4 days

Today was my last doctor's appointment before my sceduled c-section. She said everything looked great and that I was still closed but 85% thinned out. She also said I was measuring at 40 weeks and the baby is big and it was a good thing I'm having a c-section. The recovery time is longer and it is major surgery, but I know what to expect! So.... I am scheduled for Friday morning.
I can't believe Friday we'll have a new baby. It hasn't really hit me yet. I feel like I have a lot to do before he arrives. I haven't even packed my bag. I'm dreading staying in the hospital, it's so not relaxing. I'm also not looking forward to dealing with the whole breastfeeding thing. I really want to do it, but I almost feel like I will go into depression if I do. I did it with Ellie a little over a month and it was horrible. I had major issues and my milk never really came in. I just remember crying about it all the time. I hope a miracle happens and I change my mind. Maybe one of the nurses will talk me into trying it again. I know that it can't hurt to try it again and I know I'm in the wrong with this whole thing. I've read a lot on nursing and there is NO negatives about it, except if the mother can't do it or emotionally can't handle it. I guess I'm just emotionally unstable, but maybe it will change on Friday! Ok. enough.

I'm pretty excited to get some energy back though! I know I'll still be sleep deprived, but my body will start healing. I'm planning on taking 3 months off. I get 8 weeks for my c-section and the rest is unpaid. We are also going to Vegas in November with Nick's family to celebrate his parent's 40th anniversary! I look forward to that, but not leaving Ellie and the baby. It will be a quick trip, but still.

Ellie has had a fever the last couple of days and has been feeling sluggish. I hope she returns to her normal self by the end of the week, because she'll have a new baby brother!

Here is a picture of Ellie (with her pirate patch) at breakfast the other day. She LOVES breakfast!

Some updates

I haven't blogged in awhile because I've been so busy taking care of my short term disability and maternity leave. It's been such a nightmare. My company wasn't clear on how this worked and either was the std benefits company. It's still not resolved, but basically it doesn't make sense for me to work part-time and be on part-time benefits when I am covered and paid at 100%. I also didn't know that my std leave and maternity is the same thing. I thought when I had the baby my benefits would start over, but low and behold it doesn't. So I won't be getting 100% pay when I'm on leave. I know I shouldn't complain because there are a lot of people that don't have any coverage, but I've been paying std for the last 10 years at my company. I'm coming up on my 10 year anniversary this year. NUTS. Time flies so fast, it's scary.

So, the jist of it all, is that I'm on full-time leave until the baby comes and then 8 weeks after. I will also probably take about 4 weeks off unpaid time off. Nick doesn't think it's necessary, but then again he shouldn't have a say since I've done a lot of work the last 10 months. I'm not milking anything now either, but I've had a rough couple of weeks. I have this rash all over my body. It itches like crazy to the point of wanting to cut off my limbs. I either have something called PUPPS or intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Both of these suck, but the cholestasis is a major problem. If I do have that, then I'm looking at an earlier delivery. My doctor has prescribed some meds and I bought some lotion called Sarna - benedryl doesn't do shit. I'm waiting for my blood results on my liver to come back too. Hopefully any day now.

So, I've been spending time at home and hanging out with Ellie, my mom and Meeko.... waiting for the baby. I'll be 36 weeks on Thursday. If I had the baby today, it would be the same time Ellie came. That would be weird. Here's what we've been up to:

Nursery #2

I've slowly been getting things ready for the nursery and am getting excited to redecorate! I haven't gotten the curtains back yet, but I did get the prints I ordered from etsy.

Here are the 3 prints I ordered. She customized them for me, because I wanted to change them a little. These are 8x10 and I put them in a white matted frame. Still have to hang them...

And this one is a big 16x20 poster size. I'll probably put it at the top of the bookshelf and just lean it.

I ordered them from a store on Etsy called: SeaUrchinStudio. Their stuff is super cute!

 

Honeydew

I can't believe I'm 30 weeks already, but I also can't believe I have 8 more to go. My c-section is scheduled on 8/26, a week before my due date. Tomorrow I have another check up to see how my cervix is doing. I'm not sure how much longer I have to do the shots either - hopefully not too long.  So, it looks like I only have 3 more different types of veggies/fruits to go. I never did get to the watermelon size with Ellie. I mean I was that big, but delivered before 37 weeks. This baby is measuring 2 weeks bigger too, so I think I'm probably more like the honeydew than the squash.

Nesting or shopping addiction?

I've been thinking about things I need to get for the new baby. I feel like I have everything, but then I'm like... um I need diapers, clothes (I have nothing for him, except a 2T REI vest), another baby monitor, stroller, crib sheets, blankets (most of the ones I have are girly) and the list goes on....

I saw this new blanket style and LOVE it. And why the heck didn't I think of it? Ellie still uses a sleep blanket sack thingy. This one is so cool, because you can change their diaper without disturbing too much. Because if you check on them in the middle of the night and smell something, you can't just go to bed and pretend you didn't smell anything... you have to change them. right?

http://gunamuna.com/

3rd Tri

I'm now in my last trimester! Yesterday was a great day, not because I had to sit at the doctor's office from 8 until 2, but because I passed my glucose screening and everything is looking good with my cervix. So, I treated myself to a hot chocolate and bagel from Panera (it's cold again) and bought a few necessary items from Kohls. I'm over 28 weeks now, but the baby is measuring 2 weeks bigger. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but since I'm having a c-section, I won't have to worry too much about him not fitting. Also, the baby is about 3 and a half pounds! That is what my doc said. I was surprised because all the websites say that the baby is just under 2 1/2. 

This weekend should be pretty productive. I need to go to Ikea and get some stuff for Ellie's new bedroom. I haven't told Nick my plan yet, but he's going golfing on Sunday, so I think it will be a good compromise. lol.

How big is baby?

27 Weeks. I feel like it's been going by a little slow, even though I'm almost 7 months. Another week and I'll be in my 3rd Trimester! Wahoo! I have to go in for my 3 hour Blood Glucose test next week. I had to do it with Ellie and it sucks. I'll read some magazines, but it's not relaxing and drinking that stuff is gross. I know I'm not being very positive, but it does suck. I think that they should have a massage therapist there to massage your feet and legs while you wait. Maybe I'll suggest it :)

Orange!

Well.... I finally found the fabric for the baby's room. I know it's not babyish or boyish, but I think it will work. This was one of Nick's favorites too, until the lady was figuring out the measurements and that we needed 10 yards. Unfortunately Nick is pretty good at math, so he knew how much it was pretty quickly. That's when he wanted to see what else there was, since the fabric we chose was basically the only one that was not 40% off. So, I let him browse some more and then I said that we'd just have to go to another store. That closed the deal and we got the fabric. This goes so well with the color of the walls in the room, which are a dark indigo blue.  I think if we decide to turn the room back into an office someday, we can even keep this up. Now I'm off to find some cute prints on Etsy. :)

Things totally happen for a reason.

I was suppose to have a test done on Friday to see if I had any 'medical' signs of preterm labor. It's called the Fetal Fibronectin (FFN) test. They didn't have the 'kit' to do the test because it was in a new office, so I went today. This test is done between 24-34 weeks if you've had a premature baby (Ellie was almost 6 weeks early) or if you have other signs of preterm labor (contractions, pelvic pressure, etc.) It tests the 'glue' down there. This test should come back tomorrow and I'm hoping it's negative. If it's not it could mean that I could have the baby really, really soon. Like within 2 weeks :(

My OB also did an ultrasound and checked around to look at my cervix. I knew something was wrong because she was really, really concentrating and also printed out a bunch of copies from the ultrasound machine. Basically, I have a short cervix. At 24 weeks the 'normal' cervix is about 3.5 cm and mine is only at 2.7 which doesn't seem like a huge difference but it's also a small scale and it can change quickly.

I will be doing progesterone shots every week to help and have to take it easy. Bed rest might be something that we will talk about at my next appointment. I'll be having the FFN test and ultrasound test every 2 weeks until the baby comes.

I'm actually really glad that we couldn't do the test on Friday as I would have been worried all weekend and I probably would have told my mom and that might have prolonged her trip to Japan. She left on Saturday to go see her mom, who is really sick. My dad will be helping take care of Ellie. Ellie is going to learn so much! They'll probably play in the garden and get dirty, work on her new closet (she's a good assistant) and go to the park a lot. She is so lucky :)


 

Half way there!

WOW! I can't believe how time flies. I am 5 months today, so that means I am half way there. I think most pregnant woman complain how long it takes, but I feel like it's zooming by. I told Nick last night that the baby is as big as a cantaloupe. He was shocked. I think it's hard for guys to really understand what is going on in their and with how much the body changes. I've been watching "Pregnant in Heels" on Bravo and love it! There is a husband on their that doesn't understand why his sex life has changed. DUH! So Rosie put a 40 lb pregnant belly on him and made him golf and lay on the ground to see how it's like. I think he got the picture. I'm tired a lot, but I can't complain too much because this pregnancy is going good.

I'm getting anxious about starting on decorating the baby's nursery. I think I've pretty much decided that Ellie will go upstairs in her own room. I'll probably buy a convertible crib and put her in that at first since she'll only be a little over 2 years when the baby comes. I just hope she likes it up there. Right now we have a twin bed, tall dresser and a long horizontal dresser with a mirror that will also be in her room. It was my old bedroom set when I was little. I also have to get new drawer handles because one is missing and I kind of want to change it up anways. The baby will of course keep all of Ellie's furniture in his room and I'll make it more boyish with new curtains and pictures. So right now, I'm on the look out for cute boyish fabric and some art!

Anxious

Yesterday was a very exciting day! I was anxious all day to get the ultrasound going. Below is a scanned image of one of the ultrasound pictures. I wish I had more pictures, but they all look like this!!  The baby is basically facing outwards looking at you. It's kind of creepy, but so cool. You can see the eye sockets, nose, hands, stomach and little legs. As the ultrasound tech was doing the routine measurements that they needed to get, I kept looking to see if I could see anything. I finally asked her if she could tell what the sex was and she said was trying to get a different angle. I thought, hmmm... maybe because it's a girl she can't see. Then all of a sudden, she said, "see that little thing there?" I was shocked! She said that looks like it could be a boy, but can't say 100%. They never can say 100%, but I finally got out of her that she was 95% sure.  The baby looks healthy and everything looks normal and Ellie is going to have a baby brother. I think Nick was a little more excited than me, but only because I would have bet money that it was a girl. I felt so sure of it.

There are lots of things I have to learn about boys, their equipment, needs, and who knows what else! I'm so excited to go shopping, redesigning his room and start thinking of names.

M for mango or male?

I love fridays and the weekends, but I'm really excited for Monday. It can't come soon enough! Monday I will have an ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or girl. I'm just over 19 weeks and the baby is the size of a large mango. Does that mean it will be a male or does that mean the baby's name should start with an M?

I can't  wait to start planning and thinking about names. This time I have a strong feeling it's a girl, but I also thought Ellie was going to be a boy. It would be nice if Ellie had a sister, but a boy would be a whole new experience. It's a little scarey to think about having a boy, they have more equipment and I have no experience with a boy. Plus if it's a boy, I'll have some fun shopping to do as well! :)  

What do you all think? Boy or girl? I'll let you know Monday afternoon.

4 months!

I can't believe I'm 16 weeks already. Actually I feel like I'm 8 months, but that's ok. I have to admit that this time around is a lot harder than the first. I don't know if it's because I'm being a whiney baby or if it's because my insicion from my c-section feels like it might bust open at times. I think I might be feeling movement in there, but it's nothing obvious just yet. My ultrasound is schedule for April 11th. We will try to find out if Ellie will have a little brother or sister, then it's plan, plan, plan! If it's a girl, we won't have much to buy at all (Nick likes this scenerio, but he also thinks that we are going to have 4 girls) if it's a boy, I have a lot to buy and learn. I don't know what to do with boy's equipment and parts. It will be very interesting. Then, we have to start thinking about names. I have a few in mind (secret), but I'm not really sure about them. Anyone have any suggestions!??

Another big purchase that we have to make sooner than later, is a new car. I have felt for the last couple years now that it's time for Nick to let go of his little 2 door sports car. It's just not a good fit for our family. I'm thinking that a Toyota minivan or a Honda Pilot will do. I know I'd like something with 8 seats, leather, heated front seats, dvd player in back - just the necessities :)  Since Nick isn't too excited about purchasing a car, I've been the one thinking and looking. I just have to find a way to sell his car without to much comotion, but I've done it before, so I can do it again!

Not so much

Well another typical day in Wisconsin. We woke up to about 4 inches of wet, heavy, pretty snow. Usually I would be excited because I can go skiing, but not this year. Nope, not liking the snow so much. I really, really want to wear sandels. I don't like wearing socks, but mainly because today when I got to work I noticed that I am wearing brown socks with black shoes and pants. Cool. Not so much.

I also need to get some t-shirts letting everyone know that I have a baby in my stomach and it's not from all the pie. I've been getting a lot of stares lately and it is pretty uncomfortable. I am 15 weeks this week and feell like I'm 30 weeks. It's amazing how much faster your tummy grows when it's your 2nd. I'm a little excited because I got a couple new maternity pants and tops. My intention of going to Destination Maternity was to get one pair of work pants. haha. right. I needed a couple things for our Vegas trip too. (we are going for a few days at the end of the month). Anways, I ran into Kristin (hi kristin!) and she had just gotten done taking an exercise class. I had completely forgot they had those classes there! My plan is to take a class or two a week. We'll see. The weekends are always so hectic and during the week I'm just burned out from work. I know I'm already starting with the excuses, but maybe if I go, I can treat myself to one new thing everytime. I would totally be able to justify that with myself and possibly Nick. The one hour classes are free and you get complimentary juice or water, so I figure if they did charge for that it would be about $25. That means I can buy something for under $25. Makes sense to me! I will have to call today and see if they have any openings!