Today was the baby shower and it was so much fun! Gwyn and Aunt Jamie did such a great job organizing everything. My mom made the cake, and a really cute centerpiece made out of bibs, onesies, and baby socks designed to look like a pot of flowers. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of either of those, but I know there are some floating around, so I will post pics from the shower when I get my hands on some.
We got nearly everything we still needed for baby. Really just missing a changing pad for the top of the dresser, a diaper pail, and some cloth diaper covers, all of which we can easily purchase on our own. He has a bed (two of them actually! a crib and a pack n play), TONS of clothes, pacifiers, bibs, blankets, hooded towels, washclothes, bottles and even medicine. I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Thank you!
I took tomorrow off to recover from the long day, and to organize his stuff as much as possible. Hopefully we will get the crib put together within the next few days as well, and I can start feeling like we have a real nursery and not just a room filled with baby clothes. That should also give Payton a chance to explore the room while it is still baby-free, so she will be less interested in hanging out in there later. She is already pretty interested in all the stuffed toys we got, so I know it will be a challenge to keep such a curious pup away from all the baby stuff.
In preggo news, I *think* my iron count has improved somewhat by drinking the molasses "tea" frequently. I can't be sure until I go to my prenatal appointment on Wednesday, but I am not quite as run-down lately, and my inner eyelids are not as pale. (Apparently pale inner eyelids are an indication of low iron. If they are brighter red, you have good iron levels).
And, taking longer lunch breaks this past week seemed to help reduce my swelling. I am still having some swelling, and I don't think I will get rid of it completely until after Isaac arrives, but being able to put my feet up for an hour or so each day has definitely helped.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Complications
After so long with no real issues to speak of, I've had several different thigns pop up or get worse in the last week.
Despite my iron supplement, my iron levels appear to have dropped. I'm now trying something new...blackstrap molasses is a very good source of iron, and I found this drink recipe. I tried it tonight and its actually really good! Hopefully a serving or two daily will help raise my iron before my next prenatal appointment.
I have had a few random bouts of morning sickness this week too. On Tuesday, I got sick in the car on the way to work. I never got sick in the beginning, but I've been a bit queasy on several other occasions recently. My midwives recommended making sure I'm not only getting enough protein, but that I'm getting protein more often. I've now been making sure to get some protein first thing in the morning, and every few hours after that, which seems to be helping so far.
My biggest issue seems to be swelling at this point. On days that I work, my feet are often very swollen by the time I leave for the day. Unfortunately there isn't a couch anywhere in our building, so I don't have anywhere I can lie down and put my feet up. For the next week, I'm going to try arriving at work earlier and staying later, so that I can take a 2 hour lunch break. That should give me time to go somewhere and lie down, and hopefully help reduce this swelling, since paying close attention to my water and protein intake hasn't done the trick. Most likely I will end up at Tim's parents' house...although they don't know that yet ;) If my longer lunch breaks seem to help, it should allow me to keep working until closer to my due date.
Despite my iron supplement, my iron levels appear to have dropped. I'm now trying something new...blackstrap molasses is a very good source of iron, and I found this drink recipe. I tried it tonight and its actually really good! Hopefully a serving or two daily will help raise my iron before my next prenatal appointment.
I have had a few random bouts of morning sickness this week too. On Tuesday, I got sick in the car on the way to work. I never got sick in the beginning, but I've been a bit queasy on several other occasions recently. My midwives recommended making sure I'm not only getting enough protein, but that I'm getting protein more often. I've now been making sure to get some protein first thing in the morning, and every few hours after that, which seems to be helping so far.
My biggest issue seems to be swelling at this point. On days that I work, my feet are often very swollen by the time I leave for the day. Unfortunately there isn't a couch anywhere in our building, so I don't have anywhere I can lie down and put my feet up. For the next week, I'm going to try arriving at work earlier and staying later, so that I can take a 2 hour lunch break. That should give me time to go somewhere and lie down, and hopefully help reduce this swelling, since paying close attention to my water and protein intake hasn't done the trick. Most likely I will end up at Tim's parents' house...although they don't know that yet ;) If my longer lunch breaks seem to help, it should allow me to keep working until closer to my due date.
Monday, October 5, 2009
car seats and strollers and diapers, oh my!
It seems that I jumped the gun a little bit with my initial free and cheaply acquired items...While I thought we had carseats covered, it turns out carseats--even if they haven't been in an accident--expire after 5 years, and both of the ones I had are nearly expired.
I had also gotten a secondhand breast pump with the intention of buying new accessories and tubing, only to find out that it is defined as a "single-user" pump, which means that anything carried in the original owners milk could have contaminated the pump and then re-appear when I use it. So if the original owner happened to have HIV, or took some medication that shows up in milk, etc, then it could transfer to Isaac. Not good. So I'm now looking at a brand new pump for the bargain price of nearly $300. Another option is to rent a hospital-grade pump, but it may end up being more cost-effective to just purchase my own. I'll have to look into it and see how much the rental fees are.
Because of these discoveries, I spent several hours yesterday working on our registries and trying to sort out what will be useful, and what is extraneous, and adding things that I didn't think I needed to register for, but now do. I spent so much time walking around Babies R Us and Target that I think Isaac slept all day, because I hardly felt any kicks at all. He made up for it as soon as I woke up this morning though, by performing a little drum solo on my belly.
I've also been trying to research which brand/type of cloth diapers to get and I've finally decided to just register for a variety of things. It seems like every type I read about had reviews ranging from love it to hate it, depending on the baby. If little pal is long and lean, diapers will fit him differently than if he is chunky, so variety seems to be the way to go right now. I think we are going to do disposable for the first month or so though, because it seems silly to buy cloth diapers in newborn size, just to have him grow out of them right away. I never thought diapers could be so complicated...
I had also gotten a secondhand breast pump with the intention of buying new accessories and tubing, only to find out that it is defined as a "single-user" pump, which means that anything carried in the original owners milk could have contaminated the pump and then re-appear when I use it. So if the original owner happened to have HIV, or took some medication that shows up in milk, etc, then it could transfer to Isaac. Not good. So I'm now looking at a brand new pump for the bargain price of nearly $300. Another option is to rent a hospital-grade pump, but it may end up being more cost-effective to just purchase my own. I'll have to look into it and see how much the rental fees are.
Because of these discoveries, I spent several hours yesterday working on our registries and trying to sort out what will be useful, and what is extraneous, and adding things that I didn't think I needed to register for, but now do. I spent so much time walking around Babies R Us and Target that I think Isaac slept all day, because I hardly felt any kicks at all. He made up for it as soon as I woke up this morning though, by performing a little drum solo on my belly.
I've also been trying to research which brand/type of cloth diapers to get and I've finally decided to just register for a variety of things. It seems like every type I read about had reviews ranging from love it to hate it, depending on the baby. If little pal is long and lean, diapers will fit him differently than if he is chunky, so variety seems to be the way to go right now. I think we are going to do disposable for the first month or so though, because it seems silly to buy cloth diapers in newborn size, just to have him grow out of them right away. I never thought diapers could be so complicated...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
31 weeks
I'm 31 weeks today, so if all goes as planned I have somewhere between 6 and 11 weeks left. Little pal is kicking a LOT, and I can feel him moving almost constantly when I am sitting or lying still. I think he must sleep when I'm up walking around, because I almost never feel kicks then. I am looking incredibly pregnant today, more so than usual. I think the shirt is adding to that effect.
side view (pardon the laundry basket)
front view
5 bucks to anyone who can tell me what show we were watching...
side view (pardon the laundry basket)
front view
5 bucks to anyone who can tell me what show we were watching...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
nursery part 2
The nursery is painted and has some furniture. We still need a crib, and then just to decorate the walls and put down a throw rug or two. Here are some pictures:
this is the corner across from the door. We left one wall the tan color that it already was, and the other three walls are green. The empty space there is where the crib will go.
to the left of the crib is our papasan rocker, and that dresser is what we'll be using as a changing table, with a contoured cushion. The top drawer is already housing the few cloth diapers we've accumulated so far.
This bookcase is directly across from the door. The door pictured is the closet. I didn't plan on having a giant bookcase in the nursery, but it was in this room when Tim's office was in here, and it won't fit in his upstairs office because of the sloped ceilings. We don't really have anywhere else to put it, so we'll be anchoring it to the wall and using colorful bins on the shelves to store books and toys.
This dresser belonged to my brother growing up. We have the matching chest of drawers in our bedroom closet right now. When he moves to a grown up bed, he can take the matching chest and the twin headboard as well. The lamp on top is his "tanning lamp"...a gooseneck lamp that we will get a UV bulb for. This was suggested to us by the midwives to have on hand in case he is born jaundiced.
this is the corner across from the door. We left one wall the tan color that it already was, and the other three walls are green. The empty space there is where the crib will go. 
to the left of the crib is our papasan rocker, and that dresser is what we'll be using as a changing table, with a contoured cushion. The top drawer is already housing the few cloth diapers we've accumulated so far. 
This bookcase is directly across from the door. The door pictured is the closet. I didn't plan on having a giant bookcase in the nursery, but it was in this room when Tim's office was in here, and it won't fit in his upstairs office because of the sloped ceilings. We don't really have anywhere else to put it, so we'll be anchoring it to the wall and using colorful bins on the shelves to store books and toys.
This dresser belonged to my brother growing up. We have the matching chest of drawers in our bedroom closet right now. When he moves to a grown up bed, he can take the matching chest and the twin headboard as well. The lamp on top is his "tanning lamp"...a gooseneck lamp that we will get a UV bulb for. This was suggested to us by the midwives to have on hand in case he is born jaundiced. Wednesday, September 16, 2009
nursery and such
The nursery is now painted and pretty much empty except for little pal's stuff. We're moving some dressers in on Saturday so I'll post pictures after that.
This past week or so has been interesting....I got the flu or something similar, and stayed home from work on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and ended up going home early on Friday as well because I was still exhausted. We had a prenatal appointment on Wednesday night and I found out that I'm somewhat anemic, so that could have contributed to the run-down feeling. Babies start to store iron for later use during the last part of the pregnancy, so my intake needs to increase to keep up with the demand. I'm now taking a supplement to boost my iron levels, as well as just watching what I eat a little more.
Tim and I have been looking into refinancing our mortgage with a FHA rehab loan, to give us money to finish the basement and add a bathroom. We met with Michelle's dad tonight to look at design plans and get a cost estimate. So far everything is looking good....fingers crossed that it all works out as planned. It will be so nice if we are able to follow through on it! I think it will add a lot of resale potential as well, having a second full bathroom. The work would end up getting completed during November/December....right when little pal is due to make his appearance. So things will be a little hectic over here, but well worth it in the end.
We are still exploring daycare options. Most likely we will end up at Paige's Playhouse, which is across the street from my job so would be super convenient. However, an in-home provider could potentially offer us a better price, so I am looking into those as well. We found one woman who is nationally certified (which is rare), and pretty close to my work. She is full at the moment, but put me on a waitlist. We are first on the list, so hopefully something will open up before February. Otherwise, Paige's looks nice, just not as flexible and cost-effective as an individual might be.
This past week or so has been interesting....I got the flu or something similar, and stayed home from work on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and ended up going home early on Friday as well because I was still exhausted. We had a prenatal appointment on Wednesday night and I found out that I'm somewhat anemic, so that could have contributed to the run-down feeling. Babies start to store iron for later use during the last part of the pregnancy, so my intake needs to increase to keep up with the demand. I'm now taking a supplement to boost my iron levels, as well as just watching what I eat a little more.
Tim and I have been looking into refinancing our mortgage with a FHA rehab loan, to give us money to finish the basement and add a bathroom. We met with Michelle's dad tonight to look at design plans and get a cost estimate. So far everything is looking good....fingers crossed that it all works out as planned. It will be so nice if we are able to follow through on it! I think it will add a lot of resale potential as well, having a second full bathroom. The work would end up getting completed during November/December....right when little pal is due to make his appearance. So things will be a little hectic over here, but well worth it in the end.
We are still exploring daycare options. Most likely we will end up at Paige's Playhouse, which is across the street from my job so would be super convenient. However, an in-home provider could potentially offer us a better price, so I am looking into those as well. We found one woman who is nationally certified (which is rare), and pretty close to my work. She is full at the moment, but put me on a waitlist. We are first on the list, so hopefully something will open up before February. Otherwise, Paige's looks nice, just not as flexible and cost-effective as an individual might be.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Labor Day
(The holiday, that is)
This holiday weekend is always very busy for Tim and I. His dad's birthday is the 4th, and new nephew Sammy's birthday is the 6th. Also a close friend has a birthday right in between on the 5th. This year, Sammy is turning 1 and I was in charge of the cakes...a personal sized one for Sammy, and a 12x18 sheet cake for the guests.
I don't think I'm cut out to be a cake decorator, or at least not a pregnant one. It was so tiring working in the kitchen all day getting these cakes ready. My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, and I was so hot from being so close to the oven for so long. I think they turned out nice, but in the future I will probably stick to other types of cakes, or at the very least not such large decorated ones.
Little pal is moving around a ton now. Yesterday I actually felt him move in multiple places at once, so he must be getting pretty big. I can often feel what I think is his butt pushed right up under my rib cage. Especially when I've had a big meal....because the only thing worse than feeling really really full, is feeling really really full and having a baby pushing on your stomach.
Baby shower is now scheduled....October 25th (a Sunday) at 2 o'clock. Aunt Jamie has generously offered to host it at her house, so that we can have one giant shower instead of several smaller ones. So watch for your invitations in the mail in the next few weeks!
This holiday weekend is always very busy for Tim and I. His dad's birthday is the 4th, and new nephew Sammy's birthday is the 6th. Also a close friend has a birthday right in between on the 5th. This year, Sammy is turning 1 and I was in charge of the cakes...a personal sized one for Sammy, and a 12x18 sheet cake for the guests.
I don't think I'm cut out to be a cake decorator, or at least not a pregnant one. It was so tiring working in the kitchen all day getting these cakes ready. My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, and I was so hot from being so close to the oven for so long. I think they turned out nice, but in the future I will probably stick to other types of cakes, or at the very least not such large decorated ones.
Little pal is moving around a ton now. Yesterday I actually felt him move in multiple places at once, so he must be getting pretty big. I can often feel what I think is his butt pushed right up under my rib cage. Especially when I've had a big meal....because the only thing worse than feeling really really full, is feeling really really full and having a baby pushing on your stomach.
Baby shower is now scheduled....October 25th (a Sunday) at 2 o'clock. Aunt Jamie has generously offered to host it at her house, so that we can have one giant shower instead of several smaller ones. So watch for your invitations in the mail in the next few weeks!
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