Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[monarch64]

Our second gender u/s was this afternoon as well. TEAM PINK.

MuffDog: I had the same reaction as you since I was subconsciously hoping for a boy. Wanna trade? Kidding!!!

Congratulations!!! That is super exciting

Thanks for letting me know that you had the same reaction. I feel kind of guilty about it because this little guy deserves the big whoops of excitement too!

I'm not letting myself feel guilty. I'm going to feel the way I feel and I can't really change my feeling, just my attitude, so. My poor mother said to the u/s nurse: "she isn't feeling well today, she'll be more excited later." I've had a yucky upper respiratory thing all week and obviously cannot take anything for it. My husband was like, "you had a preference?!?!" and was kind of shocked and dismayed at the thought of that. Oops. Is your hubby super excited for a boy, MuffDog?

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi girls. I had a long post written out responding to a bunch, but I lost it and frankly I'm too tired/lazy to retype. So from what I can remember off the top of my head!

NEL- I'm hearing all kinds of amazing things about Downton Abbey AND it's supposed to be addictive, so perfect choice! I love the Bumbleride. We got a BOB last time, but I didn't know about the Bumbleride then. I think if I had to do it over, I would get either the Bumbleride or the City Mini. I do love my BOB, but I am not a runner or a jogger, so the others would work fine for my purposes. Congrats on the nursery being done!

CHORO- Congrats on TEAM BLUE!

Mayerling- The headaches are less frequent, but I still have them. Supposedly they are common in the 2nd tri and should disappear by 3rd. Fingers crossed. Welcome back!

Lliang- You are so entitled to complain when you don't feel well, especially here! Hope the CT gets better, that sounds painful.

Pancake- Yay for term, and I love both your names. I love the name Lila a tiny bit more, but Sylvie is quite adorable too! I think I can see you with a Sylvie.

Muff- So exciting about your nursery. And yay for TEAM BLUE! Little boys are so awesome. I had no idea about either gender, but now that I have a boy, I wouldn't know quite what to do with a girl, so I know what you mean!

Monarch- Yay for TEAM PINK!

Crazy how many gender reveals are happening. On that note, I am so content not to open the envelope. My DH is not. I think we've decided to wait and open it on our trip to Santa Barbara. My DH is from there, I am an ocean girl, and it has a nice symmetry to how we opened it with O. Same group of people, same time of year, by the beach. With O, I took pictures of my DH opening the envelope and I have the cutest picture of his face when he realized it was a boy. My DH said this time, I get to open the envelope and he takes pictures. I really love that idea. So I will be around 28 weeks before we open it. Crazy since we've had it since 14 weeks.

Missy- It wasn't hard at all for me to not find out at my anatomy scan. First of all, like I mentioned, my dr barely showed me anything so I couldnt' make anything out! But I really didn't want to know, so it was easy. Good luck, you can do it!!!

AFM- Same old same old. Exhausted, baby kicking bladder at all times. But for the first time in months I don't have a cold or a stuffy nose!!! I just realized I haven't been smelling much and all of a sudden smells are coming back to me. I hadn't noticed, it had been so long. Attended a CLE (like a seminar) this morning and ran into an old co-worker who is due in a month. She has restless leg syndrome (pregnancy-induced) so at least I don't have THAT! Poor thing.

Ok, for gender reveals, someone passed on an old wive's tale to me. Pretend I'm sitting next to you and I ask you to show me your hands. Everyone physically show me your hands (pretend like I'm there). Pay attention to the way you do it and let me know when you've done it.

I'll come back and explain. So interested to see if it works for those that know what they are having!

 

[mayerling]

China, I'm not sure what you mean, but when I do it I bring my hands up (circularly, not directly up) and hold them straight ahead to show them.

 

[ChinaCat]

Monarch- Exactly! You can't feel guilty about how you feel or react, it just is what it is. You know you're going to love this baby either way, but sometimes we have to readjust expectations in our heads. I was never one to cry or beam or act excited during dr appts or u/s- it was just too surreal for me.

Mayerling- When you brought your hands up, were they facing palms up or palms down?

 

[Missy0483]

I think she means do you show palms up or palms down...
I go with palms down...what does that mean???

Another one I heard the other day...when you stand up if you arch your back like push your stomach out so you have a bend in your back, that means girl. That's a new one for me and supposedly I have the "arch".

 

[MuffDog]

Our second gender u/s was this afternoon as well. TEAM PINK.

MuffDog: I had the same reaction as you since I was subconsciously hoping for a boy. Wanna trade? Kidding!!!

Congratulations!!! That is super exciting

Thanks for letting me know that you had the same reaction. I feel kind of guilty about it because this little guy deserves the big whoops of excitement too!

I'm not letting myself feel guilty. I'm going to feel the way I feel and I can't really change my feeling, just my attitude, so. My poor mother said to the u/s nurse: "she isn't feeling well today, she'll be more excited later." I've had a yucky upper respiratory thing all week and obviously cannot take anything for it. My husband was like, "you had a preference?!?!" and was kind of shocked and dismayed at the thought of that. Oops. Is your hubby super excited for a boy, MuffDog?

I like that train of thought I know that I'll be fine in a few days. I just can't believe it is a BOY. I actually started googling whether it could be an error.Haha. Not because I don't want a boy, but that I just can't believe that it is one!!

My husband was also shocked that I was so shocked. He kept saying "you knew it would be 50/50". Ha. The practical one.

 

[lliang_chi]

Wow, so many gender reveals! How awesome!

Monnie, congrats on Team Pink. YOu sound kind of like how NEL sounded for her scan, she was hoping for a boy too. Either way it'll be fantastic. There's something very touching about seeing a dad wrapped up in his daughter. I also wasn't all emotional when during the our scan either. DH and I were like, "Okay. That's great." Nothing

China, how great youll be able to do the SB trip for the envelope reveal. So cute you DH wants you to open it and he'll take the pictures. I love how it's kind of your "thing" now. And my palms are face up. The CT is OK. It has its good days and bad days. I'm really glad you're feeling better and no longer sick/congested/whatever. Hopefully the headaches will go away and you're be back to 100%. maybe they were triggered by all the sinus stuff going on too.

Tonight have a Girls' Night Wine & Apps thing. Guess no wine for me... I bought a nice Gruner Vetliner that my sis said is really tasty too. Aw shucks.

~LC (36 wks)

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Oh my gosh, so many anatomy scans at once! This is exciting!

China, I was reading your post and was pretending to show you my hands. So then I read the next line thinking it was going to reveal something, but instead I got a "stay tuned..." HA! I literally said "oh MAN" out loud! And yay for deciding when to open the envelope!! 28 weeks still give you lots of prep time. You don't have any other ultrasounds scheduled before then, right? I think the hardest thing for us during the ultrasound was not wanting to look at anything too closely, even though I never have any clue what they're looking at.

Yes, after mulling over the Bob vs. Bumbleride vs. CityMini decision, we ultimately decided the Bumbleride had most of what we needed. I still need to order it.

Monnie, if it makes you feel better, I cried when I found out I was having a girl. I know that sounds awful, but I just did not see myself as a girl mom. I still don't in a lot of ways, but I've had a couple of months to embrace it and I have. Obviously I would love my child to bits no matter what I had, but I must have said "what am I going to do with a girl?" 100 times.

Muffdog, no need to feel guilty. I think a lot of us are surprised at our reaction to having one gender or another. Like I said to Monnie, I was positive I would not have a girl. And it took me some time to embrace it. But now I even have pink in the nursery! By the way, congrats on joining team BLUE--I'm only slightly jealous What an adorable pic to send to your mom!

S&I, good luck on the glucose test! I agree with LC, I wouldn't have much before the test. I think I had a handful of cereal or something the morning of. I actually called the OB office and asked what I should do--they said I could eat something, but not to have a bagel or anything like that.

LC, I'm in the same boat with time off. I think ideally D would like for me to take more time off, but 14 weeks is about all I can stretch unless I take some unpaid time off. And while that would be fine, I'd rather not ask for a lot of time over FMLA at this point. I suggested that if D wasn't ready to let her go to the babysitter at that point, maybe he could some time off. He was actually open to that. I also told him that if 14 weeks comes and goes and I'm not feeling ready at all to go back to work, I could have that discussion with my boss then. I know you guys will work it out, but I SO understand.

Ugh about the carpral tunnel getting worse--so sorry. And that DH keeps bringing home his germs. My mom's company started doing PTO instead of separate sick time and went back to separating them this year because everybody was coming in sick.

I think I might wait on the pump as well and rent for a month. Still undecided.

Missy, good luck with tomorrow's anatomy scan! Exciting to have somebody on team green! While I'm not on team green, we didn't find out the sex AT the anatomy scan (had her write it on a card). Like I said to China, the only hard part was worrying that we might see something during the ultrasound even though I know that sounds silly.

Ugh, so sorry to hear work is stressful. And boo to being stuck on phone duty!! This week has been more stressful than I thought it would be and all I keep thinking is "maternity leave can't start soon enough!"

Steph, I'm so, so sorry about your grandmother. That must be weighing on your shoulders. And your husband has pneumonia?? Ugh, that's awful! I'm so glad that you have something to look forward to (anatomy scan next week). You definitely need something positive in your life right now.

Mayerling, how are the cramps? I'm hoping they haven't returned.

Pancake, I love both of the names you are considering. We had the exact same issue when we told D's parents the names we were considering. One of them was Sophia and he had an allergic reaction to it, which I thought was really strange since we obviously LIKED the name. We've been open about naming her Katie and luckily haven't gotten many opinions. Not that it matters, haha. Oh, and no colostrum yet, but in my breastfeeding class we were told not to be surprised if it shows up.

AFM, 35 + 1 day and ready to be done! I got all the last minute stuff from Amazon and spent hours putting it together last night. Whew, I'm getting too big to tackle any big projects these days. I still have a lot of stuff left on my to-do list, but am really hoping to just pace myself these last several weeks.

Oh, and I scheduled the newborn photo session for mid-March. I'm a little excited about it. I've actually been looking at getting one of those cute headbands with a big flower on it and a tutu! Can you believe it? Miss "Oh my god, I'm having a girl?!" is shopping for flowered headbands and tutus! As terrified as I am of being a new mom, I can't wait to meet her!

 

[pancake]

NEL, isn't it crazy how all these things in the "near future" (my brother coming home, your photo shoot in mid-March) are all AFTER our babies arrive?? It is really freaking me out! And re the gender reveals and reactions, all these reveals that are happening right now are making me nostalgic of the time when you, me, LC etc were getting our scans. I remember how freaked out you were about having a girl and wondering what you'd DO with a girl; and I remember it took me a few days to adjust to the idea of having a girl (not having thought I had an opinion previously). Now I can't imagine having a boy.

LC - I know, I was looking at the preggos in waiting list yesterday and thinking MY GOD, I AM SECOND CAB OFF THE RANK!!! Commented about that to my husb too! Actually it is very possible that you will go before me... or NEL, if she goes into labour before her section date.

China, exciting and lovely that you will open the envelope on your trip! I am all for nostalgia and meaningful times and places. 28 weeks is not very far away! Great that your sense of smell is back! I have had the pregnancy stuffiness for about 4 or 5 months, it's not as bad as it was but until a week or two ago my nose was COMPLETELY blocked every night when I went to bed. Pregnancy is Glamour, is it not? Re the hands, my first instinct was to show you palms up, but then I thought, this is PS, who am I kidding, and turned them palms down so you'd be able to see my rings (which I currently can't wear anyway, lol) Thank you for the positive name feedback!

Monnie and Muffdog], such a normal reaction to the gender reveal! As I wrote above to NEL, I didn't think I had any preference or opinion on gender of my baby, but when the obstetrician sonographer told me it was a girl, I was kind of, "Oh...okay!" and then it took me probably a good week to really get my head around it, and I had clearly been expecting I'd have a boy. Now, 4 months on, I cannot imagine having a boy. My husband comes from a family of three boys - maybe this is why I was expecting a boy? But my MIL is one of three girls. So maybe we will have all girls, who knows?? Congratulations on finding out and once you have fully adjusted you will be SO excited! As a sidenote, according to the whole "how you carry your pregnancy" thing, I look like I'm having a boy all the way - bump straight out in front, "basketball up the top" look

S&I - thanks, we love both names too! To be honest, I have no idea how we'll choose between them. I don't think babies usually "look" like anything in the first couple of days whilst they are squashed and red and swollen! Often they don't look anything like what they do even just a week later! So I am just hoping that when we meet her, the preference just pops up in our heads - and that our preferences match! Re the glucose challenge test, you are technically not meant to fast, but in reality the glucose load you receive is so large that it is improbable that anything you would eat for a normal breakfast coule affect the result. When I did mine it was early/mid-afternoon and I was just SO HUNGRY by the time I was on my way there that I ate an ENORMOUS salad roll about 10 minutes before I got there

Mannequin - lovely to see you! How are you going with all the GD stuff? You look great

PPM and MM - welcome, ladies!

Missy, my reflux was like that too - flicked off and on like a switch. Ranitidine (Zantac/equivalent generic) is your friend. I love that stuff. I'm sorry work is so crappy for you at the moment

Steph - thank you; I don't FEEL "cute", believe me!!! I am glad you were able to drive to spend some time with your grandmother. It is a hard time, no matter how it comes. I hope your husband is feeling better. Things seem to happen all at once, hey? Hugs to you.

AFM - yep, the ankles are officially gone. I've just woken up and they are better than they were yesterday, but still, um, impressive in their girth. Still have the carpal tunnel on the right and the tendinitis in my thumb tendons in my left wrist, but encouragingly the carpal tunnel is no worse and the wrist actually feels a little better, although I don't think it will improve before the birth.

Each of the last two nights I have been woken by a painful BH contraction - I normally have loads and loads of BH but not painful ones, it is kind of annoying. But only once a night, so bearable. Energy levels are fluctuating; over last weekend I could barely move, but then yesterday I hosted brunch for my friends, got a manicure, got up on a stepstool and sugarsoaped the windowframes and cupboards in Dot's room in preparation for painting, started designing our wedding album (only nearly 2 years later!), cooked dinner and sorted through a bunch of boxes. Go figure! (although I do not think this is that energy burst before the start of labour that people talk about).

Dot is still moving a LOT - I thought babies at this stage were meant to move less and concentrate on growing!?

 

[parrot tulips]

Wow, this thread is really popping with all these anatomy scans and gender reveals! I remember originally wanting a girl, then being convinced I was having boys. I started to warm to the idea of having boys so much, that I was a little...let down when I realized I was having a girl. Now DH and I are so ridiculously in love with Ava, we couldn't imagine loving another baby more than we love her.

NEL - We got the Bumbleride Indie (off of Craigslist...it was only about 6 months old) and love it. Our pediatrician gave us the green light to go out for walks from day one. We don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood, and it rides beautifully over grass, gravel, rocks, and dirt roads. I'm not a runner, but it seems to work perfectly fine for light jogging. I also love that the handlebar is adjustable, so my 4' 9" mother and 6' 3" husband are equally comfortable pushing the stroller on walks. And yay for scheduling the newborn shoot! We had one done the day before Ava's anticipated due date (a few pics are posted in the newborn thread). Luckily the photographer had props, so she came with a good assortment of flower headbands, crochet hats, blankets, baskets, and ruffle bottom diaper covers. We weren't nearly as prepared as you with baby stuff, so purchasing props ahead of time completely escaped my mind.

I can't wait to see the next batch of new babies!

 

[lliang_chi]

Fly by to post my belly pic collage up to 36 wks. Will respond when I get into the office.

 

[parrot tulips]

LC - I love the collage! It gives me some perspective on how much my belly might have changed if I made it past 30 weeks.

 

[mayerling]

LC, your collage looks great! It kind of makes me sorry I haven't been taking bump pics every week

China, I guess palms up or down doesn't apply to me because when I imagine showing my hands to you I hold them up for you to see. If it helps, it's palms out.

Monnie and Muffdog, I imagine I might feel like you when I hear. I've always wanted a boy but lately I've been thinking I'd rather have a girl. So if I'm told it's a boy it's going to take some getting used to.

Pancake, I'm sorry the ankles have disappeared. Not for long though!

Missy, how did the scan go?

PPM, Welcome! I haven't seen you since JBP!

AFM, I'm okay. Headaches come and go. Sometimes I absolutely have to take paracetamol for them, other times I feel like I can take them. Thankfully the cramps are gone, so the only symptom that seems to be persisting is the incessant peeing. I really hope that goes away soon. I'm also trying to come up with a list of questions for my midwife. I see her so rarely that I really need to make sure I get some answers this time. Have any of you ladies given any thought to cord blood banks?
On another note, "The Descendants" has finally arrived in the UK so DH and I are planning on catching it tonight. Can't wait. We love the movies and we haven't been in a couple of weeks so it should be good.

 

[Missy0483]

Hey everyone! I took a 1/2 day today. My ultrasound is in 90 minutes Just relaxing for a little bit and then I gotta start drinking the 48 ounces of fluids they recommended. I originally thought it was 64 ounces, but I read it wrong. I blame it on pregnancy brain!

I will be back with pictures. Ahhhhh SO excited!!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, Thanks for "hearing" me when it comes to the maternity leave. It's good to know it's not just me. I feel fortunate i won't need to take any time unpaid, but I'm with you, I'm not sure how much more time I want to ask for past FMLA. And besdies, something that no one seems to hear when I say it, "I *like* my job and working. I *want* to go back." Have you ordered your Indie yet? I'm making an offer on a Bob I found on Craigslist. It's kind of a hike away, so I want to hash out the prices before driving all the way out there. Hm I hope DH's company changes their sick leave policy back because like your mom's company did. DH did say that it's noticeably more "sick-y" in his office since the policy change. I was thinking of renting a pump in the beginning as well. We'll see how it goes. Definitely check out Etsy for the tutus and head bands. Also maybe your photographer might have some. I just booked our newborn pictures too. She put down my due date and then I just call her back when Ethan's born. I have to admit, I think little girl newborn pics are WAY cuter than boys because they get to wear the pretty head bands etc. I'm going to see if Sis can knit up a cute little hat or something for Ethan, but she's already making a hat for her boyfriend.

Pancake, true we're all in the "Any day now" camp. That's funny how we're all very decidedly in our camps. And we all have the added benefit of vicariously living through everyone else here. Like with you and NEL having girls, it's super fun to look at your nurseries and stuff and be like, Aw, cute little girl stuff! So I still get a little bit of girly fix in.
Sorry to hear about the BH. I hope it gets better. Do you wear your CT brace at all times? I wear mine when typing (maybe 60%) and at night. My left wrist is still painful but the numbness in my right is more troubling to me for some reason.
Wow! Sounds like you got a TON of work done. I'm the same way with the wedding album. I'll probably work on that when I'm on Mat leave. I want to do some organization in my kitchen/pantry to make space for Ethan's bottles. And do some more of his laundry. But other than that, haven't done much in terms of decorating.

Parrot, I love the little Ava pics! What a cute little button you have there! Glad you're getting a kick out of the belly bump collage. At least you didn't have to deal with the discomfort of late pregnancy, and Ava was born so healthy too!

Mayerling, don't feel bad about not taking bump pictures. As long as you're embracing the pregnancy you don't need to pictures. I did it mostly for our parents since neither of them live near us. And MIL is unable to travel at all so more to let them see the belly bump progression than anytihng else. Enjoy the movie! I haven't been to the movies in ages either. Maybe DH and I will go one of htese weekends. Re: core blood banking, we're not doing the private banking. Not sure if we'll do the public donation or just let Ethan get all the core blood before the placenta "stops pumping." We were on the fence, I was a little "distrustful" of the private banking, so I asked my friend who's a pedi and had a baby in Oct. If you're interested I can post her response, but it's just one person's opinon. Maybe Pancake can offer what she thinks too, she's also a pediatrician/pedi-endo/some kind of children's doc.

Missy, enjoy the anatomy scan! Bring back pics and make sure you update us!

AFM, I have another acupuncture appt this evening. Looking forward to it as my CT is still a PITA. I really want to kick it to the curb before Ethan's born. I don't want to be dealing with a newborn, sleep deprived AND have bum wrists all at the same time.

Otherwise, DH is starting to get more into the "nesting" mode than I am. I don't have any particular DRIVE to clean/organize etc. It's more of a rational, "I should do X." But seems like J is getting more pushy about doing things. Probably because he has other people telling him, "have you done X yet?" We ordered new dressers for J and when they come in, we'll move our old ones into the nursery. I need to organize the pantry/kitchen to make space for Ethan's bottles etc, so that's on my plans for this weekend.

In other nursery decorating, we haven't done much. Mostly because DH doesn't want anyone to know what we're having so we can't really put wall decoratoins up or anytihng. I want to make curtains and take the closet doors off to make some more space in the nursery. That I might be able to do this weekend.

~LC (36w, 1D)

 

[Missy0483]

Ok I'm back! Everything was great. It was so quick though only about 10 mins long. She said our baby was the easiest scan she's had in a long time. Baby is measuring about a week ahead. She said big head...I was like oh boy! Everything looks perfect though. Still team green! It looked like baby smiled at us and we saw the little hand opening and closing like it was waving "bye" before she finished the scan Too cute. Heartbeat was 155 again, seems about the norm recently. They're still monitoring my blood pressure. I brought in my list I've been taking myself at home. They confirmed it's only high at the doctors so that's good. She told me to continue checking and call if it goes up high. This was my last u/s unless my blood pressure goes up and I get protein in my urine samples, they'll watch out for preclampsia. Oh and I didn't pee my pants haha. Attached a pic sorry if it's huge, I'm on my phone and can't resize.

 

[MuffDog]

Cute!! Glad it went so well. Fun seeing the little guy/girl just bouncing around eh?

 

[Missy0483]

Oh yes! I think we just missed a bit because we couldn't really see the legs moving around because she didn't want to accidentally show us boy/girl parts. That's why the profile shot is missing legs It was still so exciting to see that everything was growing appropriately.

 

[lliang_chi]

Mayerling, we watched a movie this weekend also. DH was at first trying to be accommodating if I wanted to stay in, but I figured this might the last time we get to watch a movie, so we went. We watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Missy, I'm glad you had a good U/S! Look at your little peanut! How great he/she waved at you.

AFM, we bought the Bob off Craigslist! Pretty happy about it, it's 2 yrs old, but looks like it's in excellent condition, barely used. Came with a sun shield and rain cover and travel bag, but not sure why I'd need a travel bag. It's SO BIG! LOL! DH and I also did some suburban shopping: got some stuff for my hospital bag from Target, started a hospital bag list, did the 2nd load of laundry, the baby clothes. Just curious what's everyone using for baby laundering? Fragrance free detergent? Are you guys putting dryer sheets in when you're drying? Sorry if this seems like really rudimentary questions...


~LC (36w, 2d)

 

[parrot tulips]

LC - We're using regular old powdered Tide, like we always have. We didn't bother with getting Dreft, or any of the extra gentle or fragrance-free/color-free stuff (although if we used liquid detergent, I might be more inclined, since it typically seems to have more dyes/perfumes). Ava is doing fine with it. No adverse skin reactions or sensitivities, and she's been home for about 7 weeks (we also used it while she was in the NICU, so it was okay for her preemie skin as well). We don't use dryer sheets or fabric softener, just because most of them are more heavily scented than I personally like. We picked up re-usable dryer balls from BB&B for the dryer (not sure they make a difference, since the ones for static don't help at all).

 

[Puppmom]

LC, I use regular detergent on everything except diapers. That's what they use in the hospital and N didn't have any reaction to it so we continued with no issues.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, I'm jealous your DH is in "nesting" mode and is wanting to organize. I feel like I've been organizing/preparing a little each weekend for the past couple of months, but this weekend I was in turbo mode and D ran for the hills because I had a crazy look in my eye. Congrats on getting the Bob!! That's fantastic! Which color is it? And the hospital bag is next on my list, too. Well, technically ordering the stroller is next on my list, but I'm hoping to have the hospital bag packed by the end of next weekend. It's the only thing still weighing on my mind because I don't have a list of what to pack.

As for detergent, like Puppmom and PT, I just used our regular detergent. I thought I'd use the fragrance-free, color-free stuff, but my OB said to just use our regular detergent unless she has a reaction.

Missy, woohoo for the quick ultrasound!! I've always had issues getting all the measurements in mine, so 10 minutes sounds great! The picture is adorable and how cute that he/she waved goodbye. The ultrasounds are so much more fun than the regular ol' appointments!

Mayerling, I'm so glad the cramps have subsided, but sorry the headaches are off and on. How was movie night??

PT, so glad to hear you love your Bumbleride. I also live in an area with no sidewalks--while I don't feel safe walking along the street, there are tons of trails around, so I know I'll be using it there. And the adjustable handlebar is nice--my MIL is also under 5' and my husband is over 6', so that should come in handy. And great advice about the newborn photos--I never thought about props! I looooved Ava's photos! I don't think our photographer has that many props, which is kind of a bummer. But we got a gift certificate for this photographer from the in-laws, so I feel like we should stick with him.

Pancake, I was thinking of when you, me and LC (plus Katy and some of the other posters) were all getting our scans at the same time and how now we're all in our last several weeks. It's so crazy, right? I just feel like this whole pregnancy flew right by. I think it's going to be so much fun to see pics of our babies. It's been fun being on this entire journey since TTC.

AFM, unfortunately we spent a good chunk of our Saturday at the emergency vet with Byron. He woke up with a fever and a cough on Saturday, so we emailed his neurologist (I swear that man works 24/7) and he recommended we bring him in. As it turns out, Byron was just starting to develop pneumonia--luckily we caught it very early, so he's already on the mend. We just have to give him injections of antibiotics every 8 hours. Poor thing.

I finally took a few nursery pics this weekend and am attaching them! The only thing we don't have in there is the humidifier and the diaper genie, but I figured we can move those into the nursery when we start using it regularly (not sure when that will be). I also have a pink bumper that I got as a gift, but not sure if we'll use it or not.

 

[pancake]

NEL - your nursery looks wonderful! Especially compared to mine with its old dropsheets and stepladder on the floor, devoid of furniture No, seriously - it's beautiful. You look all set! I'm really sorry to hear that Byron hasn't been well again. It's been a wretched few months for him (and therefore for you guys with him). Hope he improves quickly. I agree that the pregnancies have flown - not so much the 1st tri, but from around 17 weeks or so they've just whooshed past! I have really loved having our little cohort of preggy ladies

LC - I heard that Tinker Tailor is excellent! People keep telling us to go to the movies while we still can, but to be honest it is not one of my favourite things to do in our spare time (although I do enjoy it from time to time) so we haven't done it recently. Maybe we should try and go this weekend. Hooray for buying your stroller! I'm amazed at your self-control in the accumulation of stuff... I wish I had your restraint. Re detergent, baby's clothes are going in the wash with ours, just with regular detergent! The nappies are going in different detergent at 1/3 strength but that is more for the nappies' benefit than Dot's Your collage is fantastic! Makes me wish I had been more diligent with taking bump pics, it really does.

Missy - great pics! Well done on staying strong and sticking with team green! I found our 20 week scan just so exciting. It is still right up there with all the most exciting and amazing experiences of my life.

Mayerling - sorry that the headaches are still so troublesome. Hopefully as the 2nd tri unfolds things will get better in that regard. The peeing, well - I peed my way through the 1st tri, had a brief reprieve in the 2nd tri and now I'm up usually 2 or 3 times a night, although it varies. Par for the course! Re cord blood banking - I want to donate to the public bank here (which is used for anyone and is part of an international registry for cord blood donations) but am not planning to store privately; I don't think that the technology exists yet to back up any of the claims that some of the private banks are speculating about and it is such a huge ongoing cost that it doesn't make sense to me.

AFM - still here at 38 weeks exactly! I have been feeling really really well for the last 3 or 4 days - getting out and about, seeing friends, running errands, we even did a trip to Ikea yesterday morning! My mother thinks this means I will go into labour soon but I'm not sure about that. Will have to see... Funnily enough I am the most physically comfortable I've been in weeks. The hip is fine, my ankle swelling more or less disappeared yesterday (not sure why!) and my energy levels are good.

I set up our bouncer today (I got the Bombol Bamboo that I wanted, with vouchers from my work farewell and baby shower - http://interiordesignhouses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Baby-Rocker.jpg) and it looks great! My mum managed to find an entire box full of flannelette and terry cotton nappies and receiving blankets back from when WE were kids, so I washed about 30 of those today to use as wipes/rags/liners/everything. My bag is just about packed.

Here's a couple of pics from today:

 

[mayerling]

LC, I'm glad to hear that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is only now come out in the US; we saw it in October when it came out over here. I was afraid that it's only in the UK that movies arrive late. What did you think of it? I really liked it and I'm glad Gary Oldman finally got a nomination. I really enjoyed The Descendants too.

Pancake, your bump is adorable! I'm glad you're feeling so good these days. As for the cord bank, I like the thought of a private donation but I certainly couldn't afford one so I'd like to go public. The problem, though, is that the UK seems to be quite behind in this matter. Apparently there's only 6 hospitals in the whole country that collect this sort of thing and not one of them is in my area

NEL, love the nursery! Yours certainly puts ours to shame. Ours is just our spare room/slash office and all it'll really have in it is a crib... We'll only have about a year left on our lease (it's not possible to extend the lease) when the baby comes so we figured there's not much point in doing it up if we're going to have to move anyway.

Missy, great u/s! And congrats for sticking to the resolution of not finding out the sex. I think I'd be tempted to peek!

AFM, things are okay. Still peeing incessantly, and getting headaches every few days, but no belly cramps. I have started getting cramps in other parts of my body though - mostly my legs, but sometimes my arms as well. Also, on Wednesday we have the appointment with the midwife. I'm trying to write down all the things I want to ask her about so I don't forget. I haven't seen her in over two months and in this time I've thought of various things I'd like to talk about but I'm afraid that if I don't write them down now I'll walk out of the appointment not having asked about half the things that concern me.

 

[Missy0483]

NEL - I was actually a little sad that they got the measurements so quickly. Everyone was telling me it would be about a half hour scan, but our baby was so cooperative. Hopefully it stays that way once he/she is born Glad to hear that Byron is doing better now! I feel so much worse when my cats are sick than when I'm sick! Love your nursery pictures!

LC - Good job on the Craigslist find! I always look at the posts for my area, but everything looks so used! I'm sure we won't have to buy much after the shower. My mom will go CRAZY buying stuff, I just know it. She always does!

Pancake - I agree, it was pretty exciting see all the little parts of the baby. I was SO nervous as soon as I got on the table. I felt like a rush of blood go to my head, just because I was dreading the fact that something could be wrong! Everything turned out fine and I felt silly for getting so worked up. It was such a cool thing to have DH there so we could experience it together! By the way, you are still looking amazing! I'm glad you've felt good the last few days. Lets hope it stays that way!

Mayerling - I agree, write stuff down to ask!! My mind completely goes blank most of the time. I loved the last doctor I met. They try to schedule me with a new one each time so I can meet all of them. She's pregnant too, and we're both short waisted, so it was fun to discuss how we just "popped" out! She also explained things really well and I didn't have to ask many questions.

Afm, my next test will be the glucose test at 28 weeks. I like tests that I can study for, too bad this isn't the case! I guess we'll see what happens. Oh and I'm feeling for real kicks recently. Oh my gosh, it's so amazing! The first time I felt a kick with my hand on my belly, it made me jump! Haha, it was a pretty good one! I can't really tell if you can feel them on the outside yet though, because I'l definitely feeling them on the inside. Shouldn't be too long. DH is warming up to the fact that there's really a baby growing inside. He pats my belly before bed and says "Baby go nigh-night" He always does this to our cats too while pating them on the head. He's so funny and going to be an amazing father, I just know it! He said he drove passed the playground/baseball field where he went to school and said he could see himself out there throwing the ball around with our son/daughter. Which of course brought tears to my eyes. He said "Even if we have a girl, I'm teaching her how to play sports!" I said "Yup, you teach sports and I'll teach him/her how to be smart" haha. We've been discussing names too. We're pretty much set on Carter for a boy. DH likes Carter Anthony, I'm not sure if it flows. And the initials would be CAN. My friend said kids would make fun of him and call him "Kick the CAN" haha. My dad said "No they'll say Carter CAN do it!" I suggested Mackenzie/McKenzie for a girl. Maybe Emma for a middle name?

Okay I'm rambling now and trying to avoid work!! Phone duty today, but I've been pretending I'm too busy to answer. My department doesn't even know what I'm doing because I'm not IN the department with everyone else

 

[S&I]

LC, I love your bump collage! I've literally only taken 2 bump pics this entire pregnancy, and those were only crappy phone pics that I sent to my sister so she'd stop hassling me. Thanks for the advice about not eating before the glucose screen. Even without eating, the nurse said that I was spilling sugar in my urine sample after they had drawn my blood. Of course, I started freaking out, thinking that was a sure sign that I had failed the screening, but she made it sound like it was expected since I had done the screening about an hour earlier. Needless to say, I'm worried. Hope your girls' night was fun! Hopefully, you'll start feeling some relief from your CT after your acupuncture appointments. Yay for getting the BOB!

MuffDog, congrats on team blue! Cute pic for your mom. I was also leaning slightly more towards wanting a girl than a boy, and was so shocked during our anatomy scan that all I said was "Ohh - wow!" and laughed a little when the doctor pointed out the goods. My DH asked me afterward if I was disappointed.

Monnie, congrats on team pink! Good for you for not feeling guilty about the way you feel. I was a bit disappointed at first, and I didn't want to admit it to myself or anyone else, but I eventually got over it. Now that we have a name picked out, I worry that my last ultrasound will reveal a girl instead. Crazy, I know!

China, yay for deciding to open the envelope on your trip! I like the idea of it being your turn to open while your DH takes pics. Oh, and I think I have a mild case of restless leg syndrome, but I think I also had it pre-pregnancy, so I have nothing to blame it on.

NEL, yay for scheduling your newborn photo session! Katie is going to be so cute in her big flower headband and tutu - I can't wait to see that. I have no idea what kind of props to do for Alex. I should probably start looking around on the internet for some boy ideas. So sorry to hear that poor Byron is sick, but I'm glad to hear that he's already on the mend. Your nursery is seriously awesome! I am so bad at decorating or arranging things in a room, that our nursery is going to look like a mish-mash of stuff.

pancake, I'm glad that you are feeling so good at 38 weeks! Not to scare you or anything, but one of my friends was out and about, walking around the shopping mall at 40 weeks, with no clue that she was going to go into labor later that evening! Our wedding album isn't done either, ha! Your bump looks so cute!

mayerling, glad your cramps are gone! I hope your headaches don't get any worse. I'm pretty sure we won't be banking our cord blood privately, but I did look into donating it. Unfortunately, none of the hospitals in our city participate in the public banks. I always forget to ask my questions at my appointments, so I end up calling the nurse line afterward. Pretty much the only time I didn't have to call back to ask more questions is when I had my questions jotted down in my phone one time.

Missy, yay for an awesome anatomy scan - such a well behaved baby! So cute that he/she was waving "bye" to you guys at the end too. How high does your blood pressure get at the doctor's office, compared to when you take it at home? Cute that your DH talks to the baby!

AFM, besides the urine freak-out at my appointment, everything checked out fine. My fundus was measuring exactly right for 28 weeks, and Alex's heartbeat was down to 137 (which I thought sounded a little low, but the nurse said anything between 120-160 is perfectly fine). Just waiting to hear my results from the glucose screen. Next appointment is the Friday after this week.

(28w+3d)

 

[Missy0483]

Missy, yay for an awesome anatomy scan - such a well behaved baby! So cute that he/she was waving "bye" to you guys at the end too. How high does your blood pressure get at the doctor's office, compared to when you take it at home? Cute that your DH talks to the baby!

At home my highest was 134/80(they're only worried If I get a couple readings where the top is higher than 140 and/or the bottom is high than 90). At the doctor, it was 140/82, then they took it again later on after scaring the crap outta me about pre-E stuff. It jumped to 150/100. She said she wasn't worried if it's only happening at the doctor. I asked her "What about at work...I think it's probably high while I'm there, is that a problem?" My job stresses me out as I stated earlier last week. She told me to take it once in the morning, once while at work, and then again at night. If it's high at work they'll know it's from stress and figure out how often it happens I guess. They'll decide from there if I need medication. She said she wouldn't be surprised if I develop hypertension at some point during the pregnancy. Ugh. Thank you work for making me stressed all day!

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, *BEAUTIFUL NURSERY!!!* I'm almost too embarassed to put up picutres of ours. Actually our nursery really isn't done yet, we haven't decorated much because then we'd give away the sex. This is all DH's fault (or so I'll say LOL!) If you want a list of what was in our hospital bag, I'll append it at the end of this post. I'm sure there's a ton of stuff that we don't need, but oh well. Our Bob is brown with blue accents. I'll attach a pic that the seller took. I want to organize my pantry a little more and my storage unit, mostly by replacing the shelves. Plus I want to get some shelves in my bedroom that will hopefully help with organizing too. I'm glad Byron is on the mend, but poor guy!

Pancake, yes I'm not a movie-goer myself either, but it was nice that we got a chance to go since we'll probably not go again for a LOOOONG time. LOL! Awesome that you've been feeling so good! I hope it keeps up. You're looking great, you look AMAZING from the front.

Mayer, Tinker Tailor was really good. DH and I both liked it but we'll definitely Netflix it again because there were a few subtleties that I think we missed. But we really enjoyed the movie. I was getting some wicked calf cramps too, like wake-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night cramps. I started taking Calcium + Magnesium + Zinc supplements and they've been helping. Also add an extra banana in your diet. My midwives and MIL (she's a pharmacology professor) said the Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium will help some how. But you cannot find potassium supplements in the store because it does something to your heart if you have too much of it.

Missy, So glad your anatomy screen went so well. And what a well behaved baby!!! Hopefully he/she will stay that way, LOL! The glucose test was a bad week for me, but in the end it's not so bad whatever the outcome. Glad you hit it off with a doc you really like. Tell your very well behaved baby to be born when she's on call. LOL!

S&I, hope you get some good results from your screen. If you have to do the 3 hr one, it sucks, but there's a good chance you'll still pass. It's just a GIANT time suck, unfortunately. Had my acupuncture appt and it's slowly helping but nothing that goes away right away.

AFM, not much to add. I have our final shower this Sunday, so going to help Sis prep stuff for that. We have a pretty busy week so scheduling everything to get done will be pretty tough, but I think we can do it. Installed the car seat this weekend too.

Also a question, do you ladies know where to buy nursing tanks/bras in Target? I could NOT find it in the Maternity section.

My list of stuff for the hospital:
flip video
laptop
laptop charger
camera
camera batteries
cell
cell charger
dvds
ipod
paper
pencil
book/magazine
empty bag (for hospital swag)

granola bars
trail mix
water bottle

toothbrush
toothpaste
floss
deodorant
brush
lotion
shampoo/conditioner
face moisturizer
basic makeup (powder + eye liner, for pictures and visitors)
facial soap

yoga/comfy pants
DH's t-shirt (only t-shirts I can fit into)
sweater/hoodie (that buttons/zip in the front)
socks (warm ones to wear home)
full butt coverage underwear (I hear granny panties are the best, but I have bikinis)
bralettes/nursing bra
chapstick
hair ties
sanitary pads
Nursing PJ
slipper socks (to wear around the hospital, OK to get dirty and thrown away)
Nursing tank
bathing suit (for labor tub, undecided if I'll use that yet)[/size]

3 baby outfits (depending on the weather: long sleeve onesie + socks, long sleeve onesie with feet, fleece-y onesie)
Baby hat & socks
blanket
car seat muff

warmup pants
toiletries
comfy sweatshirt
3 tee shirt
3 boxers
3 socks
gym shoes
bathing suit (for labor tub, undecided if I'll use that yet)

 

[lizzyann]

LC, awesome list! But please do rethink the granny panties! Trust me...you are going to want the most full coverage underwear you can get. They layer a huge maxi pad, ice pack, and witch hazel pads in there after delivery. Go buy a cheap pack of Hanes grannies, you won't regret it! Getting close now!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Thanks for the tip Lizzy, I think I will get some granny panties. I was with DH at the time, and not at my "regular" Target, so I didn't know where their packs of Hanes panties were and couldn't find the nursing tanks, but didn't want to keep him waiting around. I also need to get super heavy duty sanitary pads too. Didn't grab those either, though I should have.

And I realize that this a pretty big list. We'll probably end up not using half of this stuff. I'm using the "camping" method, putting our stuff in stuff sacks to keep things separate. I have a "when I get to the hospital/during delivery" stuff sack that has, slippers, slipper socks, hair ties, chap stick, bathing suit, etc. Then another stuff sack that has stuff after my first shower like change of clothes etc. DH is using the empty bag as his stuff sack. Finally Ethan's stuff goes in his diaper bag. DH is bringing all the electronics and food etc in a back pack that he'll carry.

If any BTDT mamas can comment, did you guys keep a spare underwear and some sanitary pads with you at all times? I'm contemplating doing the this....

And yeah the weather's been really crazy in the midwest this winter. Today it was almost 50F, which is why I did just the long sleeve onesie + socks + hat. Standard winter weather, hovering around freezing would mean using the long sleeve + footie onesies. And the ever-so-famous Arctic -14F weather is the fleece footie onesie. Gotta love the unpredictable Midwest weather.

~LC (36W, 4D)