All's Quiet On the West Philly Front

Definitely still pregnant.  Two days away from my due date - and I had been so very sure that this baby was coming early.  In fact, I neglected to make father's day plans because I was sure we would be newborning it up by then.  Luckily, some of our neighbors hosted a casual brunch in their backyard and didn't mind us RSVPing at the last minute (I was so sure we wouldn't be able to make it!).  So a lovely morning brunch with friends, followed by a family nap and take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant made for a sweet, if low-key, father's day at our house.

Last night my sister arrived!  She will be here a little over a week - and hopefully bug will arrive during that time.  She hasn't even been here 24 hrs and she has helped me (ok, I watched) clean, sweep and mop our bedroom, go through all my clothes, assemble our bedframe, and set up the bassinet.  Who needs a nesting instinct when you have sister bootcamp?  For the first time in weeks my inner monologue is not, "Come on, baby!  When are you coming to meet us already?" but rather "Just stay put another day or two...we have a lot to do out here!"

Washington DC Weekend

 This weekend we traveled to Washington DC for the memorial of a family member.  I'm really glad were able to be there to remember and celebrate his life as well as give some big hugs to people we don't see often enough.  It's a pretty short/easy drive to DC - we need to remember that and make the trip more often.  

We decided to get an affordable hotel room and stay through Sunday because (1) Toddlers and Pregnant Ladies need lots of breaks and (2) We hoped to hit up a museum or two the next day.  Leo <3s hotel rooms.  His favorite things include "talking" on the phone (after I've disconnected it), watching TV in bed, and jumping (boinking, he calls it, which just sounds so inappropriate) on the bed.  Sounds like a good time to me.

35 Wks: Pregnant Belly Shots and Low Iron

 I'm at just over 35 weeks and feeling much better than I was even a week ago.  I was feeling lousy.  Really tired and short of breath.  I'd complained of these symptoms a couple appointments ago, but basically was told that those are "normal" pregnancy symptoms - lung compression, creating a human, blah, blah, blah.  So I tried to just suck it up.

By the next appointment I was much more emphatic about these complaints.  I know I'm quite pregnant, and I know that I'm overweight - but I am crazy exhausted and get out of breath walking to the bathroom.  This also happened to be the appointment where they checked my iron level and it turns out I had VERY low iron - like a point lower and I wouldn't be able to deliver at the birth center.

Bug Update: 30 Weeks

29 wks

 Here we are at 30 weeks and things are going pretty well.  I am huge - it's hard to believe I have 10 weeks to go.  As I've mentioned before, this pregnancy has been much different (read: harder) than my last.  Still, overall I am doing pretty well.  I'm still moving around (if slowly), my blood pressure is good, my mood is normal-pregnancy-level choppy (but not out of control), and I'm feeling lots of kicks, bumps and hiccups in there.

My glucose screening came back elevated so I had to do the 3-hr diagnostic test.  Thankfully jb took the day off work and accompanied us - otherwise I wouldn't have made it.  I don't know how I thought that I could fast all night, take Leo on public transportation to a blood lab, and then entertain him there for 4+ hours while they slowly drained my blood while I was hungry, moody and tired.

Halfway to June

Thursday marked 20 weeks of this pregnancy - the halfway mark of a typical 40 week gestation.  Of course by the look of my belly it looks like I'm due any day.  I'm feeling good - physically and (mostly) emotionally.  I feel like I have a lot to do - but not totally overwhelmed just yet.  The halfway point is kind of awesome that way - you feel established in the pregnancy, but not behind...yet.

I haven't really been taking belly pictures - mostly because I feel like a blimp.  With Leo, even though I was overweight to begin with I felt like pregnancy suited me - like my figure was built to show off a baby bump; a fertility goddess, if you will.  This time I just feel like a suddenly got wide everywhere.  Still, I'm sure in five years I will wish I took some shots of this belly - so I'm including few shots even though they are blurry and well, not really my favorite.  (jb just read this over my shoulder and reminded me that I cried after seeing pictures of myself last pregnancy - so perhaps the veil of time has/will change(d) my opinion.)

Leo is convinced this baby will be a little sister - whenever asked if he thinks he will be getting a little brother or sister he exclaims "sister!"  He is also lobbying pretty hard that we name the baby "Tuna".  jb and I are not totally convinced on the name, but we've added it to the list.

Transition

Four days out from the 15th. Not only are we in the throes of preparing for monkey, but we are also going through some major changes on the cafe front. After a lot of agonizing we've decided to have the cafe open only on the weekends. There are a lot of reasons behind this shift (none of which are that we think this is a brilliant business decision) and it's not really our ideal situation, but it seems like the best choice for our current circumstances. We are pretty sad about it, and even though we aren't totally closed, we are still mourning the loss of the cafe in many ways. Today was the first day of the implementation of the new hours and it was eerily quiet in the house without the bustle of the shop downstairs - and poor jb is at a complete loss with what to do with the extra time she found herself with today (even if it was way less free time than the average person enjoys).

In other news, our friend Adam was in town over the weekend. Adam and jb worked together in DC (managing one of the busiest Starbucks in the country right in the heart of Dupont Circle). Adam was our #1 tiny porch barbquing, patio weather drinking, and hard-working barista buddy. It was good to see him, even if it was only for a short bit.

I'm still huge. The baby has learned a new trick where he/she stretches out and presses on both my bladder and lungs at the same time. It takes my breath away - and works my kegel muscles. Fun.

jb and I are still in love. Even if my mood swings are getting harder to dodge.

We are making progress setting up the "nursery" (which is really just a corner of our bedroom. We bought the changing table/dresser second hand off of craigslist for a great price - I just need to reattach the cabinet door.


We have enough diapers washed and ready to go. The catch is that most of them are "one-size" so they may be a bit big at first. We do have a few prefolds and xs diapers for those early days, though.

Our collection barely squeezes into one drawer!


And finally - we got the carseat installed. Nuts! We went to the workshop the police station offers - which was super helpful and the officer that led it was really nice. It does feel a little weird to be driving around with a carseat in the back of our car, but I suppose we couldn't put it off any longer!

Run, Muffy, Run!

Today we cheered Muffy on as she ran the half-marathon! The route for the marathon passed very near to our house, so my parents and Larissa joined me by the sidelines. There were several friends in addition to my sister that I was hoping to see run by, and I was convinced I was going to miss them all once the hundreds of people started going by and they all started to blur together - but I managed to spot everyone I was hoping to spot; it's like they popped in the crowd! My mom loves to cheer, so she helped me cheer on friends, even if she wasn't sure who they were ;) The marathon was totally fun to watch - even in the rain! It was especially thrilling to spot someone you know in the crowd. First Jay, then Ellen, then N8 - and most importantly, Muffy!! We are so proud of you, kid!

Extremely Pregnant

I'm starting to feel pretty run down these days. Thinking back to this makes me chuckle to myself and really just puts me in complete awe of nature's design for pregnancy. At that point, I really was sad at the thought of my pregnancy coming to an end - and part of me still is, but in just a couple months, my body has made sure to nudge me toward being ready to move on to the next phase - baby! Last night I had a really hard night - I wasn't comfortable in any position and my legs were swollen all the way up to my knees so I had a hard time walking. jb put me to bed, put the Hypnobabies pregnancy affirmations CD on, and gave me a gentle massage - and just when I was sure I'd never be comfortable again, I began snoring. Now, after a day of jb-imposed bedrest my feet look semi-normal and I'm feeling much better.

April Showers bring May Monkeys!

I have been like a sloth lately! I can't believe I've let a whole week go by without blogging about the awesome baby shower my family threw for jb and I last Sunday. It's like the days just slip by before I realize they've even started. I guess that's what being full term is like! 37 weeks tomorrow - officially full term. I can't believe it. I still feel good. Still battling swollen feet (thanks for your concern! - my blood pressure is "fantastic", so it's just unsightly, not dangerous) - in fact I have some new, more impressive pictures, but I can't bear to post them. They really are hideous. Perhaps a little pelvic pain and fatigue - but I'm still feeling pretty darn good. I'm ready for this baby, but not impatient.

Anyway - about our shower - so amazing!! My family and several friends worked really hard to plan and prepare for the event and make it a special day, and it was. Here I am with my siblings before the action started. Muffy (next to me in the picture) is the mastermind behind this awesome day. I promised myself that this time I would remember to take pictures, because at our last shower it was over before I could blink. Of course it happened again - the whole day was a wonderful blur. Luckily both times my sisters managed to grab my camera and snap a few shots.


The shower was held at my parents' home - the house that I grew up in. The whole place was decorated so nicely :)


As party favors my mom and sister made these cute little flower pots with blooms growing in them that said our names and May 2010. So cute and fitting as our loved ones gathered to celebrate our growing family.


I was able to snap a picture of the food table before most of the food was put out - imagine about a zillion more food choices. I didn't get to eat much as I was chatting with our guests (and still feel like I didn't get more than a couple minutes with each person!) but everyone said the food was great!


Of course there was a whole room dedicated to desserts. I'm not gonna lie - I did get my fair share (and then some) from this tabe. There ended up being about five times as many cupcakes as are shown in the picture.


Here is a close up of our cake - so simple and elegant. It was decorated with baby's breath and dogwood flowers from my grandma's house. You can't see the best part, though - it is a red velvet cake! Perhaps the best cake I've ever had!


All of the flowers were from my grandmother's property (My dad was quite the over-achiever with his task of collecting flowers, he cut and brought back enough flowers to fill the whole house). She died a couple of years ago, so it was really nice to have her presence at this celebration.


As you can see, the bulk of the pictures are taken before any guests arrived - but the guests really made the party. We had members from both sides of our family, friends from childhood, friends of my parents that are virtually family, friends from high schoool and college, friends I've met through doula work, friends we met in DC, and of course some of our beloved neighbors. It means so much to have so many people turn out in support of our little family. We feel so loved.


We also got a ton of gifts! This baby is going to have everything it could ever possibly need. From the adorable to the pragmatic - we recieved a carseat (yay! We will be allowed to bring the baby home from the birthing center!), babyhawk carrier, handmade sweater, laundry hamper and clothesline, and a great collection of books and stuffed animals.


I can't believe we are virtually "ready" for this baby. There are still some last minute to-do list items, but overall, if this baby came today - we could handle it. At least theoretically!

Oh, Canada

This week I joined my Mom, Dad, Larissa, and Nick to drive up to Ontario to see Niagra Falls. I almost opted out of going on the trip because I've been feeling under the weather due to a lot of congestion and lack of sleep from this allergy season hitting me harder than usual. That paired with being pretty darn pregnant and swollen; not to mention also knowing that my tagging along would mean that one of the kids would have to sleep on the floor at the hotel and sit in the middle seat on the drive - I just wasn't sure it was going to be worth it. But I'm so glad I decided to go - it's not often that a thirty year old gets to go on a road trip with their parents and teenage siblings...




I'm pretty sure I slowed them down a bit as I waddled from one end of falls to the other, but we all really enjoyed the views and spending time together. We saw the imax about daredevils who braved the falls and took the "behind the falls" tour - and were generally touristy. Also, my belly came in very handy for bumping people (mostly my mother) out of the way when I wanted to get a good spot along the railing.





We were there on March 31st and April 1st which just happens to be the end of the "winter" season and the beginning of the "summer" season for the falls. We kept joking about how everything was going to be different the next day since it would be summer. Funnily enough, on the first day we were all pretty chilly even bundled up in sweaters and jackets - and then on the second day the weather was so warm we were sweating in shorts and short sleeves. They don't mess around with the season change up north!

The most exciting thing about the turn from March to April was that now we can say, "We're having a baby next month!!" :)


We did also check out the falls at night - but since it was still "winter" we froze our dupas off in the night air and mist waiting for the lights to come on. It was like a movie as we tried to take shelter at the vistor center - the kids ran ahead trying to find an open door while my dad and I did our own version of hustling (the old man and pregnant lady shuffle) through what felt like a torrential rainstorm of mist. Finally, we found a dry place to wait and just popped out to snap a picture or two of the falls all lit up.


By the end of the trip, we were all pretty pooped - but happy with the adventure.

Showered with Love

On Sunday some of our neighbors came together to throw us a really lovely baby shower. It was so much fun and it was really touching to see so many neighbors gather in support of our little family. Everything was just perfect. The food was great - lots of different people brought a dish and there was a great mix of wholesome salads and sweet treats. The decorations were adorable - there was a clothesline with onesies, bibs, and burp cloths strung across the windows and the napkins were these adorable "Let's Do Milk" print:I was a little worried that my stamina would fall short since I've been feeling a little run down lately, but I had such a good time I was surprised to be feeling totally energized all the way through the festivities. One of my favorite parts of the shower was that "the boys" joined us. Some of the guys were a little resistant to attending a "shower", but I think they ended up having a good time. The basketball game was on in the back room and there was plenty of beer - some of the braver guys even joined us to "ooooh" and "ahhhh" over the cute baby gifts.

Speaking of gifts - everyone was so thoughtful and generous! We got a ton of awesome things - from baby basics, to cutsie clothes, to some of the most incredible hand-made gifts ever. And we had just the cutest little gift-opening-assistant in our little neighbor.


The shower really helped me to feel like this baby is actually coming and we may actually be able to handle it. Not only am I feeling prepared by having some of the concrete baby gear in our home (and man, it feels like it's taken over the whole house!) - but also being reminded of how many awesome people we have in our community that are rooting for us and ready to jump in should we need some extra support.

We really are so blessed.

Exhausted

We are at 32 weeks! The last week or two I've really been feeling spent at the end of the day. I find my self huffing and puffing after climbing a flight of stairs, can't stand for long periods and more often than not I need assistance when getting up from a seated position.

I've been trying to stay active - mostly through yoga and walking, but even that has started to get harder and harder. Talula and I have a regular route that we walk through the park - past the Aviary, Children's Museum, over to Cedar, up to AGH then back along North Ave. The loop is about 2 miles and we can usually knock it out in 40 minutes with appropriate puppy sniffing and bathroom breaks. Lately, though, we've been cutting the loop in half and still taking the same amount of time - and getting home so out of breath you'd think I waddled a marathon.

I'm also having a lot more trouble getting comfortable at night and finding myself not easily getting back to sleep after waking up to go to the bathroom (over and over). I'm also getting to experience the joy of swollen feet and ankles (just in time for sandal weather!).

Still, I'd say I'm holding up pretty well. The comforting thing is that I'm having a textbook pregnancy. I was sick when I should have been sick, I felt great when I should have felt great, and I'm exhausted now in the home stretch. I'm still not at the "get this baby out of me!" phase, but I'm really beginning to understand and appreciate the way pregnancy is designed. At the end of the second trimester I was feeling really sad and wistful that it would be coming to an end soon - but now I really feel myself physically getting ready for the next phase, which has helped me get there mentally and emotionally.

I'm still loving feeling our little monkey inside me and dreaming about how our lives will be post-May. The onset of gorgeous weather has also been really nice - even if my walks have been abbreviated. It's been so nice to open the windows and feel like the whole world is beginning all over again.

28 weeks

Officially in the 3rd trimester! Physically, I'm still feeling pretty darn good. It's getting a little harder to get up and down (from the couch, the car, and bed) on my own, but that's not too bad. My biggest complaint these days is the constant crying. The good thing is that I'm not really feeling very sad -in fact, I'm pretty happy - so it's not something I'm worried about in the bigger picture, but man is it annoying. I cry several times a day. For no reason, or worse, a really dumb reason. Poor jb has gotten the brunt of these tears, but I think she's starting to believe me when I tell her it's nothing more than hormones (and I'm not actually upset to tears by her forgetting to bring me a vitamin water when she comes upstairs). Well, without further ado - here are the latest belly pictures. It's funny, because each time we take them I think, this is silly, I'm the same size as the last time we took them - but then I see the pictures next to each other, and I'm like - whoa, maybe not.