Giveaway Winner + Doctor Appointment Update

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first ever blog giveaway honoring my 29th 30th birthday - it was a huge success!  I loved reading all of your comments on my little blog and you gave me some great ideas for some new favorites (Wine, monogrammed items, diet coke, all things paper, sharpies, and socks?!  How could I ever have forgotten these things?!).  I randomly generated a winner today through rafflecopter and verified the winning entry, and the winner is (drumroll please)...

Congratulations, Shannon!  

I'll ship your box of goodies out tomorrow.  I hope you enjoy my current favorite things as much as I do!  I wish I could do giveaways every week.  So fun!  Perhaps someone shall sponsor me and pay for me to give things away someday.  I can dream, yes?

Thanks to all of you who checked in today to see how my appointment went at the doctor.  Other than the fact that I was almost 30 minutes late due to a seemingly nonexistent wreck on 440, things went really smoothly!

Since I was late (not my fault for once) I had to wait a few minutes for the doctor, but he came into the room and said, "You know, I saw you walking in today and I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful.  The red of your jacket is perfect for your skin tone and you look absolutely radiant."  And then I seriously considered making out with him.  Okay, so I didn't really consider making out with him but I did consider hugging his neck, and it made my whole day.  ESPECIALLY since he didn't even bring up the fact that I have gained 7 lbs since my appointment 2 weeks ago.  That's right folks, 7 lbs in 2 weeks which brings me to a grand total of +28.  Oops.  In my defense, pretty much all I have done for three days straight is eat delicious food in NYC.  I've gained less than 30 lbs total, but not by much.  I think I'm actually okay with it, because I feel great and baby boy is healthy, and that's all that matters.

Everything else is smooth sailing.  My BP was still a perfect 120/72 as of this morning and there's no protein in my urine.  I saw the same doctor today that I saw the appointment before last (so a month ago) and he again mentioned no less than three times how pleased he is with how things are going and how perfect this pregnancy has been.  So blessed!  He said that he does not foresee any hurdles between now and the finish line (YAY!  Except the phrase "finish line" gave me anxiety.  I am so not ready for this baby yet.).  I mentioned my spotted vision to the doc, and he said to definitely keep an eye on it and call immediately if I start getting headaches, but since my blood pressure is perfect, I have no protein in my urine and I have had minimal swelling, he doesn't see anything to be concerned about right now.  Such a relief!

Finally, we discussed the large-ness of this child which is something I like to make a point of doing at every appointment with every doctor.  He said that baby is on the large side but not overly large and he's not concerned.  He asked me to remind him of Lilly's size, which I did, and he said he still was not too concerned.  I told him that Eaker women breed gigantic hybrid whale/elephant children and that my youngest sister weighed 10 lbs 9 oz and I think I actually saw him wince.  He recovered quickly and told me that in a few weeks we'd do an ultrasound to try to get a handle on how big baby boy really is and assured me that they wouldn't let him get anywhere close to 10 lbs.  That's all I have been wanting to hear, thankyouverymuch.

All in all, today's appointment was awesome.  L and I were on our own tonight because Dan had a work event and we had the best evening together.  We didn't do anything special, just played in her playroom until it was time for dinner, bath, books and bed, but she was in a fantastic mood (which lately has been hit or miss - we are for sure into the terrible twos/tantrums phase and I hate it) and we just had the best time.  I like to think it's because she's excited to have Mommy and Daddy back home.  :-)

Today was pajama day at school, and my child insists on wearing a tutu at all times, so this is the result.  She kills me.

She also (for maybe the first time ever since she started feeding herself?) ate an awesome dinner so she was rewarded with one of Mimi's chocolate chip cookies.  As you can see, she was pretty stoked about it.

Cheeeeeeeeeeese!!!

Hope your Wednesday was fantastic!  I feel like I need another vacation to recover from vacation, so I'm putting off Christmas present wrapping yet again so that I can go to bed.  :-)

Sarah

BB2.0: 32 Weeks

Well friends, we made it back to Raleigh safe and sound.  My surprise birthday trip to NYC was an absolute BLAST and I have such fun photos to share, but I know if I don't do Baby Boy's update now I'll never do it.  I'm going to attempt to make it a quick update tonight because I am beat (but let's be honest, when has any post I've ever written been brief?!)!

Size of Baby Boy:  Somewhere in the ballpark of 3.75 lbs and 16.7 inches long, or about the size of a jicama.  What is a jicama, anyway?

Via

Apparently baby boy will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of his birth weight over the next 7 weeks.  I am allegedly gaining around a pound a week (I will be utterly shocked if it isn't +10 this week after all of the eating we did in NYC) and around half of that is going to baby so he can fatten up to get ready for his debut.  Considering his size, I'm wondering if such a thing as pregnancy dieting exists.  HA.  He also now apparently has toenails, fingernails, and real hair/peach fuzz.  Can't wait to meet this little chicken!

Weight Gain So Far:  I didn't weigh in today, because I wasn't at home this morning and I refuse to do so after a full day of eating...and it's my birthday and I don't feel like being depressed.  So there.  But seriously, I'll be shocked if it's anything less than +25 (I was at +21 last week).  If it's more than +25 I will seriously consider removing this category.  :-)

Cravings:  Nothing new to add here, still sweets!

Aversions:  Still no specific overall aversions, but there are definitely things I don't want to eat on certain days.  For example, Dan really wanted to eat at a French restaurant in NYC and I was not feeling it, but wasn't really feeling anything else, either.  I know I am probably so annoying to be around right now when it comes to food.

Symptoms:  Still feeling good and not much change here!  I have had some instances over the past week where I've seen double or seen spots, so that makes me a little anxious about my doctor appointment tomorrow since 32 weeks was the magic number for the preeclampsia diagnosis during my last pregnancy.  I am trying to remain positive because seeing spots definitely does not mean that I have preeclampsia again (especially since there aren't any other symptoms that I'm aware of) - it could just be that baby boy is sitting on a nerve or it could even be that I'm standing up or sitting down too quickly.  My blood pressure has been great so far, in fact much lower on a whole than during my last pregnancy, and I really feel great.  I've experienced little to no swelling - actually, I think that today is the first time I've noticed any swelling at all and I'd be willing to bet $100 that it was due to dehydration coupled with a lot of walking and all of the travel.  Anyway, the weird vision is worth mentioning to the doc tomorrow for sure but I'm hopeful that it's nothing to be concerned about!  

Movement:  I felt like baby has been a little quieter than normal the past few days, but I think it might just be that I've been too busy to notice as much.  He normally moves some during the day and quite a bit before bed at night, but I've been so tired the past couple of nights that I've been asleep basically as soon as my head hit the pillow so I think it's just that I haven't noticed the movement as much.  As I type this he is kicking the laptop, so I know he's fine!

What I Miss:  Sleeping on my stomach!  I have been missing this for quite a few weeks now but keep forgetting to mention it.  

Signs of a Bump:  Absolutely.  

Here's what Lilly looked like at 32 weeks:

I can't really tell from those pics which one is bigger, perhaps because they are both enormous elephant children?

What I'm Thankful For:  A sweet, sweet husband who made sure I had the best birthday yet.  I am not sure we'll ever be able to top this trip - it was incredible!  And my sweet parents (and Syd!) and sweet Carney for making sure that my baby girls (yes, Layla too!) were taken care of while we were gone.

What I'm Looking Forward To:  A weekend at home and the upcoming Holiday.  I am hoping to bake some Christmas cookies for Santa with L at some point and we also have said that we'd like to try to make a gingerbread house with her.  We'll see how it goes.  Also hopefully, at some point in the very near future, doing at least something (anything!) to try to get ready for the birth of this child?!

Next Doctor Appointment:  Tomorrow!  I'll report back on how it went.

Thank you all for your sweet birthday wishes!  So far, 30 has not been too shabby at all.  I've had quite a few girlfriends tell me that their 30s were hands down better than their 20s, so I'm trying not to dwell on the fact that I'm officially old.  :-)  

You only have a few more hours to enter my birthday giveaway, so go do it!  I'll choose a winner (at random of course) at some point tomorrow, and hopefully you'll have your goodies by the end of the week.  Stay tuned, I will blog about our trip at some point this week as well as our visit to Pullen with the besties for the Holiday Express/to see Santa!

Sarah

32 Week Doctor Appointment Update

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!  I cannot believe that Christmas is only 2 days away...it really snuck up on me this year.  And WHY is it 70 degrees outside?! 

So as I mentioned in yesterday's post, my 32-week doctor's appointment did not quite go as planned.  My appointment was at 1:40 - Dan was meeting me there, and we were anticipating being done by 2:00.  Typically these appointments are really quick - we were meeting a new doctor and I had a lot of questions, but normally it is the same drill: pee in a cup, weigh in (ugh), have blood pressure taken, let the doctor listen to baby's heart and measure your belly, ask any questions we have, and we're done.  I arrived probably 5 minutes early, which I will admit is highly unusual for me, and of course because we were slightly early they were running slightly behind.  I had just texted Stephanie to tell her that I was going to hate it for whoever I had to cuss out because yesterday was NOT the day for them to make me late, I had a baby to meet!

So, I went back and peed in the cup and weighed in (+24 lbs...I don't want to talk about it), and then went to have my blood pressure taken.  I figured they'd probably have to take it twice, because I was so excited and anxious about Steph being in labor.  She took it twice, and then asked me to take off my sweater so that she could hear it better.  I felt a little uneasy, because they've never taken it more than twice and it's always been normal, but then she took me on to the exam room.  The doctor's office was right next to my exam room, and I heard the nurse talking to the doctor.  I couldn't hear everything that was being said, but I heard my name and then "32 weeks," and then I heard the doctor say, "Okay, well let's just let her know what we're doing so she won't worry."  Has she met me?  So the doctor pokes her head in and says, don't be alarmed, your blood pressure is higher than we'd like for it to be, so we're going to let you relax for a few minutes and then the nurse is going to take it again.  They told me to lie on my left side and try to calm down, and she'd be back soon.  I need to preface the next 1.5 hours with: thank the Lord for my husband.  I am so glad that he has been so involved in this pregnancy and has wanted to come to every single appointment that he could (he's only missed 2 and it was because he was out of town), because right about now was the time I started freaking out.  I laid on my left side for probably around 10 minutes, and Dan read me jokes out of the Highlights magazine and acted his normal foolish self, which I was grateful for because it kept me calmer than I otherwise would have been.  The nurse came back in and took my blood pressure, which was still high. She said not to worry, she was sure it was fine, and the doctor would be in shortly.  Begin panic mode now.

Side note: you know how when you are at the doctor, you immediately can tell that something may be wrong because they're working so hard to act like it's totally normal?  That's exactly how I felt.  I know there is something wrong, you have never taken my blood pressure more than once or twice and it's always been normal, so tell me.  Also, several people have asked me what my blood pressure actually was - I really honestly can't remember.  I think they told us at one point, but I was not very clear-headed and I can't remember.  I just know that the bottom number was normal, and the top one was consistently too high.

Enter the doctor.  She comes in, measures me (measuring perfectly), listens to the baby (heartbeat sounds great, strong and steady), and then says she'd like to try taking my blood pressure herself, just in case.  Takes it, makes a frowny face.  I panic.  She asks if I've had any swelling (tons lately), any headaches or blurry vision (none), examines my hands, and asks to see my feet which up until this point have been hidden in my gorgeous birthday boots so I didn't realize I had cankles.  Again.  Sigh (Another side note: this made me realize how desperately I need a pedicure.  That is now on the list for next week for sure, as I was slightly mortified at the sight of my feet, which I typically cannot see these days.).  She then says, "I hope you weren't planning to travel anywhere for the weekend," which of course we were, and then tells me that we're going to have to reconsider, and that I have to go on modified bed rest.  She said, and this is a direct quote, "No errands, no housework, no strenuous activity.  You are not confined to the bed but you're basically confined to the couch.  Take it easy, relax, let you husband help you if you have things that you have to do."  Dan then looks at me and says, "That means no gym." 
    Doctor (Gives me the "Mom" look): That absolutely means no gym whatsoever.
    Me: But my weight gain!
    Doctor: Your weight gain is fine so far, and you'll just have to eat really healthy.
    Me (In agony): BUT ALL I WANT IS CAKE! 
Probably the cause of the +24 lbs which we are not talking about.  Sigh.  The doctor then tells me that the reason they're so concerned about my blood pressure is because not only is it bad for baby and I (high blood pressure may cause the placenta not to be able to deliver oxygen and nutrition to Geronimina), but they are looking for signs of preeclampsia.

Through the massive amount of googling I did as soon as I could, I discovered that preeclampsia can result in various outcomes, such as: baby being born weighing less than normal, baby being born with health problems or baby needing to be delivered early via c section.  For me, it could mean my kidneys have more trouble functioning, anemia, decreased platelets which could lead to increased (and uncontrollable) bleeding during delivery (or on its own), and seizures.  5-8% of pregnancies are affected by preeclampsia, and anyone can get it, but first pregnancies are at an increased risk.  Oy. 

So, doctor gives me the cliffs notes version of what's going on and says she doesn't like my blood pressure.  She is going to have blood drawn and sent off for testing, and then she's going to hook me up to the fetal heart monitor to make sure baby is ok.  I later admitted to Dan that when she said "monitor the baby" I was secretly hoping it would be via ultrasound so that we could see her again, but no such luck.  They took about  a million vials of blood - I didn't quite catch what they were testing for, but she said it would take 24 hours before they'd know anything. 

They then took me into another room and hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor.  It is basically this belt that you wear, and it monitors the baby's heart rate (hence the name).  They gave me a button to push when the baby moves - the doctor told us that what they want to see is her heart rate increasing when she moves - and they were hoping for 3-4 movements.  Anyway, it spits out this little report so they can read the results.  Here's what the machine looks like, minus the sweet 80s hair:

And then the printout looks something like this:

They definitely got their money's worth movement-wise - baby girl was very cooperative and moved the entire time.  Dan was watching the machine and told me that her heart was doing what it was supposed to, which made me feel relieved.  I was monitored for probably around 30 minutes, and then the nurse took the printout to the doctor.

When the doctor came back in she told us that the baby "did a great job and is absolutely beautiful" and that we have nothing to worry about.  She approved our travel to my in-laws this weekend, but said that she still wanted me on modified bed rest and that I needed to come back in on Tuesday (the first day the office is open after Christmas) so that they can check on my blood pressure again.

I know this was a long post, but it was a long appointment!  I cannot say enough how amazing Dan is and how glad I am that he was there with me - I know that it would have gone a lot differently had he not been there, due to my tendency to freak out (which I still did, just to a much lesser extent).  It is hard not to worry about what's going on - my sister-in-law had preeclampsia and had to deliver my nephew really early (although I will say that he is 5 now and perfect as can be!).  She has been telling me to make sure I listen to the doctor, and Dan has been lecturing me and forcing me to follow orders.  Our Christmas plans had to be cut a little short due to the appointment on Tuesday afternoon, but I'd rather them be cautious than not catch something. 

So, today I am camped out on the couch.  I've done a little work this morning but am signing off shortly.  I do have just a few errands that I need to run, but Dan's going to go with me to supervise, and we won't be out long.  He is currently changing the oil in his car and is planning to paint the nursery after, so that is extra exciting.

Hope you're all having a happy Friday!  T minus two days until present opening...yay!

Sarah

32 Week Update

Another week has come and gone...does anyone else find it hard to believe that Christmas is on Sunday?!  At least the weather has cooled down a little and it finally feels like Christmas.  I'm going to attempt to keep it short and sweet (I know I always say that, but I mean it this time) this week - Meagan and I went to Moe's for dinner and something did not sit well, yuck.  So without further ado, here are my 32 week stats:

Size of Geronimina: Baby girl is the size of a large jicama this week:

She is weighing in at about 19 of my 20 gained 3.75 pounds and is measuring around 16.7 inches long.  Mom is supposed to be gaining a pound per week (ugh), half of which goes straight to baby - she will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks because she's fattening up to prepare for survival once she leaves the womb.

Weight Gain So Far: Toss up.  My home scale, post first-breakfast at 5:30 a.m. and workout, said 20.5 lbs.  I hope that's true but seriously doubt it based on my consumption of junk over the past two weeks.  I'll report back after my weigh in at the doctor on Thursday.

Cravings: Nada.

Aversions: Still nothing, except for Moe's after tonight.  Yuck.

Symptoms: Lots of repeats here - exhaustion is still number one, along with frequent bathroom trips and stiff joints.  I am also sad to report that the swelling has begun - not only did I develop the worst case of cankles in the history of the world over the weekend, but as of last week my rings no longer fit.  Luckily the ring I normally wear on my right hand still fits on my left, so that's where I've been wearing it, but it feels strange not to be able to wear my own rings.  Mom's are a little bigger than mine, so I borrowed one of her bands and her engagement ring over the weekend when we were going to be in public so as not to get judged.  She found it hilarious.  :-)

Movement:  Loads.  I have been reading that it may be more pronounced and sometimes painful as she runs out of room, but so far I haven't had any of that.  Also, since I reported her hiccups last week, she's had them every day.  I need to look into whether there is something I am inadvertently doing that causes it, or whether she's just growing, or what!

What I Miss: Energy.  I know that feeling the lack of it is only going to get worse, but I sure do wish I could make it through a day without my eyes burning from being so tired.  I know it will be worth it, though!

Things I am Thankful For: The best family and friends a girl could ask for - you all made me feel so special on Saturday and this may have been the best birthday yet!  Also Mom and Dad for all of their help over the weekend.  My firm, for giving us an extra day off after New Years.

What I’m looking Forward To:  Christmas!  I am officially all done shopping except for Layla, but she won't take long.  Spending time with family and nice break from work where I can sleep a lot over the next week.  Baby Hadley's birthday (come on out, little one!).  My upcoming baby showers - can't believe they're so close!

Signs of a Bump: I am scared of how much bigger this thing is going to get.  Plus, I realized today that it is now getting really cold and I only have two sweaters.  We're going to have to do something about that - sorry, Dan.

Next Doctor Appointment: Thursday!  Scared of the weigh-in, but other than that everything should be pretty routine.  I'm seeing the last doctor in the practice that I haven't yet seen, but I've heard wonderful things about her so I'm excited to meet her.  Plus, I've been saving up a lot of questions that I've thought of since my last visit and the birthing classes.

Not really sure I succeeded in making this shorter than normal, but while I was writing this blog Dan and I agreed on two paint colors to get samples of and try out in the nursery, which is a serious accomplishment.  One step closer to getting this thing finished - so exciting!  Hope the start to your week was fab.

Sarah