_________

Thursday, April 29, 2010

D DAY!!!

I don't have a lot of time as I have mucho preperations to make.
Tomorow AM: Doctor+Fuzband+SuperPucky+induction=BIRTH OF SUPERBABY!
I have eight billion things to run around in circles to get done.
More details to come as soon as possible and delicious baby pictures...SQUEE!!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

T Minus 15 Days and Counting..Tick....Tick...Tiiick

I am growing another person inside of me, and they want OUT. I mean push my enormous canoe feet against your tummy forty bajillion times a minute OOOuuuTTAHhh. I am amazed, enthralled and terrified all at once. I mere person here am creating a whole other person that I, me, myself and my husband will be RESPONSIBLE for. Like for food...and shelter and....for psychological well being! Aaaaaaaaaaaaa((run around room screaming into other room and back)) aaaaaaack!
I mean I do not want to be the subject of "how my mother ruined my life" visit number 342 to therapist. I want my child to look back all misty eyed about how we used to make chocolatey chip cookies on cold rainy afternoons and I was the bestus Mommy ever! (Waking back up from hormonal coma)
I am full of conflicting emotions...one minute I want this gymnast/monkey/drummer/baby thing out of me...the next moment I want him to stay put because he is safe in there and no one can hurt his little baby feelings. Besides I know the different ways he can come out...and they all involve pain.
Physically I feel like someone has sucked every morsel of energy from my body. I have to psych myself up to go cook dinner, do laundry, go to the grocery store, clean the kitchen, and go pee for the forty billionth time.
Amazingly through out the other 38 weeks of this pregnancy I have not had any significant back pain. I have suffered from it in the past and fully expected to have a LOT of issues with it. I should have knocked on an entire forest somewhere. Week 38 has arrived and so has the pain. It now wakes me up at night and hits mid afternoon and sometimesdrives me to lie in bed. It is when this strikes that the "Get him ooooooout of meeeee!" starts to rear its head. Then the fear of him actually coming out of me returns and I rub my belly and say "stay put for a while".
That and I panic-ordered some nursing bras day before yesterday. To my alarm I was reading in a book how it is not unusual during engorgement to swell to three to four times your normal breast size. On a good day I can give Dolly Parton and Pam Anderson a run for their money. I have a feeling after engorgement I am going to look like a flipping Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade float or one of those balloons with the rubber strings on the end that you punch over and over. So I ordered big bigger HOLY CRAP THE HUMANITY! sized nursing bras. One of them has cups so huge I can wear them as a little house on the prairie hat. I..am...not..kidding...at..all. If I have to throw Robbie out a window during a fire I can tie my bra to him and use it as a parachute so he can float safely to earth. I am telling you people this is circus freak huge scary....this baby better breast feed like a champ.
Now I am fully appreciating the "Martyr Mommy" speech of "I carried you around on swollen ankles for 9 months...blah blah blah...".

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

SuperPucky Edition of Cribs

I finally got off my behind and took pictures of Robbie's Room. Disclaimer: I had a VERY limited budget. I also waited too late to paint the room, not that it is in the budget to get painted anyways. Someday I will get around to slapping a coat of paint up. I made the Froggay picture frame and letters. I am going to put a picture of SuperPucky, Fuzband and Superbaby in it. I also stained the container on the right hand side with coffee grounds. So if Robbie grows up addicted to coffee I will know why. Wow...I need to steam that curtain. Don't you love the fact I already have laundry from him and he isn't even here yet?

This is Mr. Superbaby's bed. I want to get in it and go to sleep. The mobile he has is ultra cool. It projects pictures that rotate on to the little umbrella thingy and the umbrella rotates too. It plays nature sounds, lullabies and sounds from the womb. I got a little sleepy just testing it out. It even has a remote control so you can turn it back on without going back in the room completely. On the wall behind him is a FAA nightmare. There are airplanes, helicopters trains, dump trucks, ambulances, police cars, fire trucks and assorted vehicles flying through the air creating multiple collisions. I actually got all Martha Stewart and painted some of them myself.

"My First Mickey" came from Disney World last at this time year right around our anniversary. I knew we would start trying for a baby soon. I wanted him/her to get a souvenir from Disney too. I was torn if I wanted to get Mickey or Minnie and settled down on Mickey. Little did I know I would be having a boy at almost the exact same time the following year? (sniffle sniffle, mooshy mooshy-must be those hormones)

The Cars Poster is significant as in the fact that it was the movie that Fuzband and I saw on our first date. We held hands while watching the movie. It was so romanticle! These are the walls above the queen sized bed in Robbie's room. Since we have a smaller house and limited room. The nursery will double as a guest room. We have a pack and play in the living room that will serve as his back up crib when we have company. I got a Moses basket for the bedroom for the first few months before he starts sleeping through the night. It is the coolest thing. It is a pretty little basket meant to use the first few months of a baby's life. It can sit on the bed or on the trunk at the foot of my bed. I figured when he wakes me for third feeding of the night it may be more convenient to have him at arms length. After he outgrows it I thought it would be great for holding toys and other assorted items.
I am excited, I ordered a few books for Robbie today, I got him ABC's and Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and Goodnight Moon. I can't wait to read them to him. I got What to Expect the First Year for me and a book on breastfeeding.
I finally found a pediatrician and I will be meeting with her next week. The practice is really nice, and even has a lactation consultant on staff. I was surprised that not all pediatrician group practices offer this service. I figured since I am new at all of this I could use all the support I could get.
That is all for today...I need some lunch. Funny how the last few posts have ended with me going to lunch.

Monday, April 19, 2010

What A Weekend

My child is misbehaving already and he hasn't even escaped from the womb yet. Remember the whole counting kicks thingy I am doing each night?? Night number one went swimmingly with 10 plus kicks each hour between five and seven. Afternoon and night two (last Friday) not so much. He was VERY quiet all day, and when it came to kick counting time he gave me 5 weak kicks on hour one and maybe 6 or 7 wimpy kicks/nudges on hour two. This is when the anxiety...first time mommy panic began to set in. I called the OB on call and let him know what was going on. He said probably nothing, but go down to labor and delivery at the hospital and let them ultrasound you and put you on a fetal heart monitor.


Mr. Fuzband and I trotted on down to the hospital with hastily packed hospital bag, and frayed nerves. After checking in and getting strapped into the monitor guess who starts just a thumping away on me like a bass drum? You guessed it Mr. Superbaby himself. Little booger's heart rate was right up where it should have been. Just to make Mommy look like a complete newbie freak out queen he was moving all around during the ultrasound showing off both sets of chubby cheeks.

I do have to say the hospital I went to has a reeeheaaaly nice labor and delivery department. My room was nicer than some three star hotels I have stayed in. The bathroom was enormous with a walk in shower with a nice built in chair. The room is the type you labor and recover in so all the equipment was right there. The room itself was gigantic and well laid out. It had a beautiful and huge Italian landscape mural on the wall opposite the bed. The ceiling tiles above the bed were a smoky opaque with the images of leaves pressed into them. I suppose when I am cursing and sweating and grunting for all I got I will be staring at these leaves and they will make me feel "tranquil" (heh). The nurses were super nice and the doctor on call was very calming and reassuring. Over all I was impressed.

Saturday I finished up decorating Robbie's room. My theme is "going places" from Wally World. It is airplanes, cars, trucks, and other vehicles done in bright colors. I have to admit it came out nice. I mean if I were a discriminating baby I would be all like "Whoa...." and "dude!" Let's just put it this way, it was inexpensive and I liked it and it didn't scream fuzzy ducks, lambs, fluffy clouds, and kittens and bleh. I promise pictures will be forth coming. I am just a little swamped with housework today.

Today was grandpa weekend too, we got to see both grandpa's on either side and hooray and huzzah they both took us out to eat! This is big for the Fuzband and I as our eating out budget has been slashed to less than half of what it was. That and the fact that you know being 9 months pregnant eating out can be the highlight of your day. I got to eat salad and teryaki-cajun chicken wings with salad on Saturday and Mexican food Sunday. YUMMO!

We also managed to get the car seat bases installed into the truck and car this weekend. I don't know who designs these things but...wow...could you make it a little more of a pain in the arse?! After much head scratching and manual reading and even a google for you tube instructions we finally got the bases installed. The first try they were just flopping around. I am sure they would offer no protection/support in the event of some accident. Finally we discovered that "LATCH" system thingy inside the middle of the back seats and were all "DURR". If the instructions just explained in plain English what a "LATCH" system is and how to find it I am sure it would have taken oh about a MINUTE to install. I have never really understood the safety concerns of parents until now. Now I want to wrap my child in egg cartons and bubble wrap the minute he comes out of me.

Must run folks, the dryer is screaming at me and I think I need to find some lunch. My stomach is shaking hands with my backbone.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Superbaby Late Breaking News

I went to the baybee doctur todayee. (Reason for spelling like a spelling challenged individual is for prevalent feelings of stupidity)
Verdict on Superbaby wearing his cord like a cape.....it is normal, you shouldn't worry...lots of babies do this blah dee blah blah blur blee blah blur stop worrying you newbie Mom. My Doctor did however give me the choice of having a scheduled induction. Since I am a complete newcomer to all of this and a panicky new Mommy I let him make the call. Seeing as how he does this every day and this is,.... uhhh my very first baby. I figured his judgment call may be better than mine. He felt like letting Robbie show up on his own timeframe would give me the best chance for a vaginal delivery. Since I don't want to jump straight to a C Section unless it is absolutely necessary I was ok with his idea. The idea of knowing when he would be born really appealed to my inner control freak. Sensing that this was a snap decision, I decided to opt for the choice that requires more patience and allows Mother Nature to do her job.
As a safety precaution we are going to have weekly fetal monitoring via ultrasound and heart monitor. That way we can makes sure he hasn't decided to make the cord into a bow tie, or started putting in modular shelving. I am also on kick counting duty; I have to count kicks and bumps and thumps every evening between 5-7 pm. Each hour he should kick/move 10 times an hour. Anything less than 10 kicks an hour and I call the answering service and come in for monitoring at the hospital. We will continue with the monitoring for the next few weeks and base any further decision on the monitoring.
I feel pretty comfortable with his decision and advice. After all I am going to the best high risk OB clinic in my area and you can't get in without a referral. It is not as if this is the opinion of a gaggle of well meaning friends who have no medical training, or what my horoscope felt was the best thing to do.
That is all for now folks. I am going to forage for food in the kitchen.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Robbie Update

The little turkey I am baking currently weighs 6.8 pounds. He is fully cooked and can make his debut at any time now. He is currently parked upside down like a giant baby question mark. His butt is under my right rib and his feet are firmly planted under my left rib. He is practice breathing and we got to watch him take a few breaths. His lil' tummy was full of amniotic fluid so we could tell he was practice swallowing and suckling. We could actually see him fuzzy head so he has some hair going on up there. His cheeks are nice and chubby and round.
The only cause for a small amount for concern is that the umbilical cord is draped around his back and neck. It is not pulled tight and he could slip from beneath it. Maybe I need to hang upside down on the bed and wiggle my belly. (Lame attempt at humor) The tech called the Doctor who felt comfortable that he was breathing normally and practice breathing. She said there was no need for a fetal monitor. Of course I am nervous wreck about the whole thing and have been anxiously paying attention to make sure he is kicking and moving around in there. Which he has been quite a bit. Lots of thumps and bumps and stretches and bounces and even the occasional case of hiccups.
I have had this feeling the last few weeks that something is going to cause me to have a C Section. I would prefer not to, but, what ever makes sure Robbie gets here safe and sound is fine for me. We shall see what the Doctor has to say Thursday.
I have been trying to focus on other things since hearing this news yesterday which has been pretty much impossible. I am in a funk and I am worried, so any prayers and good thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
I am having flashbacks of what I was feeling right before my gallbladder surgery. I would not allow myself to get "too happy" about being pregnant or having a baby because of fear of losing him. Now that I have everything in place, he has a name; I have imagined myself with him. I can feel him moving, I have seen his face. It is all so real and I am scared. I haven't even officially met him yet and I don't want to lose him. I know I am probably jumping the gun and panicking for absolutely no good reason. Seeing the cord around him scared the hell out of me and I can’t shake that image no matter how many nice words were spoken. I feel like I need reassurance from the Doctor, a game plan, more information ANYTHING. I know that 3:00 on Thursday is only a couple days away but it seems like forever.
Ironically as I am typing Robbie is currently kicking the buhjeebus out of me making my belly shake. It is almost as if he is saying, " I am so screwed my Mom is a neurotic mess! Would you chillax lady!"
I have been told that this worrying thing will never end...even when he is all growed up....sigh......

Friday, April 9, 2010

Return of Superpucky

First of all let me apologize to anyone who may still be reading this blog for my absenteeism. I am back! YaY!
Lots of things have happened since we last spoke. Working and being pregnant and a myriad of other things have stood between me and my blog. Which has been tough for me because I find it to be a great stress relief and creative outlet.
I have quit my job! Hoorah! Much joy and rejoicing. This was not by any means an easy decision. There was lots of prayer, tears, gnashing of teeth, tearing of clothes, wailing, examining of budget etc.. While I worked I managed to pay off five credit cards and a truck load of hospital bills. Unfortunately I still have about 900.00 left of my ER/surgery bill.
We had to decide on sacrifices for the cause. We have discovered the joys of TV without cable, cooking almost exclusively at home, going to the park, you know...things that are cheap and free. Cutting out cable was a savings of about 120.00 per month...thank you very much. It is amazing how much a person will pay for TV huh? I have slashed pretty much every luxury item in my budget. Buh-bye eating out, pedicures, going to movie theater, new clothes, vacation...you name it. We have discovered the library-checking out books and free movie rentals. I have discovered baby sitting in exchange for services such as hair cuts, future baby sitting and a little money.
The catalyst for quitting working was looking a the cost benefit ratio. I was floored to find out that the crappiest of daycares in my area would have been about 600.00-700.00 per month. I wouldn't be able to express milk at work to breast feed due to time constraints. So add in money for formula. My shift at work would have been 3:00 PM to 12:00 midnight off Sunday and Monday. YUCKO! My husband's shift is 11:00 AM and 8:00 PM so my poor baby would be in daycare from 10:30 AM -6:30 PM and then someone would have to watch him until 8:30 at night. Then my husband would have to watch him solo from 9:00 PM to 12:30 when I got home. Sounds delightful doesn't it?
I would be working to net an extra four to five hundred dollars per month and to allow someone else to raise my child. Not to mention all the stress that would place on me, my baby, my husband, my family, my marriage. All so we could have extra money for the next few years.
December of 2012 we will have a loan paid off that will give us some wiggle room in the budget. One of our vehicles will be paid off four months later. If we can just make it through this year and the next without major financial disaster life will be MUCH more comfortable. Hopefully there may be some raises for my husband in the mean time as well. We managed to squirrel away a little "oh crap" money in savings for insurance deductibles and expenses above and beyond our monthly expenses. I have paid enough off on the few credit cards that we have left to have some additional cushion.
This was truly a decision to step out in faith. The thought of being able to be with my child every single day is much more comforting to me that having padding in the bank account. I really had to examine my priorities. I don't care about having pricey clothes and presents and extra perks. I have gone through tougher leaner financial periods in my life, and knowing it won't last forever is reassuring.
On to more fun subjects. I have found out I am having a boy, his name will be Robbie. At my last ultrasound the sonographer exclaimed that my child had really big feet. Sure enough she brought his little tootsies up on the monitor and they were quite gargantuan. I even have pictures to prove it.
Monday I am going for another ultrasound to see how big Bigfoot Jr. really is. We are going to determine if C Section will be necessary or if we are going ahead as planned. Right now the plan is just to bring him into the world the old natural way. I am hoping that will be the case as I don't really want to have another surgery within a year of having ye' old evil gallbladder removed.
I have purchased just about everything I need for him. We even have about four or five months worth of diapers stockpiled up. The crib has been put together, the car seat and stroller are in his room. All the little clothes are washed and put away.
I have gained 40 pounds...not so hooray and huzzah. I don't think I am having a 35 pound child...at least I hope and pray I am not. Physically I am doing ok, my stamina is in the pooper and I get tuckered out pretty easily. A trip to Wal Mart really takes it out of me so I have to pace myself. I am getting up forty thousand times a night to pee. Everything is giving me heartburn right now so I should own stock in rolaids. Other than that I am feeling pretty good. I am having Braxton Hicks Contractions periodically now. My OB says that is a good thing it means I am progressing nicely. Robbie thinks the best place to keep his enormous feet are tucked under my left rib. He will push against my ribs and bounce his noggin on my poor bladder.
I am nesting like a maniac right now. I have managed to deep clean every room in my home. Now I am working on organization and fine tuning. I am happy to say that I have managed to accomplish all the major projects I wanted to.
Now I have to look in to pre-registration at the hospital, and a tour of the maternity ward.
More to come later I promise.