closed. Nice planning, Sibley.

Bagel is (air quotes) definitely head down! I had a doctor's appointment today with the other doctor who might deliver Bagel, and he said the little guy has made his way into a good position there. Much more helpful than his mother in that respect. I've thought for a few weeks now that he was head down, because when he gets the hiccups, I can feel it very low down. He has, however, flipped over from my left to my right side. So maybe what I thought was a knee the other day was actually his little hip. Of course, it's possible that all of this is wrong and despite the doctor saying he's head down, he's not head down, as certain people can attest to from past experience. Shout out to Jeremy, who surprised the L&D medical staff by attempting to come out tush first.

The appointment today was relatively boring. The doc muttered something about my platelets being fine and I think I heard him say 136, so I guess they haven't changed since last time really. He didn't take more blood this time. He said it would be normal if I was having 6-8 Braxton Hicks contractions a day at this point, though when I said I hadn't felt any, he said that was normal too. Though I have felt some intense pressure a few times, I thought that was just Bagel pressing somewhere uncomfy. Who knows.

What else is normal this week? Bagel should be about 4 pounds and about 19 inches long. Though at least one of you thinks he'll be shorter than that. He's just kinda doing more of the same at this point. Putting on some blubber and practicing his kicking, sucking and swallowing. This is our last week as a squash. Next week, we get to move up to honeydew. Much better!

Phew, this has been a long post. To reward you all for your patience, here's a belly shot:

Week 31 -- I'm 3/4 Done!

Ok, I was actually three quarters of the way done being pregnant last week, but I forgot to mention it. So happy belated 3/4 to me! Only 9 more weeks to go, and it feels like we still have so much to do. Perhaps because of this, I have been nesting like crazy. Last week, we got our new windows put in and I spent the weekend putting the blinds back up and cleaning like a mad woman. I went a little nuts with the 409. You could even lick our walls without fear of infection. Maybe I'll get some of that snozzberry wallpaper.

How do the windows look, you ask? Gor-GEOUS! I'm kind of sad that the blinds are back up, because all their glorious sparkle is all covered up now. They do all kinds of fancy things with tilting in and they slide up so beautifully.

As you are probably worrying that I will spend this entire post blabbering about my new windows and not about anything actually baby-related, I've decided it's time to make this waiting game a little interesting. That's right. It's time to place your bets. We're talking delivery date and time, weight, and length. There's even a spot to guess the gender (if you don't get that one right, you have some reading comprehension issues -- no offense). For the fewest points, there will be an overall winner and a winner in each category, with points assigned the further away you get from the correct guess. Got it?

Don't go putting your guesses in the comments now. I'm not going to be tabulating your wild guesses and stabs in the dark post partum. I've got a handy website to help me out! So go check it out here. I'll put a link up in the "Relevant Links" area of the blog, as well. These should take you right to the game. If you somehow end up at the home page, at the top left, there's a box for "Invited Guests." Just type the name of the game in the box and hit Go! The name of the game, you ask? Duh, silly. It's BAGEL. That will take you to the game. I've already entered a guess to get you all started. To enter your guess, just click on the "Enter a Guess" link at the top right. This may seem like a lot of unnecessary explanation but, quite frankly, some of you just aren't that smart. Don't worry, I don't mean you.

Now that I'm both willing this time to drag by so I can get more done and willing it to hurry up so I can meet this baby already, he's just taking his own time and cooking in there as he needs to. So what's he up to this week? He's a good 18 inches tall now* and weighs more than three pounds. The connections between his individual nerve cells are growing like crazy. He's doing things like hiccupping, swallowing, pedaling along my uterine wall, and maybe even sucking his thumb. Let's hope he doesn't get too attached to that....



* Um, I just started paying attention to this length thing on the WTEWYE website. 18 inches? Really? That could be the ending length altogether! This is clearly a rough estimate.

Week 30 -- We Want a Pitcher, Not a.... Well, Me

So much to talk about today!

If you didn't guess from the title of this post, my new ailment is an itchy belly. Not all the time, but every once in a while. I guess my skin is as stretched out as it wants to be. Oh, well.

I had a doctor's appointment today! Bagel is measuring well. The doc says his back is hanging out on the left side, with his arms and legs on my right side. He is definitely transverse, meaning he's stretched out sideways, rather than being head up or head down. He's on his way there, I guess!

The good news first -- I passed my gestational diabetes test from my last appointment. She said my numbers were great and there were no issues there at all. Good job, Bagel. The bad news -- my platelets were low again. Sigh. The doc and I discussed this at length today. When I first came in and was pregnant, my numbers were below normal, and so the doc has been testing my blood periodically to make sure they're coming up. That means I've had a needle in my arm almost every appointment I've gone to. Good times.

What does this mean? Well, if my numbers are crazy low, my blood won't clot properly. Doc says if it gets below a certain number, they won't give me an epidural during labor because they worry that I'll bleed from the needle. Hold. The. Phone.

Yeah, you read that right. It's possible I might not be able to have the sweet, sweet drugs I've been looking forward to in the delivery room. Let's break down the numbers. A normal range for platelets is 140K - 480K. The doc says they really will be concerned about my levels if they go below 50K. They won't do an epidural below 90K. Three weeks ago, my platelets were 136-138K (I can't remember which). So we're not talking anything too far below normal. When I first had my platelets tested, it was 125K. It later went up to around 144K. So the doc is not too concerned, because my numbers are hovering around normal and aren't changing all that drastically. This may just be how my body responds to being pregnant. I got more blood drawn today and we're going to keep an eye on my numbers.

My next appointment is in two weeks. At that appointment, I'll get to meet the other doctor in the practice who could deliver Bagel if my doc isn't available.

Now, before you go telling me to eat spinach like my mom (LOL, Mom), you can't replenish your platelets through diet. It's not like iron or calcium. If they get really low, they can do a platelet transfusion. But so far, it doesn't look like I'll need anything like that.

My doctor mentioned today that she was happy that we're back in even weeks, because she's into numerology. That surprised me, since she seems a no nonsense sort of woman and not into airy fairy notions (shout out to Val's mom) like numerology. Since this week seems to be all about numbers, let's break some down:

Number of times morning sickness has made itself, uh, evident: 0. Go Bagel!

Number of times I have been ill this pregnancy: 2. Not so great. Let's cross our fingers that there will be no more instances of that here, shall we?

Number of stretch marks: I was all excited to put 0, but I think I might be getting one! Lest you chicks reading out there think you can prevent stretch marks with lotion or something, please realize that, due to my eczema, I have the most well-lubricated skin known to man. I put lotion on all over 2-3 times a day. Seriously.

Number of scary low points: 1.

Number of elated high points: Where's the infinity button?

Number of pounds I've gained: Yeah right, nosy! Let's just say I'm on track to gain exactly as much as I'm supposed to gain. Though I've definitely been packing on more this trimester. Gotta fatten up Bagel.

Number of times Rob has felt Bagel kick: Countless! Bagel's actually starting to push a lot more than kick, and you can see my belly dance around. His favorite game right now is to make my belly go all crazy, and then when I say to Rob, "quick, look!" he stops. Hilarious.

Number of hormone fueled BST (I'll let you figure that out) moments: 1. I had my first earlier this week. I would tell you that you can ask Rob all about it, but he probably doesn't want to relive it and would immediately go into the fetal position and start sucking his thumb. Where did all those hormones come from?! I felt like I was fifteen again. The upside is I was happy to realize I'll never be fifteen again.

Now that the numbers have aligned with the planets, or whatever, let's see what Bagel is up to in there this week. He's growing all kinds of grooves and ridges in his brain now, and his bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells. This means he's better able to thrive on his own once he's an outside baby. That furry coat he had before is starting to come off, now that he's getting nice and fat, and his brain and that precious blubber are now regulating his body temperature.

Ok, that was exhausting. Please, no pictures.