Ultrasound - Week 32

Our baby boy is 4.6lbs, head down, and growing perfectly. He also has hair! Enough hair to be seen on an ultrasound...wow. Alex and I were both surprised as we were both bald when we were born. In fact, my mother told me I didn't have hair to pin back till I was 2 years old. But with Jack, it looks like he'll follow suit with this older cousin, Ellie as far as hair goes. Pretty exciting and wonderous to see. He's beautiful!



He was sleeping at the time of the ultrasound...sucking his thumb (I think he's going to love his pacifiers), heart beating 133 bpm, a perfectly healthy and normal rate. We took advantage of the stillness by getting some more profile shots. He looks just like Alex as a baby!



Only about 8 weeks till birthday. The doctor told me to have the infant seat intalled in the car at this point and have it checked out by local fire dept. or police dept. I also need to start putting the hospital bag together. Besides the massage ball which I've been using every night to relieve some achiness, I have no idea what else I need to bring. I need to pick out music apparently, as well as a focal point object/picture. In our birthing class, we were told by the instructor that most first time parents use a picture of the family pet. Sigh. Will Newt make it to the delivery room? We shall have to wait and see. To me it seems pretty funny to have a picture of a cat, our Newt no less, as the focal point.



By the way, the baby shower went wonderfully! We'll be posting pictures soon from that day. We had great food provided by my sister, Wany, and Jack got a lot of good stuff from family and friends who were so kind enough to join me Saturday. I can't wait to use all the items received for Jack.

Sleepy Time

Sleep is becoming a valuable commodity for me as of late. I think I average about 4 hours a night now. Here's how a usual night passes for me:

10pm - get into bed and start winding down. Alex comes to bed with me, but turns on the TV - his way of winding down.

10:30pm - I'm getting tired. I start yawning, cradling my body pillow and start dozing off. Alex is dozing off, but the TV is still on.

11pm - I'm totally ready to fall into deep sleep, but the TV is still on. Alex is asleep. I have to shake him and wake him up to turn the TV off (he clutches the remote even while he's sleeping - TV is his friend).

11:15pm - I am still tired, but cannot sleep....because Alex is snoring. I have to push him onto his side.

11:30pm - I cannot fall back to sleep. I am no longer tired. I lay there, awake, alone in the warm glow of the bedroom night light (yes, I have a night light - make fun all you want), wondering when I will fall asleep again.

12am - my butt hurts.

12:30am - body pillow is making me hot. I move the pillow away.

1:30am - I have to pee

1:45am - Ow! My sciatica!

2am - I grab the body pillow again, I think it will help with the butt nerves if I use it and lay on my left side.

2:30am - about to doze off....but then Alex starts snoring again.

3am - I have to pee

3:15am - I finally go to sleep

7:02am - Alex wakes me up for work.

Sciatic Nerves - Butt Nerves

Yes, I have it. I have nerves in my butt and it is being pinched, punished, and pounded on by Jack and my uterus.
Oh the radiating pain starting from my lower back, through my buttocks, and down the back of my thighs. I have never felt annoyance and discomfort like this before.

It's not pain the way you'd think of it. It's a dull, lingering, throbbing achiness that travels the length of your legs and butt.

I googled my new pregnancy symptom, and unfortunately, there isn't much I can do. I just have to wait it out. It said I could take Tylenol to relieve inflamation (don't know if I will), or use a heating pad on the area, or massage, but for it to completely go away, I'd have to wait as long as 6 weeks.

6 weeks from now I'll be 37 weeks pregnant - considered full term, so it looks like I'll be suffering from this condition at least till the birth of Jack.

I knew there was going to be discomfort, but I guess I just didn't know how much, and how many different kinds there would be in pregnancy.

Am I really this far along?

I cannot believe I am only a couple of months away from seeing Jack.

Alex mentioned that the first trimester seemed to last a life time, and that the second trimester only seemed like weeks. Now we are getting down to the wire and there's about 10 weeks left.

It's becoming more real. I mean, Jack's been real to me for quite some time now with all his moving around, making me sick, making me tired, making me forgetful, seeing him in ultrasounds, etc. but reality will take the next step, and soon I'll finally get to see him and hold him, and most importantly plant many kisses on him.

But still, it seems strange that I'll be that woman writhing in pain in the hospital, and eventually with that needle in my spine, outwardly trying to stay calm and focused, but deep down inside dreading the sound and sight of the stirrups on which my feet will be placed come THAT time of truth....will my body be able to pull itself together and do what it's supposed to do?

Will Jack cooperate? Will the nurses be nice to me? Will I end up needing a C-section? Will I have remmbered to pack socks in my hospital bag? How many hours will it be for me? My mother claimes I took 3 days...she also claims she was sick the entire 9 months of pregnancy.

I am scared, anxious and hopeful...but overall, more excited than anything. I can't wait for Jack's arrival...so you know what that means.....the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, the last stretch, will seem like an eternity.

Foot Fun

Just back from my ultrasound appointment at the doctor's office.

The U/S tech I got this time was named Sharon or Sheryl (not sure - wasn't listening). She was adequately cordial, but not as fun or chatty as Marianne, our last U/S technician.

Sharon (let's just call her that) had the monitor facing only her while she took measurements of Jack's head, tummy, legs and arms. Marianne on the other hand, had the monitor facing us the whole time, making sure we were able to see as she did her scanning.

Sharon squeezed out very cold gel on my stomach without so much as a warning! Chilly! Marianne apologized for not having warmed up the gel before she put the gel on my stomach.

Sharon didn't talk as much. Marianne told us about the house she and her husband were in the middle of selling (even gave us a card with a picture of the house in case we knew someone who'd be interested), chimed in about how she had a Jack in her family when we told her what the baby's name was going to be, how many kids she had and how college was running them dry of funds...small talk, chit-chat.

Marianne was good about constantly pointing out what she was looking at as far as Jack was concerned, and how much he weighed. I had to ask Sharon at the end how much Jack weighed.

Anyhoo - here are Jack's stats:
Heart rate = 138 bpm
General growth = on target, normal
Weight = 2lbs. 13oz. (he gained a whole pound since the last U/S)
Position = breech, on my left side, face towards my spine
Activity level = very active, just like last time. Sharon had to wait a bit for Jack to face/turn the right way so she could measure his head. I don't think Jack liked Sharon.

Excitement of the day: Towards the end, Sharon turned the monitor towards me and pointed out the usual baby parts - head, back, legs, feet...he's folded or doubled over now as it's getting crammed inside my tummy....but where were the hands? Sharon scanned back and forth, but couldn't find them.

Then, just as she began to say, "oh, I think that's an arm ri...." Jack's arm reaches out and he grabs his foot. His hand lingers there for a while playing with his toes! It was amazing! Jack always manages to give us something good during U/S. Sharon and I were both impressed (it was the only time Sharon showed any emotion/inflection in her voice).

Profile - Week 28

Baby Registry

We have completed our registries! Below are the links to the two registries.

Babies 'R Us - Registry #95221372

Target Baby

Both registries can be looked up by Taylor's name or just Maidy as last name.

The bedding set we wanted is not sold in stores anymore. If you want to get this for us, the link is below.

Snoopy Sports Crib Bedding

Nickname Poll Results

Nickname for Jackson Poll

Which nickname do you like best for Jack?

Happy Jack (1) 6%
Jack Attack (2) 12%
Big Jack (1) 6%
Jack Jack (7) 41%
Jackie (1) 6%
Just Jack (1) 6%
J.A.M. (1) 6%
None of the Above (3) 18%

Total Votes: 17

Because of the overwhelming majority, you will notice this site is now known by the favored nickname. Long live King Jack Jack!

How Come?

Wany's baby is already head down....over achievers in that family.

Jack's been breech since day one....sigh.

I've been told not to worry, that most babies move head down closer to the due date...."please cooperate, Jack...please!"

Depth Perception - or lack thereof

Today at the office, my phone rang (a return call from my doctor's office), but my arms did not reach the receiver as it usually does from it's normal distance. Without thinking, I grabbed onto the edge of my desk and pulled myself closer to the phone...

My infalted belly bounced off the edge of the desk (don't worry, not too hard)and I was back to square one...the same distance that kept me from reaching the phone.

I moved the phone closer to me.

Invasion

It was bound to happen....I caught a cold...

I'd been so careful about the bathroom at work, well, public bathrooms in general (I've got the art of not touching bathroom door handles to get in and out), careful not to touch the handle on the microwave oven at work, co-workers' desk items (such as their computer mouse, keyboards and telephones), even my own husband if he was sick! So how in the world could this happen?

I'd heard and witnessed the horror of pregnant women who caught colds and couldn't take anything to relieve their symptoms. I've read in the numerous pregnancy books I have that cold medicines don't help cure you anyway, that they only lessen the symptoms, and so to stay away from them (also my nurse told me not to take the usual meds).

I tell you what...I could live with less cold symptoms, I don't care if it only gives the illusion of being cured of a cold. I would have slept better last night had my nose/airway not been blocked like the Kennedy during rush hour AND construction. However, during the day, my nose leaked like there was no tomorrow. Where did all that stuff come from if my nasal airway was blocked?! Jeesh!

I sound like a frog too...this is because I've been forced to breathe through my mouth, so my throat has become raw, and irritated. I sound like an 88 year old smoker trying to sing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. God bless it.

Then my mother called about something unrelated to my cold. As soon as she heard my voice, she freaked out...."what are you taking for your cold? You should call your doctor for cold medicine just for pregnant people! You sound awful!"

Explaining to her that I cannot take part in the usual pill party for a cold/sickness didn't register with her at all....not even when I explained to her that in my condition, taking the usual medications would present more risk of harm to Jack...twice! Finally, silence fell over the phone...then softly her voice came again over the phone..."are you not supposed to take cold medicine when you're pregnant?" Bingo!

I hope to be able to sleep better tonight and not wake up coughing due to a dry throat.

Things I Miss

Sushi
Coffee
Shopping at J.Crew
Sitting indian-style
Not being out of breath after 5 steps
Fish (yes, it's true)
Cute bras
My old clothes
My cute shoes!
Sleeping through the night
Being able to reach down to pick something off the floor without trouble
Being selfish

Biiiiiiiiiiig

"I can't get any bigger....can I?" This was the thought running through my head last night at the mall.

I've been growing out of my maternity clothes fast! Pants bought three weeks ago which were on the big side are no longer on the big side, but rather, fit me kind of snug now. I bought these pants to wear to Church on Mother's Day but decided not to and left them in the closet to be worn another time. Bad move.

I've learned I've got to wear items as I buy them. I've also learned to buy them big and not go by what size I am now. Thank God maternity clothes only come in small, medium, large and XLarge at Motherhood Maternity. If there were actual sizes attached to every article of clothing, I'm sure I'd suffer from depression.

As I was walking through the mall, the only people I noticed were the women who were NOT pregnant, but in their normal state. I began to wonder if I'd ever get back to my normal state or....better (yes, I'm being greedy here). I sighed and mentioned to Alex how nice it would be to be back to my old self again to which Alex argued, "this from a woman who said she couldn't wait to be pregnant!"

How did I get so big? Will I ever get back to normal? Will I ever be able to walk into J.Crew and buy items like I used to? Will I ever get back into a 6 1/2 shoe?

Much is left to be seen.

Jack's Room Complete!

We have finished decorating Jack's room! All the pieces are in place, furniture-wise, and we finished hanging the majority of the decorations. A couple minor pieces are left, but they are in our registry and will not arrive until closer to the due date. But, to see how the room transformed from my "guy's room" to our "little guy's room," see the photos below.


March 21: This is how the room started: messy, crammed with crap, books, dvds, games. Just the way I liked it. Notice the bookcase is empty.





May 21: Not much difference, but notice an entire bookcase is gone and there is more baby stuff piled around the room.






June 3: The crib arrived! Assembled and placed. Ready to go for baby Jack!






June 3 (10 minutes later): Taylor liked the bookcase better over here, so I moved it. Um, now? Ok...Yay, Ready for baby Jack!





June 9: This is Norman. Taylor's company got one of these for each of the employees expecting this year. I wanted to get a rocking horse for Jack, but this is just the coolest one I could imagine.





June 14: Arrival of the dresser/changing table. We did not have to assemble it at all (phew!). We are going to get a changing pad and strap it to the top so only one piece of furniture is necessary. We also removed the vertical blinds and hung curtains. We also found Blackout Curtains, which are designed to make it pitch black in the middle of the day. They also serve as insulation for cold or hot. Almost done with the room!

June 14: Well, all of the furniture is in place, we hung a set of hooks and picture frames and removed all the junk on the floor. The room is raring to go! Now, we just get to sit and wait for Jack to pop out!

Deal of the Century!

Well, we went a little overboard. Taylor and I went to Babies R Us to complete our registry. While there, we decided we would need a gliding ottoman to go with our Dutalier glider. Taylor tried it and felt it would be nice to have. But, with almost all the ottomans (even the generic brands) costing over $90 we decided to register for one as well.

Lo and behold, Taylor spots the ottoman with the red CLEARANCE sticker on the side. The normally $89.99 ottoman was marked at $9.98. We could not believe it. It had to be a typo. We grabbed it in the cart, finished scanning our registry, and brought the ottoman to the register. The employees could not believe it either and it rang right up at the under ten dollar price. We got it!

Between the glider and the ottoman, we have already saved almost $400! Which we promptly spent on clothing and things for Jack. We stopped at Gymboree and Target (where we also registered) and came back with several outfits.

Like Taylor says, Jack will have a nice room and great toys but no clothes. Oh well, such is the life of soon to be parents.

25 Weeks / Ultrasound 3

Today we had our third ultrasound. This was a regular one that the doctor suggested we have every 4-6 weeks just to make sure everything looks ok with the single umbilical artery. The technician said everything looks right on track and he is developing well. Kidneys, stomach, brain, spine: all look a-ok. This appointment coincided with the beginning of the 25th week of pregnancy. Little Jack weighs in at just under 2 pounds right now.

The technician, Mary Anne, was very nice and helpful and put us at ease. Today was my first exposure to the staff at Alexian Brothers and I have to say they are ten times nicer and more attentive than the staff at Condell. She even gave us some fun pictures, besides the profile shots above, that really made our day. Take a look!


It may be hard to make out, but the thing next to the arrow is Jack's scrotum. Confirmation (3rd time!) that we are having a little boy!






While Mary Anne was trying to get Jack to give us one of the profile shots (he was very stubborn and kept moving around), we got to see him lift his little hand next to his face and we could make out the fingers and thumb. And then, he went right ahead and stuck his thumb in his mouth. It was amazing!

And this was the final shot. Seemingly tired from all that posing, Jack yawned! He yawned! It is so weird how these normal little things are amazing when it is your baby. If you look at the photo, you can make out the nostrils above his mouth and get a pretty great view of our little boy!

Well, that was all for this visit. Pretty great stuff! Now, back to decorating his room!

Doctors, foot in mouth, and possibly an elbow

I like my new doctor. I did not feel rushed, and I actually had a conversation with my new doctor which was refreshing. I felt the experience was educational, which I like. Just by the questions she asked and the answers she gave to my questions for her, I could tell right away we were going to get along just fine. They have an on site lab, as well as an ultrasound machine. The other office did not, and I'd have to go else where for it.

The medical office building is brand new....clean, and staffed by very friendly people.

On another note, a co-worker today said I was "big!" after our lunch. Sigh. I've known this person for years, and know she didn't mean anything awful by it, but rather it was her inclination towards 'foot in mouth' syndrome acting up again. Wait till we're in August....I'll be huge then!

I felt Jack stretch inside me today. It could have been a leg, heel, or an elbow, but I definitely felt it. So weird. He' been especially active today. Maybe he knows it's Friday and the weekend is coming.....more nursery room changes.

Have you seen me?

I need beauty back....like pedicures, hair color, hair cut, facials, make-up....oh how I miss them!

For the past 5 months, my hair has been bothering me. You see, before Jack, before crib obessions, before concerns about breastbeeding, I used to be me....someone who took care of her hair...not only the condition of the hair, but the color as well.

Right around the time I found out I was pregnant with Jack was when I should have been scheduled for another round of highlights. But being the 1st trimester, and having been so sick and out of sorts, I could have cared less about my hair color or the roots that were beginning to show and made me look like I was wearing some sort of messed up hair weave.

By the time 2nd trimester started, I'd gotten used to my black roots next to my honey colored highlights. I figured if I had gone that long without a touch up, it would not kill me to grow out the highlights altogether...I mean, hair does grow faster during pregnancy, does it not? It wouldn't takke that long to grow out the highlights, right? WRONG. I can't stand my roots!

My face has been bothering me too. Another thing that happened with pregnancy...I stopped wearing make-up. Again, during the 1st trimester I could have cared less. I was more interested in getting over the darn phase. Other than powder, I wear no eye shadow, no eye liner, no mascara, not even a scant/hint of Bonnie Bell lip gloss in Mocha.

See a pattern here? I think 1st trimesters are designed to help you let go of 'yourself' as you know it, and prepare to be a mom who's priority not only becomes the health of her child, but her comfort, even it means going over to what my sister calls the 'dark side' - comfort and ease at all costs.

Well, for my birthday, Alex gave me a reason/opportunity to feel a bit more like me again. He gave me a gift certificate to a salon! Woo hoo! I'm going in for a massage and hair color....to feel a bit more like me again. I'm totally looking forward to caring about the way I look. Maybe the experience will make me want to wear eye shadow again....hmmm....why do I have this feeling the 3rd trimester is laughing at me and that notion of eye shadow?!

Where the babes are

We (Alex, Wany, Jae and Ellie) toured the maternity ward at St. Alexius last night.
It's no Condell 'New Life Center', but I wasn't expecting anything so new like that.

At Alexius:
Anything to do with mother and baby happen on the 2nd floor, they even have 2 OR's just for C-sections.
But there was the scary part about having only 8 labor and delivery rooms. After delivery, mother and baby get moved to the recovery room - which we may be forced to share with another person if the maternity ward is busy/full. However, even if sharing were to happen, in the event of a natural, no complications vaginal birth, mother and baby only stay at the hosptial for 24 hours. For C-sections the stay is extended to 3 days.

I need to be close to the hospital from home - I need to be able to get to the hospital as soon as labor begins. Also, Alex can get to St. Alexius faster than he could Condell from work. I haven't been spoiled by Condell like my sister, so I have no specific attachments to a previous experience other than having been a visiter there to see Ellie when she was born.

I do not want to switch doctors or hospitals again (having changed from Condell). We'll be looking into some birthing classes offered at St. Alexius and signed up.

I was surprised at how many couples who were further along in pregnancy than we were! This one lady looked like she was ready to pop! And another lady looked like she was 7-8 months along already. I could not believe they'd waited so long to visit, tour, and decide on a hospital.

Ellie was a hit as usual - she even got a 'Super Big Sister' pink T-shirt, which she hugged tightly as soon as it was given her as she said, "Thank you!" to our tour guide. Nerd.

Jack's New Crib (or, Goodbye Alex's Junk!)

The crib arrived today! After 2.5 hours of assembly, it now sits fully safe and ready for Jack! We went ahead and purchased the Cubs mobile that plays "Take Me Out To the Ballgame." This kid will be a Cubs fan!

We are going to keep the bookcase that I had used. It matches the crib pretty well already. As you can see, the glider is already getting used! Two more weeks for the dresser/changer to arrive and then the minor decoration begins. The room is near complete and all it needs is a tenant.

3 more months!