The trials of trimester three
I guess I reached the peak of pregnancy well-being sometime last trimester, because things are slowly starting to roll downhill...
The main problem I'm having right now is that I am not able to get enough sleep. Our cats are one reason for that: Dennis, especially, is scratching on the blinds, meowing incessantly, and generally being a pain at night, waking us up for attention. Then, when I get up (either to try and shoo Dennis out of the room--giving him the attention he's seeking--or to pee, which has become more like 3 times a night instead of just once) and go back to bed, Gizmo crawls and lies on me near my shoulder, purring. Jealous Dennis must then hop onto the bed and also crawl into my face, purring. So they are having this shoving and kneading and purring contest almost in my face as I try to fall back asleep.
It's not just the cats though, I think. It's the getting up to pee thing. And the not being able to get comfortable thing (tossing from the left to the right side and back again; and it's not comfortable to turn over either). And when I wake up at night, it's hard for me to fall back asleep! And sometimes I feel very hungry, and sometimes William is rather acrobatic, though I don't know that he has specifically woken me up yet with his somersaults or kicks.
Over the past week, I have gotten less than 5 hours of sleep a night. It's taking quite a toll on me. I don't know how miserable, moody, grouchy, or depressed I would feel if I were getting great sleep, but I can't help feeling that lack of sleep is the cause of all of these. Unfortunately, it's negatively affecting Darryl as well (which I am sorry for).
Another fun thing about trimester three is that I'm starting to feel a bit sick to my stomach again. I thought intially it was that I was drinking watered-down coffee (i.e. 1/6 c. coffee, 5/6 c. water) in the morning (to try and stay awake), and that that was negatively affecting my ulcer, though I am still taking Nexium. I've stopped with the coffee, but still feel kind of nauseous.
And the last gripe I'll write about today is our nursery. Currently, it's kind of a pyrantel yellow (which is to say, a very bright, light, coolish, almost-fluorescent yellow). It shocks me whenever I peek into the room. Yes, I did pick out that colour and yes, the swatch is quite bright (though to me the swatch colour looks warmer than how it is on our walls). So poor Darryl will have to repaint the walls. We will choose a slightly more toned-down yellow, because I'm not sure I will be able to feel comfortable in that room as it is now. I'll post pics when I get around to it.
In better news, I think I've gotten our baby birth announcement figured out. Basically, Pap will be printing them out at his work on cardstock so I can avoid paying a company to print them. I essentially copied a design I found online and modified it a bit to suit us. I now just need to wait until William is born so I can get measurements and a photo to include on the announcement. :-) Yay!!!
Here's an interesting story (link snatched from my brother's blog) about a couple who had fraternal twins of different races:
http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/24/mixed-race-twins/
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Billy the Kid's New Wheels...This past weekend, after some extensive research, Darryl & I went out to look at some used vehicles. Basically, we needed to replace Darryl's 1997 Ford Ranger, which had only two seats and no accomodations for a child infant seat. It was time to upgrade to a "family vehicle." Darryl was looking for a small SUV type car, so that he could still haul things and drive on dirt roads, with relatively low mileage and a certification or warranty. I was looking for something relatively cheap!
The best deal we encountered is this arctic blue 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, which had only 24,500 miles on it and is in very good shape. Its warranty goes until Dec. 2009 or until 60,000 miles. My 2004 Elantra currently has 68,000 miles on it and we've had absolutely no problems with it (knock on wood!), so I feel pretty good about buying another Hyundai. It drives very smoothly, has a 3.5L V6 engine (nice acceleration!), and gets about the same gas mileage as Darryl's truck. It's got the child LATCH system for securing a car seat, lots of leg room in the front and back seats, and a good amount of space in the back for bags or gear. I think both of us are very pleased with this purchase and can't wait for William to go for a ride!!!
29 Weeks
"Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about half a pound more than he did last week (about 2 1/2 pounds total) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. To keep yourself and your baby well nourished, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. (Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening.)"
--from www.babycenter.com
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Baby Shower!
Darryl & I drove up to Canada on the morning of Mar. 9, to visit my family and friends. It was, all in all, a lovely visit and the weather was relatively temperate. We arrived about 2 a.m. on Saturday and, after some sleep, just relaxed with the family. I won't detail our entire trip, but I will highlight some get-togethers that have to do with William's arrival.
- - - -
On Sunday, after church and a nice lunch with Kate, Debra, Katherine, Sara W., and the family, we drove everyone (save Debra) up to St. Catharines to attend a baby shower hosted by Tante Hilde. The guests: Tante Hilde & Uncle Peter, Steve & Marie, Sara, Oma & Opa, Tante Anna, Uncle Owen & Tante Helga, Karl, Katie, Peter, Tante Dorothy & Uncle Nick, Jen & Scott & Eben, Dave & Katherine, Kate, and Lindsay (a guest of the Wegeners).
We played two shower games: the first was 15 wrapped baby items (e.g. socks, wipes) and everyone had to guess what each item was; the second was a bowlful of Skittles, of which everyone had to take 15. After each person had their candies, points were allotted for each colour; Dave won that game since he had chosen all purple Skittles and purples had the highest point value.
After the games, we opened up our gifts, which were numerous. Many thanks to Katie, who wrote down who gave us what, else I'd never have been able to keep track of it. Here is a general list of the gifts we received:
- blankets of all sizes and textures
- hooded towels
- baby essentials (wipes, lotions, diapers, thermometer, etc.)
- stuffed animals and toys
- sleepers
- books
- hats
- socks
- bibs
- washcloths
- teethers
- a "twirly whirly", which is an accessory you can twirl onto a stroller or crib that has toys and doodads hanging off of it to stimulate baby
- little outfits
- John Deere truck (guess who that was from!? :-)
- baby sling
- vibrating bouncer and batteries
- (some gifts for the parents: bath foam and peanut butter Smarties)
And from my parents: a lot of nostalgia items from my own babyhood. This included a crib mobile (the fluorescent colours date the decade of my birth!), some socks & shoes, little outfits (mostly the yellow ones I wore that are gender-neutral), a teddy bear, a crocheted/knitted blanket, and a lot of other baby essentials like diapers. Also a cute Winnie-the-Pooh letter "W" and a letter "P" for William's initials.
After the gifts, we ate a wonderful supper and dessert, and got some time to converse with everyone. It was a really nice get-together and we enjoyed seeing everyone very much. I should also mention that before she left after lunch, Debra gave me a nursing bracelet that she made: it helps you keep track of your last or next feeding.
- - - -
On Monday, we went to have a brief tour of the new home for Morris Marketing Group in North York. I enjoyed saying "hi" to all of Pap's colleagues again, chatting with them, and seeing how much they really are fond of Pap. :-) The next day, Maggie sent home a gift for William with Pap: a blue teddy bear and a baby picture frame. I can't wait to put a photo in there! After visiting Pap's work we had lunch with Dave and then a hectic walkabout in downtown T.O. Finally we went to Audrey & Ben's condo in the evening and got together with my high school chums. That was a very nice get-together too. Ben cooked, and it was great to catch up on how everyone is doing. My friends presented us with a gift for William: Robeez shoes (they are apparently popular but--not being a fashion connaisseur, especially not of children's clothes--I had never heard of them), "Love you Forever" book by Robert Munsch, a Dr. Seuss book, and a Curious George book.
Tuesday, while visiting Jen & Scott & Eben, Jen loaned us a huge bag of cloth diapers for William -- yay!! So, even though I'll be working full-time, at least I can be a tiny bit enviro-conscientious.
Later in the week, while visiting Oma & Opa with Mom, Tante Marichen dropped in to say "hi" and gave us some little candy cane socks for William. Also she showed us photos of Beth & Jay's daughter, Aspen. I hadn't seen Tante Marichen in several years, so that was a particularly pleasant surprise.
Darryl & I had a fabulous week in Canada: we got to see a lot of people, got to spend some time (albeit not enough) with the family, got to play games, etc. I enjoyed it a great deal, though time seemed to just fly and now I'm back in Alabama (it was nice to get back to where it's warm and things are sunny and blooming!). THANK YOU very much to everyone for the company and for the gifts for William. I'm looking forward to seeing you again in July!!!! I will post some shower photos once I get around to it!
- - - -
In other news: I am finally into the third trimester. I am definitely feeling a little more "rotund" even though both Darryl & I got compliments in Canada about how good we look. Some things are definitely uncomfortable, like: some of my usual sitting positions (on the bed), bending over, leaning with my stomach against a surface, getting into and out of my car. For the most part, though, I have good energy and am in a good mood. I still like to feel William kicking (only Pap, of the family, seemed interested in feeling him kick), and I am very much looking forward to meeting him. Yes, I know I keep saying that!! Darryl started painting William's room, and I ordered the ABC wallpaper border. Yay!!
Ron, from Darryl's work, gave us a baby health kit which includes comb, brush, nail clippers, etc.--a lot of those small things one might forget. Thank you, Ron! And I forgot to previously mention that a girl at my work, Donna, gave me a humorous pregnancy book and little keepsake boxes to put William's first tooth and first lock of hair in. Thank you, Donna! Additionally, we recently bought a baby bathtub, some diaper cream, and some more wipes.
TMI (=too much info) Alert:
THE WEIRDEST THING is that (and, if you are at all squeamish you may wish to stop reading) I am starting to lactate a bit. This is not unsual and some of the women on the pregnancy.org online bulletin board (who are also due in June) have been lactating for some time. Two nights ago I thought I saw a milky drop escape in the shower, but I felt I might be imagining things. Last night during my shower, same thing. So I basically tried 'milking myself' as one would a cow, and sure enough: clearish, milky discharge. Darryl seemed much more interested in this than I was. To tell you the truth, it is kind of freaky and I have an aversion to the thought of it at the moment. Hopefully I will get used to it over time. Thankfully I am not "leaking" yet...
Week 28
"By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. Her fat layers are continuing to build up as she gets ready for life outside the womb. The big news this week is that your baby can open and close her eyes — which now sport full lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before she's batting those beauties at you!"
-- from: www.babycenter.com
Darryl & I drove up to Canada on the morning of Mar. 9, to visit my family and friends. It was, all in all, a lovely visit and the weather was relatively temperate. We arrived about 2 a.m. on Saturday and, after some sleep, just relaxed with the family. I won't detail our entire trip, but I will highlight some get-togethers that have to do with William's arrival.
- - - -
On Sunday, after church and a nice lunch with Kate, Debra, Katherine, Sara W., and the family, we drove everyone (save Debra) up to St. Catharines to attend a baby shower hosted by Tante Hilde. The guests: Tante Hilde & Uncle Peter, Steve & Marie, Sara, Oma & Opa, Tante Anna, Uncle Owen & Tante Helga, Karl, Katie, Peter, Tante Dorothy & Uncle Nick, Jen & Scott & Eben, Dave & Katherine, Kate, and Lindsay (a guest of the Wegeners).
We played two shower games: the first was 15 wrapped baby items (e.g. socks, wipes) and everyone had to guess what each item was; the second was a bowlful of Skittles, of which everyone had to take 15. After each person had their candies, points were allotted for each colour; Dave won that game since he had chosen all purple Skittles and purples had the highest point value.
After the games, we opened up our gifts, which were numerous. Many thanks to Katie, who wrote down who gave us what, else I'd never have been able to keep track of it. Here is a general list of the gifts we received:
- blankets of all sizes and textures
- hooded towels
- baby essentials (wipes, lotions, diapers, thermometer, etc.)
- stuffed animals and toys
- sleepers
- books
- hats
- socks
- bibs
- washcloths
- teethers
- a "twirly whirly", which is an accessory you can twirl onto a stroller or crib that has toys and doodads hanging off of it to stimulate baby
- little outfits
- John Deere truck (guess who that was from!? :-)
- baby sling
- vibrating bouncer and batteries
- (some gifts for the parents: bath foam and peanut butter Smarties)
And from my parents: a lot of nostalgia items from my own babyhood. This included a crib mobile (the fluorescent colours date the decade of my birth!), some socks & shoes, little outfits (mostly the yellow ones I wore that are gender-neutral), a teddy bear, a crocheted/knitted blanket, and a lot of other baby essentials like diapers. Also a cute Winnie-the-Pooh letter "W" and a letter "P" for William's initials.
After the gifts, we ate a wonderful supper and dessert, and got some time to converse with everyone. It was a really nice get-together and we enjoyed seeing everyone very much. I should also mention that before she left after lunch, Debra gave me a nursing bracelet that she made: it helps you keep track of your last or next feeding.
- - - -
On Monday, we went to have a brief tour of the new home for Morris Marketing Group in North York. I enjoyed saying "hi" to all of Pap's colleagues again, chatting with them, and seeing how much they really are fond of Pap. :-) The next day, Maggie sent home a gift for William with Pap: a blue teddy bear and a baby picture frame. I can't wait to put a photo in there! After visiting Pap's work we had lunch with Dave and then a hectic walkabout in downtown T.O. Finally we went to Audrey & Ben's condo in the evening and got together with my high school chums. That was a very nice get-together too. Ben cooked, and it was great to catch up on how everyone is doing. My friends presented us with a gift for William: Robeez shoes (they are apparently popular but--not being a fashion connaisseur, especially not of children's clothes--I had never heard of them), "Love you Forever" book by Robert Munsch, a Dr. Seuss book, and a Curious George book.
Tuesday, while visiting Jen & Scott & Eben, Jen loaned us a huge bag of cloth diapers for William -- yay!! So, even though I'll be working full-time, at least I can be a tiny bit enviro-conscientious.
Later in the week, while visiting Oma & Opa with Mom, Tante Marichen dropped in to say "hi" and gave us some little candy cane socks for William. Also she showed us photos of Beth & Jay's daughter, Aspen. I hadn't seen Tante Marichen in several years, so that was a particularly pleasant surprise.
Darryl & I had a fabulous week in Canada: we got to see a lot of people, got to spend some time (albeit not enough) with the family, got to play games, etc. I enjoyed it a great deal, though time seemed to just fly and now I'm back in Alabama (it was nice to get back to where it's warm and things are sunny and blooming!). THANK YOU very much to everyone for the company and for the gifts for William. I'm looking forward to seeing you again in July!!!! I will post some shower photos once I get around to it!
- - - -
In other news: I am finally into the third trimester. I am definitely feeling a little more "rotund" even though both Darryl & I got compliments in Canada about how good we look. Some things are definitely uncomfortable, like: some of my usual sitting positions (on the bed), bending over, leaning with my stomach against a surface, getting into and out of my car. For the most part, though, I have good energy and am in a good mood. I still like to feel William kicking (only Pap, of the family, seemed interested in feeling him kick), and I am very much looking forward to meeting him. Yes, I know I keep saying that!! Darryl started painting William's room, and I ordered the ABC wallpaper border. Yay!!
Ron, from Darryl's work, gave us a baby health kit which includes comb, brush, nail clippers, etc.--a lot of those small things one might forget. Thank you, Ron! And I forgot to previously mention that a girl at my work, Donna, gave me a humorous pregnancy book and little keepsake boxes to put William's first tooth and first lock of hair in. Thank you, Donna! Additionally, we recently bought a baby bathtub, some diaper cream, and some more wipes.
TMI (=too much info) Alert:
THE WEIRDEST THING is that (and, if you are at all squeamish you may wish to stop reading) I am starting to lactate a bit. This is not unsual and some of the women on the pregnancy.org online bulletin board (who are also due in June) have been lactating for some time. Two nights ago I thought I saw a milky drop escape in the shower, but I felt I might be imagining things. Last night during my shower, same thing. So I basically tried 'milking myself' as one would a cow, and sure enough: clearish, milky discharge. Darryl seemed much more interested in this than I was. To tell you the truth, it is kind of freaky and I have an aversion to the thought of it at the moment. Hopefully I will get used to it over time. Thankfully I am not "leaking" yet...
Week 28
"By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. Her fat layers are continuing to build up as she gets ready for life outside the womb. The big news this week is that your baby can open and close her eyes — which now sport full lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before she's batting those beauties at you!"
-- from: www.babycenter.com
Monday, March 05, 2007
Stats for Week 26:
I just had an ob/gyn appointment, including a glucose test to see if I have gestational diabetes. They make you drink some known quantity of glucose and your blood gets tested an hour later. Here are some statistics from my visit:
Weight gain since first appointment: 13 lbs.
William's heart rate: 144 bpm (normal is between 120-160)
My B-hemoglobin (iron): 11.2 (it should be above 10)
My glucose level was: 65 (it should be below 140)
So, all in all, everything is going really well. All my numbers are looking great, I feel great! Yay!!! :-) This appt, William's heartbeat with the fetal doppler sounded just like mine only faster. Last appt, it had a sort of echo-y sound like water drops dripping into a metal bucket. And, a long time ago, when I first heard it in December or so, it sounded only like whooshing. So, I take this to mean that William's heart is strong and beating well. Maybe Darryl will be able to hear it by putting his head to my tummy? My next appointment is in 3 weeks. And in April we will start childbirthing classes! Yay!!!
Week 26
"Your baby now weighs a little less than 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches from head to heel. Her weight will more than triple between now and birth as she rapidly lays down baby fat. She'll need that fat to help adjust to colder temperatures outside the womb and as a source of energy and calories in the first days of life. It's not uncommon for newborns, especially those who are breastfed, to lose weight (sometimes as much as 10 percent of their birth weight) in the first week after birth.
The nerve pathways in your baby's ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days. "
- from: www.babycenter.com
I just had an ob/gyn appointment, including a glucose test to see if I have gestational diabetes. They make you drink some known quantity of glucose and your blood gets tested an hour later. Here are some statistics from my visit:
Weight gain since first appointment: 13 lbs.
William's heart rate: 144 bpm (normal is between 120-160)
My B-hemoglobin (iron): 11.2 (it should be above 10)
My glucose level was: 65 (it should be below 140)
So, all in all, everything is going really well. All my numbers are looking great, I feel great! Yay!!! :-) This appt, William's heartbeat with the fetal doppler sounded just like mine only faster. Last appt, it had a sort of echo-y sound like water drops dripping into a metal bucket. And, a long time ago, when I first heard it in December or so, it sounded only like whooshing. So, I take this to mean that William's heart is strong and beating well. Maybe Darryl will be able to hear it by putting his head to my tummy? My next appointment is in 3 weeks. And in April we will start childbirthing classes! Yay!!!
Week 26
"Your baby now weighs a little less than 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches from head to heel. Her weight will more than triple between now and birth as she rapidly lays down baby fat. She'll need that fat to help adjust to colder temperatures outside the womb and as a source of energy and calories in the first days of life. It's not uncommon for newborns, especially those who are breastfed, to lose weight (sometimes as much as 10 percent of their birth weight) in the first week after birth.
The nerve pathways in your baby's ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days. "
- from: www.babycenter.com
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Among other things today, we got some stuff for William's room: some willow baskets with liners for the changing table and 3 colourful 3x5' rugs. Darryl & I also wiped/washed down William's room and the floor, so it's all ready for us to tape up tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing the nursery all set up in preparation for William's arrival! :-)
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