Still Pregnant!

I think that I’d really like to title a post “What It’s Like to Be 547 Weeks Pregnant” because that’s about how I feel at the moment. Seriously. When your due date is moved up and then moved back a few weeks later, you seriously do feel like you might be pregnant forever. FOREVER. Most of this pregnancy has passed by in a blur – could be my age (not that I’m that old, but time does pass quicker with each passing year!) or could just be the lack of sleep that these last few weeks offer a mom-to-be.

I took a vow recently (just to myself, but it still counts!) that I wasn’t going to complain as much as I felt I had been doing. There are many, many, many women out there who struggle with fertility issues and cannot conceive, and I am one of those lucky few women who got pregnant soon after starting to try to become pregnant. I wasn’t sure that it would happen like that the 2nd time around, but that’s how it happened. And since I personally have several friends and loved ones in my life who deal with fertility issues or cannot conceive at ALL without the aid of modern medicine, I vowed that I would be more sympathetic and not complain as much. Not just to those particular people (because I know that some of them would trade places with me in a heartbeat) but to the world in general. I mean, no one likes a cranky-pants, right? Right.

But when you feel like you’ve been pregnant for 3,829 days (or 547 weeks, whichever works for you) it gets really hard. You’re past the honeymoon stage of “yea – we’re pregnant!” and you’re full on into the “OMG – what the heck were we thinking?!?!” stage. Because if this lack of sleep is to “help prepare” me for having a newborn in the house and all of those nighttime feedings and diaper changes, then I’m more than prepared. I am happy to report that I can work half a day on only 3 hours of sleep and be fully functional for the most part. I can also sleep semi-sitting up/reclining for more than 2 hours at a time, which was an important pre-requisite for my daughter’s first few weeks!

The nursery is complete, for the most part. Or maybe I should say that it’s as complete as it’s gonna get. I have all the big furniture items that I think that I need. I’ve got clothes coming out of every possible drawer and closet space available. I’m 100% covered as far as receiving blankets, swaddler blankets and regular, soft baby blankets. I could use more diapers (who couldn’t?) and I would really, really like to be able to find a formula that does NOT contain Iron. My daughter could ONLY take the pre-mixed (not the powder kind) Low Iron formula from Enfamil. Which isn’t produced any more that I can find. Oh yeah, they’ve got LOTS of other newer kinds that they didn’t have when she was born 8 years ago, but NOT one SINGLE manufacturer that I can find at HEB, Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreen’s or anywhere else you can think to look carries a Low Iron formula.

And yes, I know that I might not even need it with this little bundle of joy, since he might be completely different than his older sister, but I think that I would feel better if I could find something that would be easier on the digestion. And yes, I also understand that there are other types now that say for “colicky” babies and partially digested for less gas. But I don’t KNOW that those will work. I know from experience that Enfamil Low Iron will work and is gentler on sensitive tummies. I’m sure that something else will be fine, but this is for my own sanity. Which at day #4,287 my sanity is really the only thing that’s important. At least in my world.

So, I’m not going to complain about the ever-present back ache. I’m not going to complain about these stupid Braxton Hicks contractions that are just regular enough to get me all scared/excited and then disappear for three of four days. I’m not going to talk about the constant heart burn. (From a glass of water, people! Water!) I’m not even going to think about mentioning the swelling on my right foot which is painful to the point of I’m certain that my skin is going to explode because it’s not meant to stretch that far. And I’m totally not going to mention how painful those little kicks and nudges that I so looked forward to feeling 5 months ago are becoming as he runs out of room in there.

Nope, not going to mention any of that. Except that I just did, didn’t I? Oh well, no one’s perfect. Baby steps. Baby steps to less complainging. (Extra kudos if you can give me the movie reference in comments below!)

At this point, with the lack of contractions that I had over this weekend in comparison with the abundance of contractions that I had the weekend before, I’m pretty certain that I’ll make it to week #634 of pregnancy. (That’s 4,438 days for you math whizzes out there!)

And yes, I know with every fiber of my being that this little one will be worth all of this. All of the aches and pains and discomforts will pale in comparison once I get to hold him in my arms. To count his tiny fingers and toes. To smell his sweet baby-smell, which I have a theory on that I haven't shared with you all yet. And just to hold him on the OUTSIDE of me...can't wait! And every day that I get closer to my due date I just get more and more anxious. And ready to meet the little guy!

Just A Little Something

So I ran out of Bath & Body Works hand-soap last night. I typically order this stuff in bulk, so when I run out of soap, it's always sort of shocking. I mean, when you get a BOX of it on your doorstep that lasts several months, it's still somehow shockig when you run out.

Luckily, we were doing a BBQ with friends and Nikki mentioned to me that Bath & Body was running a big 75% off sale. So, after resting most of the morning (after being on my feet all evening cooking my legs/back and right foot were KILLING me!) little Jenna and I took off yesterday afternoon to run some errands.

One of those errands was running into Bath & Body. Score for me - they were still running the sale and they had their hand soap on sale 6 for $20. After scooping up some new scents and old favorites, I noticed that Jenna was captivated by something else. This little guy:

Yep, that's a little rubber casing that you can loop around your purse/back pack. Or a diaper bag, maybe? Since the little bottles were also on sale (5 for $5) Jenna and I both got a holder and each picked out a few scents. For these, I went with some old favorites:

Warm Vanilla Sugar

Coconut Lime Verbena

Midnight Pomegranate

Have you seen those little things? For $.50 I thought that it would make a GREAT addition to my diaper bag, and thought that I'd pass along my "find" for all those other moms-to-be or current moms right now!

Thirty Seven Weeks

Full term. Sweeter words, I don't think that I've ever heard! If Jax were to decide to come on out and play today, there is a great chance that his little lungs would be just fine on their own and need no help from the medical professionals. Full term also means getting the "green light" from the doctor on taking short walks in the evening to try and "encourage" labor. Of course, that's if the swelling in my feet isn't too painful to prevent that, and that all depends on how much bed rest I got that day. It's all relative, I suppose.

But I made it. Our fears of not making it to this day a few weeks ago are now over and a distant memory. Now the 10 million dollar question is "When is this show going to get on the road?"

Here are some belly pictures for you. He's dropping lower each week, but the doctor is quick to assure me that he's not "that low" yet either. Meaning that he hasn't started the descent into the birth canal at this point. There are days that I will agree with her assessment and other days that I think she's nuts. Some times he seems content using my bladder as a speed bag for his exercise routine and other days my pelvic bones are a great substitute for a heavy bag. (Sorry for the boxing references, but I'm married to a Marine - we have all of that stuff in our garage!)

He's also doing a great job now of staying on track with me - as evidenced by the doctor re-changing our due date back to the end of the month. He's measuring right on track, even if she thinks that he's about a pound heavier than my weekly updates say that he is.

I'm not going to post the weekly update this week, if that's ok with you (or even if it's not!) since they don't really seem to be saying much anymore except that he's continuing to grow and put on weight. Which is all well and good, but gets somewhat tedious week after week, you know? But I do have some updates for you:

Weight? 1 lb gain – marking a total of 17 pounds
Stretch marks? They still seem to be staying far away from me thus far
Belly Button – innie/outie? It's WAY out now
Movement? He scared me pretty good one day this week, with what must have been a "sleepy day" for him - but other than that one day, he's been moving and shaking all over the place.
Swelling? I'm still having trouble with my right foot. The good news is that this week the doctor seemed a little more concerned about it - taking the time to measure one foot against the other one, and wouldn't you know it, my right foot was 1.5 inches bigger around than the left one! The better news is that the swelling doesn't go up too far, but the time she got to my calves, my two feet were even again.
Contractions/Signs of Labor? I don't suppose I'm having anything other than Braxton Hicks contractions. I know that they're false because they come and go, and they're not making alot of progress towards other signs of labor. My cervix is softening, but no dilation or effacement as of yet.
Other Issues? I've got a new strategy as far as sleep goes. I'm thirsty (like drinking water by the gallon!) these days, but especially at night. I'm either getting up to pee or I'm getting up to drink ANOTHER glass of water. So far, most nights I can stay in bed until sometime between 12a-1a and then if I move to the couch and get into a reclining position, then I can sleep the rest of the night. You know, in between trips to the bathroom!

Otherwise I'm feeling ok most days. Besides being tired and ready to meet my baby boy, and getting overheated and winded on short walks up the stairs or to my car in this Texas heat, I'm really ok. I'm starting to feel anxious about being able to recognize real labor, but I think that most moms-to-be go through that!