37 weeks

Well, here we are - 37 weeks pregnant, and officially considered "full-term."

While I'm not actually due for about 2 and 1/2 more weeks, Cleetus could come any day now. And, I really can't wait to get this baby on the outside of me! It's just too big to be inside this belly anymore, I feel like I'm stretched to the limit. I've probably got about all the complaints that every 9month pregnant woman has - my back hurts, it's hard to sleep, i have to pee all the time, the braxton-hicks contractions are rather intense, I can't eat enough tums to quench the heart burn, my stomach is so squished I can only eat a little bit at a time & I'm hungry every hour, my wedding band is getting snug, and Cleetus's kicks and nudges are almost painful! On the sunny side - my blood pressure is just fine, I'm not leaking milk yet, and I don't have hemorrhoids (thank god!). At my last doctor appointment (this past tuesday), I was 1cm dilated - which could possibly mean I could go into labor soon, but also could mean nothing because some women are dilated 2-3 cm for weeks before going into labor. I guess we'll see where I'm at this week...

Of course - the big question I get a lot these days is "Are you ready?" I'm not sure how to answer that...I mean, "Ready for what?"

Ready to be mom? - No, but, is anyone ready to become a parent? I am ready to start figuring out how to be a parent, so sure.

Ready to go through child birth? Hecks no...but, I'm anxious to get it over with. I sorta feel like I did in the weeks leading up to the marathon last year; I oscillated between wishing I had another 10 weeks to get ready for it, and wishing I could just go out and run it & get it over with. I'm excited and nervous - but, figure that none of us would be in this world if it was really that awful.

Ready for the baby? Pretty much. We have the cradle and the changing table put together. The bathroom is stocked with clean little baby towels and various tear-free soaps. The dresser is full of washed and folded onesies, tee-shirts, socks, and blankets. We figured out how to work and install the car seat today. We also got our first set of diapers from the diaper service, today, so we're ready for the poop. Yes - we're doing cloth diapers...my environmentally concerned side couldn't help herself, plus - the diaper service makes it too easy. A Little Behind if you live in the Pittsburgh area and are interested.

So, hopefully I won't have too many more posts on this blog before they are pictures of Cleetus. I am in Amanda's wedding next weekend - so, chances are you all will get the joy of pictures of me filling out a bridesmaid dress like none-else. :)

Baby Shower

Over Labor Day weekend, my friends Erica & Christin along with my mom and mother-in-law threw me a wonderful baby shower! My mom dutifully took many photos, which I'm posting in a separate album because it will just take up too much space on this blog:

http://picasaweb.google.com/DemetraAnne/BabyShower#

(hopefully the link works)

Anyway - I have to admit I'm a little nervous about the idea of baby showers, sort of like counting your chickens before your eggs hatch. However, I also feel that there is a much greater chance of me having a healthy little baby than there is of something going wrong - so, I better be prepared for little Cleetus's arrival in the world. We got lots of wonderful gifts - tons of happy little yellow, orange, and green baby outfits, everything we need for the keeping the baby squeaky clean, car seats and strollers, and much more. Thank you so much to everyone! Now I need to work on getting those thank you notes out & everything washed and cleaned and ready.

Speaking of getting ready for the baby, Matt & I have been taking a "preparing for childbirth" class at Magee. It runs for 4 weeks - Thursday nights. It seems like it will be helpful, the lady who teaches it is a little eccentric (I think you have to be to teach a class like that!), but very nice. We're learning lots of relaxation and breathing techniques and general information about what is happening to a woman's body during labor & delivery. Last night was our second class, and we covered forms of "medical intervention." I would like to think that as a scientist I would be level-headed about these types of things, but sadly, I am not. During a video we watched receiving IV's, sterile water injections, epidurals - and more - I almost passed out. Seriously, hot flashes, pale-faced, room spinning - almost passed out. So - I had to get up and leave the class for awhile. After regaining my composure, I returned to class like 10 minutes later, only to walk in on a Q&A about epidurals - and almost passed out again. It was super embarrassing - I felt so bad for Matt, having to leave him there in that class by himself! Although I've already said I want to go for an all-natural childbirth, last night just reinforced it!! Many people might think I'm crazy for wanting to put with the pain, but there is something about a needle in my spine that I can't handle. I know myself - and I know I have a much higher tolerance for pain than for needles! :) Anyway - next week we cover c-sections...I'm sure I'll have to plan on leaving class again!

Everything else seems to be going well here. Cleetus is continuing to be an active one - and the kicks and prods and whatever else are getting VERY STRONG. I feel like there is a boxing match going on between to elves in my stomach. It can make sleeping, walking, and eating quite interesting activities - but, its also pretty fun! I am about 34 weeks along and have gained around 25 - 30 pounds. Many of my maternity pants & shirts just aren't stretching enough to cover this big old belly anymore, which I find amazing because I remember buying them thinking - "Will I really need something this BIG?" I'm finding dresses to be the most comfortable option, and need to shop for a few more of them to get me through the last 6 weeks.

Eeek - can you believe it - only 6 more weeks? And only about 3 more weeks until I'm considered "full-term" & could possibly deliver early!

Aloha!

We went to Hawaii last week, on vacation with my family. So - Cleetus and I spent week 30 in the sun and on the beach. The trip was super nice. The flights - while a little long, went just fine. Cleetus kicked around A LOT during take off and landing, I guess the baby doesn't like pressure changes! Hawaii was beautiful, although it was a little frustrating being pregnant because there were some cool things I couldn't do - like deep sea fishing and some awesome hiking. However - we did a bike ride through the canyon, went to luau, and snorkeled a bit, too...until I saw a creepy looking fish and to swim for shore! :)

The baby is continuing to grow - and stretch little me out! Cleetus has been quite active these days, kicking and elbowing and rolling over and head-butting my bladder. I've gained about 20 - 25 lbs now (depending on when I get on the scale), and can't believe I have almost 2 months left to go!! I'm starting to worry about how big this little one is going to get - and really hoping I'll go into labor on the early side of 40 weeks! I think October 5th or 6th sounds like a great birthday ;-p

I bought a name book a few weeks ago - and have slowly been making my way through it, circling & marking the names I like. So far, I've gotten through the girls names, and with Matt's input, we are narrowed down to about 9 names. Now I have to start on the boys names... Why can't babies come out with name tags on??? This is a tough decision!!!

Last Day of Trimester #2

I am almost 27 weeks pregnant now, and start the third trimester tomorrow - yikes! That means I'm almost in the home-stretch! It also means Cleetus is going to start putting on the weight - and so I'm going to get BIG! Here is a new picture, as you can see, the belly is starting to take on its own zip code. I've gained about 18 pounds to date - which I think seems like alot - but, my doctor says is right on track.

Matt and I also finally registered last week. I took him out for a beer first - I figured Babies 'r Us would seem much more interesting to men through beer goggles! :) So, armed with a check list and backed by my research on which car seats and play pens were well reviewed, we made it through the store! I'm still amazed how many things they find to sell for babies - they are so little, how could they need more stuff than me?! Oh - and if you happen to be wondering if we have a "theme" - we really don't. I guess you could say our theme is "keep in nuetral, keep it minimalist." Since we're squeezing a baby into our two bedroom apartment for the time being, its just easier to not get too much stuff or decorate a lot.

23 weeks

Here I am, 23 weeks pregnant - almost done with month 6! I've now gained about 14 lbs on my pre-pregnancy weight, and feel like I some how swallowed a watermelon whole.


Cleetus is very active these days - I think we have a future acrobat for circe-du-soleil! Sometimes at night its even hard for me to fall asleep because of all the kicking and bumping. It is nice, though, to know the baby is growing and doing well.

We went to Babies 'R Us for the first time this weekend. It was a little overwhelming - so many many things they find to sell for babies! We looked at car seats and strollers, and Matt marveled at the size of cribs (surprisingly big considering how little babies are!). We'll have to think about what we actually need/want and register soon. If you already have kids, I'd love to hear about what things you actually found useful! Oh, and Matt got me a snoogle pillow - so super comfy to sleep with!

20 week ultra sound

We had our 20 week ultra sound two weeks ago, and this one went much more smoothly than my first one! No appointment screw ups - I only had to wait like 20 minutes :) I did have to pee in the middle again, though - because my bladder was once again too full.
Cleetus was being quite squirmy so it was hard to capture great images. The technician did get a good one of the feet - which I think is quite cute. Little teeny tiny feet! In the other pictures, Cleetus looks a little scary - its "Skeletor Fetus." Good thing babies fatten up before they are born!

We could also see the heart (and all 4 chambers pumping away healthily) and the kidneys, the spine, arm and leg bones. And the very exciting part - Cleetus is developing normal & everything looks healthy!! Yippee. Only one head, two feet, and two hands - the chemicals in the lab must not be too bad! ;-)

We are still not finding out the gender - so you guys can all keep on guessing!

20 weeks

I'm a little over 20 weeks pregnant now - half way there (according to the 40 week calendar)!! Here are some new photos of the belly growth. I've gained about 10 pounds now on my pre-pregnancy weight, and there is a good chance a few of those pounds are on my butt. Maybe I should be documenting how big that gets too....maybe not.
I can feel Cleetus moving around in there a little bit more often now - and the movements are getting a little tougher, it's easier to distinguish them from just normal gastrointestinal bubbles & bumps.

18 weeks

Here I am at 18 weeks pregnant - check out that big ol' belly! To put it in perspective - because I think this picture just kind of makes my bust line look small - my 34B/32C boobs have grown to a plump 34D (Matt's happy about that!). I guess when I'm only 5' tall, there is no where for Cleetus and my expanding uterus to go, but OUT! I think I've actually been showing a little bit since about 12 weeks pregnant, but only people who really pay attention would have noticed. Or maybe people thought I was getting fat!

Anyway, I've gained about 7-8 pounds on my pre-pregnancy weight - thanks to my new found sweet tooth! I didn't even really like chocolate that much before getting pregnant, and now I find myself chugging chocolate milk! I also can't get enough fruit, which I didn't eat too much before, either. Of course, I'm not working out as much anymore, either. Morning sickness during the first trimester pretty much put me out of commission, and now its hard to get motivated to go back to the gym! The weather is getting nice again, though - finally! So, I'm going to start getting out for walks & some jogging, too (if my back can take it...).
On another note - I've started feeling Cleetus move around a little bit occasionally. Sometimes its hard to tell the difference from gas, but it seems to be much more centered - where gas usually bubbles up the side. It's a very exciting - but very weird feeling! It's neat to feel the baby - but somewhat disconcerting to have another being living and growing inside of me (eeek...a little alien-like...)!!

The First Ultrasound

We had our first ultra sound on April 10th, when I was about 12 weeks along. Cleetus was 6.3cm from crown to rump, which is about 7-8% the size of me, who is approximately 80-85cm crown to rump (I measured...). And, since it involved me - it was an adventure!

I scheduled the appointment as part of a first trimester screening test over two weeks in advance, and got a lunch time appointment (12:45) so Matt could join. Then, Magee hospital send me a confirmation letter & a form to fill out. And - I also had to preregister for the appointment 24 hours in advance via phone or website. There was no way a human being - even me - could screw up the time for this appointment. But, when we show up at the ultrasound unit that afternoon, the receptions get very gruff with me, informing me I had an 8am appointment that I never showed up for!! Luckily I brought my confirmation letter with me, and was like "NO! My appointment was for now!" So, the two receptionists are totally confused [does being a hospital receptionist require a certain low I.Q.?], and don't know what to do. Apparantly, they threw away all my paper work when I didn't show up for the nonexistent appointment in the morning. They take all my info again, and tell us to have a seat. So - we start waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
Now would be a good time to tell you that they told me to drink a big glass of water before the ultrasound because a full bladder helps push the uterus up, which is useful for early pregnancy ultrasounds. So, during all this waiting, I have a steadily increasing need to pee. To the point where I am seeing yellow and can't sit still at all. But - I just keep holding on, not wanting to screw up getting a good ultrasound picture!
An hour and a half or so later, they finally take us back for the ultrasound - and I am super relieved to see there is a bathroom attached to the room, so I can race to it as soon as the ultra sound is done! I lay down in the chair - the technician gets the gew all over my belly & starts taking the ultrasound - at which point we discover that my bladder is so incredibly full, its squishing the uterus & they can't really see anything! The technician said I had to pee before they could continue (hip hip horay - that was the best urination of my life!). So - adding to the list of things that would only happen to DeeDee, "having a bladder too full for an ultrasound."
Now that I, and Cleetus, were much more comfortable, we successfully did the ultrasound. Cleetus was doing a little happy dance for the camera - and Matt and I were sent into a small reality shock: There is really a little baby growing in there! Oh my God, this is real!!!

Ughh - Morning Sickness

It came like a monster in the night - I just woke up one morning around week 7, feeling like I was going to throw up. Then came the funny taste in my mouth. And worse, it didn't go away. I'm not sure who came up with the name "morning" sickness, but I'll say it should be "super enduring" sickness. From that dreadful day in week 7 to around week 14, I was exhausted and nauseated, endlessly. I didn't throw up that often, but I wished I would because it might actually have helped me feel better. Eating and drinking anything was hard - I even gagged on water! It seemed to change every day what I could stand to put in my mouth, one day it was turkey another day macaroni and cheese. The only things I seemed to be able to consistently tolerate were chocolate ice cream, lemonade, and saltines. Some of my normally favorite foods - like chinese, repulsed me. Every prenatal vitamin I tried made it worse - even flinstone's chewables. I read every article I could find online about how to deal with it, but, it turns out, that there was nothing I could do but survive it.
The smells in lab at school had me gagging all through the day. Matt had to take over the litter box duty - and I was constantly accusing him of not cleaning it, even though he just had! I could smell anything a mile away & almost everything grossed me out.
Oh, and if the constant nausea wasn't enough for mother nature and Cleetus to throw at me; I was also constipated and had more gas then the cafeteria food at Seton Hill gave me! My stomach pretty much hurt from top to bottom and I was totally bloated. I couldn't stand to button my pants & used rubber bands instead; even though I actually lost about 5 pounds! As a result, I can't actually say when I really started needing maternity clothes. Plus - my acne flared up like I was 15 again - huge painful nasty zits everywhere & I had to stop using all my acne medications, which probably aggravated it more.
So - after spending about 7 weeks thinking "Why, oh why in the world, would anyone have more then one kid?" It went away. Well, mostly. The nausea went away, the gas and constipation has stuck around - but that is quite tolerable. My face is back to only moderately broken out. I can eat most foods again (although chinese does still repulse me...).
I can most definitely say that being pregnant is not all wonderful and magical. If you happen to be one of those women who don't get morning sickness - count your lucky stars, I'm super super jealous of you!!!!!!! I wouldn't wish it on any of my friends, but, if you have to struggle through it too - just know it ends. It does get better. And then, when you see your first ultra sound - and the little one floating around happily, its all worth it (but I'm still not having 10 kids - no way!).

Looking Back - Passing the Test

I probably should have started this blog a few months ago - but when have I ever done anything on time?! I'm into the fifth month of pregnancy now, and have experienced a lot to get here. So, to catch you up...

I first suspected the pregnancy back in February, when I discovered an early & extremely light period might be something else - Implantation Bleeding. I thought I might be just a little crazy and over reacting, so I didn't say anything to Matt. I went out and got a pregnancy test, and get a result only I would get: half the second pink line appears! So, I still didn't know if I was pregnant, and was starting to think I was definitely crazy. But, a few days later I finally fessed up to Matt that I thought I might be pregnant, and we decided I should take another test. This time - I didn't mess around with any pink lines and opted for the digital test (you know, the one from the commercial..."the most advanced device you'll ever pee on..."). Yes, I was definitely pregnant. And more surprisingly, I didn't freak out at all - I smiled. :)