Week 36 and an addendum.

UPDATE: ALL OF THE NURSERY DETAILS/SPECS ARE LISTED IN THIS FOLLOW-UP POST - http://oneporkchop.blogspot.com/2012/05/baby-js-nursery-details.html

So, after submitting/scheduling my 35 week post last week, I had a bit of a scare.  It suddenly struck me (because I can be unobservant at times) that baby J hadn’t moved in quite some time – a few hours that morning, and hardly at all the night before.  I remember my OB saying to call if the movement was dramatically different from one day to the next, and since he was using my internal organs as a trampoline the day before, the decreased movement was a bit unnerving.  I still felt him moving, so I knew he was still OK, but my mama instinct kicked into overdrive and told me that something wasn’t on the up and up.

After hearing back from my OB’s office, I went on over to L&D for a NST (non-stress test).  It’s a test where they hook you up to two monitors – one tests the baby’s heartbeat, the other tests for contractions. 

While I was hooked up, they saw I was having timeable contractions every 4 – 6 minutes.  While I didn’t feel the contrax, necessarily, it was pretty obvious when looking at the ticker paper.  Given my history with PTL (pre-term labor) with Anna at 35 weeks, it seems that my body gets ready to evict babies pretty early. 

I was given a script for Procardia and released.  Let’s just say that when I do actually go in to deliver that I hope I don’t get the nurse who helped me that day.  She apparently hated her job and was the type of nurse who didn’t explain anything at all.  Every time she came in to talk to me, I felt more confused than ever.  My mom and Joe were there with me, and even they were confused at what she was saying.  She was probably just having an off day. 

Oh, and I’m 80% effaced.  No dilation at this point, but the confusing nurse said she didn’t really want to mess around in there too much to see if I was dilated at all.  Uh, OK. 

The Procardia never really stopped my contractions.  In fact, every time I’d take them, I’d have even more.  So, I decided to stop them and just drink tons of fluids (one thing the nurse did say – that I actually understood – was that dehydration can cause contractions, so I’ve been loading up on non-caffeinated beverages as much as possible although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have caffeine every now and then). 

Since I stopped the Procardia, I haven’t been contracting hardly at all, and the past few days have been pretty calm with my pregnancy, thankfully.  I’ll be glad when next Tuesday comes.  At that point I’ll be 37 weeks, and Baby J can come any time he wants! 

Here’s where we are this week:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. 
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.



How far along: 36 weeks

Total weight gain: +30 total.  This is -1 from last week.  Yeah, no weight gain and a 1 lb. loss from last week was concerning, so I called my OB’s office.  They told me it’s very normal to not gain any weight at all in the last trimester.  The only time I should be concerned is if I lose or gain a lot at once.  I guess it’s just weird because I consistently gained with Anna my entire pregnancy, but I also wasn’t 30 lbs. at this point with her.  I guess it all piled on in the 2nd trimester and is evening out this time.   

Here’s a picture of my 36 week bump:



Side-by-side comparison for 34 – 36 weeks (sorry I didn’t do any silhouette pictures before 34 weeks). 



The pictures don’t necessarily reflect it, but it seems like he’s dropped a bit.  I not only feel more pressure, but my stomach seems lower, and I’m able to walk w/o getting out of breath. 

Sleep habits: Sleep has actually been pretty great.  When I do sleep, it’s very restful.  When I wake 2,000 times/night to pee, I can fall back asleep quickly.  My witching hour (3 a.m.) moments are becoming less and less.  The only issue I have right now is that the weight of my bump makes my hips hurt when I side sleep (which is my only option).  If I sleep on my left side, I can hear my heart-beat in my ears.  Sleeping on my back is impossible.  I literally feel like an elephant is sitting on me and drowning me with his ass.  I can’t wait to back sleep again!

Maternity clothes: We’re in full-fledged spring/summer wear now.  I got a pedicure this past week, so flip flops are back in full force.  I have some longer shirts that still fit my bump, so I wear those now.  Granted, my clothes suck and are boring, but I’m not spending any money on maternity shirts that will only be worn a few more weeks.  Besides, I’m really digging my bump this go round – it’s basketball like vs. the wide spread I had with Anna, so I like tighter shirts. 

Best moment of the week:  Getting lots accomplished in the nursery…finally!

Food cravings: I’m not craving too much lately.  In fact, most days I have to force myself to eat dinner.  I’m usually OK for lunch.  There’s just no room for my stomach at this point. 

Symptoms:  HA!  I was reading my symptoms from last week, and it appears I jinxed myself about not having to go to L&D with this baby.  Just a few hours after I typed that blog, I was in L&D. 

Let’s see, this week there’s lots of pressure, I’m fatigued most days, swollen legs at the end of the day (they look like tree trunks), I got a zit – haven’t had a zit since before I got married.  My BH contractions have slowed down quite a bit although sometimes I can’t tell if my ute is contracting or if J is moving and pushing his body against me.  At this point, it’s hard to tell the difference.

Last night I had some lower back pain that I was convinced was labor, but I woke up this morning feeling fine, so I guess it was a false alarm.  I get sharp jabs of pain in my lower abdomen (similar to ovulation cramping), but they come and go and aren’t anything to write home about. 

Movement: 
Some days J makes very painful kicks that hit in not so wonderful places. He has moved down a bit, so that gives me relief with the heartburn and constant rib jabs (although the jabs to other areas aren’t much more fun).  There have been a few days where he’s hardly moved at all which of course worries me and sends me to L&D or makes me call my OB’s office.  After reading some things online, it seems that once the baby has locked and engaged in the pelvis, most movement ceases.  I guess that’s where he is. 

The nursery:  I’d say I’m about 80% of the way done with the nursery.  The biggest obstacle, the dresser, is finally complete, so I feel like I can relax a little bit more and just put up the rest of the stuff when time (and motivation) permits. 

Joe did an AMAZING job painting the dresser.  Like seriously blows me away amazing.  He took this:



To this:


I decided to keep the original hardware because 1) they have an awesome patina to them that really goes with the theme of the nursery and 2) I’m cheap.  Plus, who wants to fill and re-drill new holes?  I love the handles and am so glad we decided to keep them.  I just couldn’t be happier with the way this turned out.  I love re-purposing old, unwanted items into something fresh and fun. 


With the alphabet letters and the bird mobile.  I promise the letters aren’t crooked in person.  It’s very hard to photograph anything in this small room. 





The bird mobile finally moved from the kitchen to his room.




Orbs are finally hung.  I decided to order one more star of the show to hang with the bunch.  It should be here any day now.  By the way, it’s nearly impossible to photograph how cute these orbs are with a ceiling fan hanging in the way.



My friend Kent made these amazing pillows for J.  She’s seriously so talented.  (She also made the curtains for the nursery.  I love her.)  

I could seriously eat this pillow. 

 

And look at this minky owl changing pad cover she made J:



My wonderful friend Aly made this hand-made blanket for J.  It’s so soft and wonderful – I love it!  I’m going to use it for his newborn photos. 




This isn’t nursery related, but here’s baby Joseph’s going home outfit.  I ordered it from MaddieBug’s Boutique on Etsy, and she certainly didn’t disappoint.  I think I ordered it on a Tuesday and got it that Friday.  The embroidery is beautiful, and the onesie is a good quality Carter’s onesie.  She has tons of beautiful items in her store, so please check her out if you’re looking for something similar!



And because this is too cute to not post about, here’s a Darren Sproles (Saints) onesie that my friend Liz sent me:


I’m not usually a big fan of imposing your fanatical sports desires on your child (I hate the baseball, football, your son must play sports to be a real man crap that seems to be forced on you when your have a son), but I do make exceptions for the Saints. 

Ahem…



Ahem, ahem…


What I’m looking forward to:  Meeting Joseph.  It’s almost go time!

What I miss: Nothing at the moment.

Last appointment details: I guess my last appointment would be my visit to L&D.  I was 80% effaced and having mild contractions every 4 – 6  minutes.  J’s h/b varied from 140s to 150s, and it would often dip into the 70s which freaked me out, but the nurse said that was normal. 

Next appointment:
My next appointment is Thursday, March 15.  Since my OB is on maternity leave, I will meet with the NP (whom I love).  I wish she had her midwifery license because I’d love for her to deliver Joseph.  Hopefully she will be able to check and tell me if I’ve made any progress since last week.

Week 27

Not much going on this past week, so I’ll just jump right to the baby stuff.

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.


Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com

How far along: 27 weeks

Total weight gain: +22 total.  This is +3 from last week.  UGH! Based on the pregnancy weight gain calculator, I’m a little ahead of where I need to be. So, yeah, I need to slow my roll.  A delicious Southwestern Egg Roll from Chili’s.  Or a pork roll from Chinese House.  Or a Crescent Roll. 

Here’s to hoping I’ll even out next week.  That seems to be the trend with this pregnancy.  Where I’d gain only one 1 – 2 lbs./week with Anna consistently, this pregnancy I’ll gain 3, not gain, gain 3.  I guess it all evens out.  My body is going to do what it wants to do, but I don’t need to help it along by eating two servings of everything.  Or three.

Sleep habits: Sleep has been quite good this week, fortunately.  Other than Anna crashing my bed a few times, I’ve been sleeping soundly and falling back to sleep quickly after waking up.  The bad dreams have stopped, and while my dreams are still vivid and memorable, at least they’re not panic inducing anymore.  I can’t sleep on my back any longer.  I wake up in pretty bad pain, achy pain.  My stomach is certainly heavier now, and it’s quite apparent when I have to get up from a lying down position.  That’s no fun.

Maternity clothes: They still fit.  It’s a miracle.  My bump is a lot higher up now and more bump-like, so I’m kind of digging the tight shirts to showcase my belly.  Of course I always wear a sweater on top to hide my butt.  So, I guess that kind of negates the cute bump shirts. 

Best moment of the week:  The Saints win against the Lions this past Saturday was pretty wonderful. 

Food cravings: No true cravings or aversions this week.  I’m ravenous, but any food will do. 

Symptoms: Some minor cramping – especially on my left side.  My hormones seem to be more in check this week, thankfully. 
 
Movement:  He’s equally active and not active.  Some hours he’s moving non-stop, then he won’t move for another hour or so.  I get worried.  It’s like he senses it and gives me a huge stomp in the bladder.  Good times.  He alternates between sitting on my bladder all day or hanging out behind my belly button.  I can feel kicks and punches all over now which is pretty weird.  I can see all of them from the outside as well. His kicks were so hard the other night that he was making my phone (that was perched on my stomach) move and bounce.  Kind of weird and fascinating all at the same time.

The nursery:  I’m counting down the days ‘til two of my BFsF, Beth over at Unskinny Boppy and Kent, come on down to help me out with the nursery details.  They’re going to help me paint the wall stripes as well as sew the curtains (Kent sews), make some pillows and other odds and ends.  

This is what I’ve done thus far:
1) I purchased his bedding – woot!  I got this entire bedding set – crib skirt, bumper, two sheets, pillow, comforter – for $45.  It’s in mint condition. 

 

2.  I purchased the fabric for the curtains, pillows, and changing pad cover that Kent will be sewing.

Curtain fabric:
I decided on an orange chevron fabric for the curtains.  I wanted to break out of the monochromatic color scheme of the bedding and add pops of colors with accents and other details.  After lamenting over different choices, I finally decided on this fabric:


Joe says it looks like the Whattaburger design.  While I agree, I think he fails to see how fantastic it will look in the final design.  Patience, dear grasshopper. 

This is what they will look like hanging (the image above is a truer example of the real color, these look a bit darker):
Image courtesy of Castle Creek Designs

Pillow fabrics:

  

Fabrics below are from fabric.com
 
Hopefully we’ll have a little fabric left over to make an orange chevron pillow as well.

Changing pad cover (minky fabrics):




3) The artwork
This has kind of been a tricky spot this past week.  I kind of/sort of started the whole decoration process without any input from Joe.  I figure, eh, decorating is more my domain than his, so it’ll be OK.  Wrong!  He wants to put all of his Coca Cola collection in the room as well as bright car posters and things that just won’t go.  I figure when baby J is older and we decorate his toddler room, we can bring all of that out, but for now I’d like his nursery to look like a nursery and not a Coca Cola/Dale Earnhardt museum. 

So, to compromise, I nixed the bird/owl theme and decided to introduce a vintage/retro/modern (contradiction, right?) theme to make Joe happy while still maintaining the overall concept. 

My friend Allison is going to create three canvases that will go behind his bed – one will have a vintage Chevy Camaro (Joe’s favorite car), the other will be an old Chevy truck, and the middle canvas will just be the letter J.

Here’s an example of the look we’re going for that will be used on the canvases using the colors of the nursery:

  
Image is from N. Eve Designs on Etsy

Here’s some artwork that I DIY after finding a design I loved on Etsy.  


I will have it framed and matted like above using some frames that I had left over from when the room was a guest room.  Total cost = $0!

Since the frames are black, I will probably spray paint them all aqua.

I love the alphabet concept, so I’ll be adding in some alphabet artwork as well. 

Here’s my DIY version:

Again, this will be framed and matted in an aqua frame.

I also love the artwork below and will try to DIY it myself and add to some shelving or the dresser/tables in his room:


Image is from Trendy Peas


Image is from Trendy Peas

Image is from Sycamore Street Press on Etsy

I guess the two basic concepts of the room at this point are vintage cars and the alphabet.  My friend Allison came through once again and found an adorable set of letters that she was able to DIY/mimic in papers that match the nursery colors.  Here’s what she’s done so far:

Inspiration photo:
Image is from mypaperlust.blogspot.com

Here’s her DIY version:
I love, love, love them!

Other to-dos:

1) Create a bird mobile like this inspiration photo:

Image from Design, dining, and diapers

Since I can’t sew worth crap, I found a seller on Etsy who made me 6 birds (in colors that match the nursery) for $15!

Check out The Fish Box

Now all I need is the wreath and hanging string.  This mobile will go above J’s changing table. 

Still to do…
1) Pick out paint colors.  I’m still undecided, but I think I’m leaning towards a mid-level beige/brown color and off-white/cream stripe.  The stripes will be on one wall only – the wall behind his crib.  The other three walls (small walls) will be painted in the beige/brown color.  Since we have a lot of patterns and things going on, I think a room full of stripes will be overwhelming. 

Still not sure if I’ll do a wide stripe like this:
Image courtesy of projectnursery.com. 

Or a narrow stripe like this:

 Image courtesy of Nursery Notations

My plan this weekend is to paint the base coat on the walls so it will be ready to go when we want to do the stripes once Beth and Kent get here.  Slowly but surely!
 
What I’m looking forward to:  Beth and Kent’s visit.  Finishing up the nursery.  4D u/s.

What I miss: Same as last week – I miss the ability to get things done without having to wait on other people to help me (ahem, Joe bringing stuff to the attic). 

Next appointment: My last appointment was January 5th, but they moved it to the 6th because my OB had an emergency delivery.  The baby’s h/b was 140.  When she measured my belly, she said I was a little behind – I was measuring 25 cm. at 26w3d, but she said as long as we’re not 2 cm different, we’re still in a good zone.  Of course I worried and Googled since I never had this problem with Anna, and it seems like this is fairly common.  He could’ve just been in a weird position at that moment which may have skewed the measurements. 

I have to go back in two weeks on January 19th for the gestational diabetes test.  They like to take it right at 28 weeks there.  I have to force myself to eat two Snickers bars for a few days prior.  What a sacrifice! 

See ya next week!

91 days to go.  Eeek!

It’s a Christmas Miracle!

I’m back, and I’m actually going to blog today instead of pimp out my store!  Aren’t you proud of me?

So, let’s talk Christmas, shall we?  This is the first year that I truly feel like Anna will be in the spirit of things.  And what better way to teach your child about the true meaning of Christmas than to spoil her with a bunch of toys that will get played with once or twice and then shoved into the corner?

Fa la la la la.

Actually, this year we’re very excited that she’ll have some gifts to open up on Christmas morning.  I am absolutely giddy with the stuff I’ve purchased so far.  I’m more excited about her gifts than I ever was about mine. 

Here’s what will be under the tree on Christmas morning.  If you’re still looking for some suggestions on what to get your little one, maybe this will help to point you in the right direction.

Most of this was purchased from Wal-Mart online.  They’re having a fantastic cyber week sale, and most of the items offer free shipping to your home, site to store or $.97 shipping – you really can’t beat it.

I’m already prepping her for a basketball career.  If she takes after me, she will be tall.  If she takes after her father, she will be athletically inclined.  I hope she’s our hybrid.  Otherwise she’ll be tall and clumsy.  That’s wasteful. 

If she doesn’t have a future in b-ball, perhaps she can be an artist.  Or perhaps this chalkboard and whiteboard easel will dissuade her from making crayon murals on our walls. 

Anna’s latest obsession is putting her hand in your cup and playing with whatever beverage is inside.  She may have a mild obsession with liquid.  We’re looking in to it. 

Since daddy’s Rock Band guitar only plays when it’s plugged in. 

I bought this for purely selfish reasons.  I want to play with it.  Who wouldn’t?   Plus, I’m grooming her to be our personal chef/clothes washer. 

The princess theme is debatable, but I couldn’t pass up the stamp stuff.  My child is a fiend for anything that she can stamp on, color on, tear up, etc.  I’m a glutton for punishment, but I like seeing her happy!

When Anna holds me hostage in her room while she “cooks” – I want to have something pretty and bright to look at.  

By golly, it’s a Christmas miracle – paint that doesn’t actually paint!  My house (and cats) will be happy to know that Anna can’t do much damage with this set.

I pray that this laptop will be a good replacement for my laptop.  Anna has a mild obsession with all electronics, and she spends her days and nights trying to hack into my work laptop.  It says her name, so hopefully that will grab her attention long enough for me to put an anti-Anna virus protector on my computer. 

One of the coolest gifts my mom ever got me was a personalized crayon/coloring book holder.  I couldn’t find an exact replica, but this is close enough.  She’s getting the cherry bag (far left).  Check out this Etsy store if you want something similar – Kirk’s Korner.

To go with her new kitchen, of course! Check out Baby Paige’s store. 

It became glaringly obvious to me as I was writing this post that I may have gone a little over board this year.  I’m making up for last year when all I gave her was a used spatula.  Christmas comes but once a year, and aside from her Satanna moments, she’s a great kid.  We are truly blessed with this little girl. 

OK, so spill it – what are you going to spoil your little one with this year?