Monday, December 28, 2015

34.5...The rubber is hitting the road!


BJ and I worked, tried and cried for years for this pregnancy, so to say I feel pressured to be pretty stoic is an understatement. I have been blessed with a truly easy pregnancy.

I never had morning sickness.  My indigestion is totally survivable. I never needed anything beyond Maalox or Tums. I've been beyond blessed and probably gotten better than I deserve.

That being said this past week has definitely been the most uncomfortable, and I guess it's about time.  Nothing major, I just couldn't find a comfortable position that I could both breath and sleep in so I felt like I did neither more nights/days than most. What is funny is I came to visit my parents' house for Christmas, left to work for a couple of nights and came back, and my mom was like, "You've droppsed."  I think I have... I could breathe again, and I started getting that round ligament stretching pain again around the inside of my hips.  So anyway, the whole not breathing/sleeping thing went away in a few days. I can eat a little more, too! I would not have thought that the baby's position would have made that big of difference, especially since I don't have the longest torso in the world to begin with.

The only weird thing in addition to the dropping was some random nerve pain along the inside of my right hip bone. I guess baby was laying on a nerve, but anytime I twisted to the right or bent over, I couldn't stand back up...at least not right away...it hurt so bad all I could do was laugh and walk around like someone's back who went out until it eased up in 5-10 minutes.  It seems to have eased up, so maybe that was just part of the "dropping" phase.

Regardless, I think I'm finally starting to feel "really pregnant".  As uncomfortable as it can be, I'm just so thankful to be here, to be healthy, and to be carrying my healthy miracle baby.  I could not be more blessed.

Next week I start classes again, but they are much more interesting, so that helps a lot.  I enjoyed one of my textbooks so much I actually read 20 extra pages (NERD ALERT...who does that?)  BJ has his follow-up this week, but has been doing amazing.  He's really been a trooper.  I have my "36" week appointment with Dr. Bullen early next week, and then move to weekly appointments...YIKES!!! We are really that close!



Christmas has been wonderful. I got tons of stuff for Pico and myself post-partum.  I'm torn, though.  I've really enjoyed having the opportunity to carry this baby, but I'm also super-excited about meeting zym on the outside.  I still don't think about the actual delivery too much.  I just kind of figure it will happen one way or the other...I just hope later rather than sooner.  I'll be super happy to make it to Wednesday after next when I can deliver with Dr. Bullen, though, and be completely out of the needing to be near a NICU category!

So at 34.5 weeks I am...

...unsure about my weight because I have been out of town so much...and I'm fine with that!
...feeling sleepy, sore, and having several contractions during the day, but wouldn't change a thing!
...craving carbohydrates.  I try to eat some vegetables and proteins, but if I am honest, all I want is crackers...and maybe some cheese...
...averse to insomnia, unfortunately, it's not so averse to me...
...in love with watching my belly move around as Pico moves.  Ze is getting so strong, and I am so proud and in love with this little creature that goes bump in the night!

Peace, Love, and Counting Blessings,

Mary Katherine Roberts



Monday, December 21, 2015

33.5...In-Law Christmas and Yes, MK this pregnancy is real...

For the last 5 Christmases, I have been growing ever more curmudgeonly.  I figured I would be full-out grinch this year.  Celebrating an immaculate conception is trying to say the least to an infertile.  While I love and still do love seeing all my friends torture their kids by putting them on a stranger's lap, it gets hard after a while because you just don't know if you will ever get the chance to photographically memorialize your child's innermost fears.  It's been absolutely heart-breaking at the thought of never hearing the pitter-patter of little feet fluttering down the stairs to see what happened Christmas Eve night.



Instead, I'm just so full of amazement and wonderment at this whole pregnancy thing.  I mean, there is literally a child, who knows nothing of Christmas or Santa or anything else (Ok...except Chanticleer, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Mannheim Steamroller and the Vienna Boys Choir) rolling away in my belly.  My belly is so full of Christmas Joy.  I can't wait for next Christmas just to see zyr's little face light up at lights and shiny things (it is MY child after all).

It still amazes me that we are already this far along.  I'll be 34 weeks in 2 days! That is crazy.  I seriously thought this would feel like the longest pregnancy in the history of the world since I got a bonus month of hormones to prep for the cycle.  I mean, we've known every single step of the way of this pregnancy.  The hundred and some shots, the tons of pills, doesn't seem like all that long ago, but here I am all low-risk, healthy, and so extrememly blessed.

It occurred to me today, that we were probably supposed to have pre-registered at the hospital by now.  Perhaps finishing the nursery might be a good idea, and all the pregnancy apps tell me I need to pack a bag for the hospital, and I'm just like, 'but I just got pregnant!' I even meant to ask about that at my doctor's appointment, but I forgot, because...I'm just on pregnancy cruise control.

It' been a busy week or so. BJ had his surgery last week and has really been a trooper.  We heard all these horror stories about adult tonsillectomies, and while he's not been totally comfortable, he's not complained one bit.  Even with a crappy, long hospital stay at Wal-mart Memorial Hospital where they don't let common sense get in the way of their patient care...*sigh*...Anyway, he's been so good!!!! He has set the bar pretty high for me when it comes to laboring.  I'm gonna have to go all Scientologist to compete with him...

We had a wonderful time at our In-Law Christmas.  There was lots of laughter and love.  Emma Grace only growled once at her Uncle Cody for trying to play with one of her new Christmas toys...sigh... I got some cute stuff for me for after the baby that I'm pretty excited about.  BJ trooped through and seems to be enjoying his new toys and even participated in the Christmas meal.  

I had an appointment and a "for better pictures" ultrasound today.  I'm measuring "perfectly", and the heart rate was 136.  Dr. Bullen performed the US and Pico is still gender neutral, and we have yet to see Pico's face.  Pico 16-Mommy and Daddy 0.  Our camera shy child has his or her face completely buried in the placenta.  Dr. B tried to do the 4D photo thing, but with both our heads tilted, we couldn't even decide what we were really looking at...So I didn't get any print outs from this one.  There was barely any fluid between Pico's face, and the placenta. We saw Pico chewing and moving (and the tone was good, adequate fluid, and practice breathing...not that I was doing a biophysical profile or anything...I'm seriously a nightmare patient in my head...).

We did talk a little about how late, because I'm convinced I'm going to go late, he'd let me go before inducing.  It sounds like nobody is going to get too prickly if I go post-dates, and I am totally expecting to because...this took 5.5 years...of course it will be FOREVER!  I could totally be wrong, but I doubt it...

Anyway, at 33.5 weeks I am...

...holding @ +4 lbs.  There is just no room in the inn...for anything, especially not for air or food.
...craving...a salty, lime and tequila-infused concoction with a salt-rim.  Instead, I'll have a little bit of sprite and cranberry juice in a martini glass and call it a "pregnant cosmo".
...averse to eating if I've eaten in the last 6-8 hours.  There isn't any room!!!
...in love with these big rolls, kicks and punches.  It's just so much fun to have this little being go all crazy inside my belly.  Pico is a very busy tiny human...very busy...I'm still worried about the lack of sleep going on... In fact, the other night I was sleeping with my hip propped up on my body pillow and I got kicked so hard my whole body rocked.  I had no clue how strong a fetus could be!!!

Peace, love, and Mystery Babies (With No Pictures to Share)

Mary Katherine Roberts

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

32 Weeks and Plugging away!!!



Pico and I have made it to 32 weeks today!!! That's craziness... It's like I'm really going to have a baby on the outside!! (How many times have I said that?)  Meanwhile, Pico has sure been busy on the inside the past couple of weeks. Ze moves and rolls and practice walks/crawls and stretches, and overall I'm not exactly sure what Pico has going on in there. But ze seems very busy, regardless, and I  LOVE it.

This week's successes include finishing up my first quarter of graduate school...and...no, yeah, that's pretty much it... I did have a prenatal massage today, and it was amazing...so much so, that I fell asleep during it, which isn't fair...because for all I know she quit and left me there, but I have no proof.  So I either had an amazing massage or an expensive nap...I'll never know...

My 32 week appointment went without a hitch.  I'm measuring a wee bit short of 31 weeks, but that's totally fine with me... at 5'1" a wee baby would work out just fine for us.  I think I have an ultrasound at 36 weeks to check growth, so we shall see how big, or not, little Pico has gotten.  Pico's heart rate is perfectly beating away in the 130s to 140s.  I also got my TDAP shot because what is one more shot?  I think I'm done with them at this point, though.  I can't think of any other shots I could take aside from my remaining RhoGham dose after delivery...I think BD Syringes and Needles should sponsor this pregnancy...

We have much ahead of us in the coming week.  BJ's getting his big ass tonsils removed and his nasal septum straightened, so he's in for a bit of a haul.  Somehow, this is my fault because I made him go to a doctor...you know how that goes... I'm excited for him to be more comfortable and breathe better, but I hate that this is such a nasty surgery for adults.  Hopefully, he'll be a good patient and not get too uncomfortable.  I'm looking forward to 2 or 3 weeks after the surgery...

Well, sorry for yet another boring blog post... but at 32 weeks, I am...

...down 2 lbs..for a net of +4 lbs. ...I dont' think I lost weight so much as I peed after my last doctor's appointment.  I was pretty bloated from sitting around and eating salty foods the entire weekend while judging a gymnastics meet.
...Feeling slow, but great.  I mean, it's more of a process to extract myself from my body pillow to go pee in the middle of the night.  It's also much harder to breathe if I'm not sitting up or lying straight. I feel like Pico is pretty excited about reaching my diaphragm.  Who am I kidding?  I love it, too!  But still nothing to complain about.  Everything is easily managed with either Tums or position changes. I'm having Braxton Hicks contractions a little more regularly and more intensely, but they are not painful at all. Just feels like flexing any other muscle!
...Craving...nothing exciting...sometimes somebody brings something up, and I'm like, 'ooh, that sounds good.'  I'm just not a creative craver...
...Averse to swelling...my compression hose and sleeves are my best friends right now. It's just my legs, and my BP is still subnormal, so it's nothing to worry about, but it does recreate my compartment syndrome and give me dropfoot if I let it go...which is the last thing you need to have when you are a natural-born klutz.
...In love with my family and friends.  BJ and I have just been so blessed with love and support from so many people.  The genuine excitement people have shown for us just melts my heart.  Pico, you are already so loved by so many people who can't wait to see your little face.



Peace, Love, and Busy Babies

Mary Katherine