Christmas Time

Andrew surprised me last night by getting our Christmas tree from Grandma's barn. It was so exciting to put it up and to decorate it. We both compromised a little bit on the decorations. Yes, it has colored lights, but I got things that I wanted too. It looks very nice (especially for a free tree!!). We still want a tree topper, so I am going to run over to Hobby Lobby at lunch to get one. Our nativity set looks great on the piano and I have a few other little things that will go around the house. We also rearranged our living room, so tonight my goal is to get that room all set up, then I will move on as time allows.

This is the first year we have put up a tree or any kind of decorations. We felt like it wasn't necessary in the past because we weren't actually going to be at our house for Christmas, but we are this year. I have taken some pictures and will post them soon.

We are still working hard to finishing our upstairs. It hard on me not to be able to do more physically! I just like to accomplish things. My hips/back were painful last night, just after decorating the tree. I will definitely have to take it easy painting this weekend. I hope we can get most of this done on Saturday. We want to have our carpet in by the 14th (have I said that before?) because we're hosting a Christmas party. We also want to move upstairs into our nice big room!!

Has my time come?

No, I'm not talking about the baby coming! I'm just not sure I can paint anymore. After my lessons, I headed upstairs to put a second coat of paint on the baby's room walls. After I finished and cleaned the supplies, I felt like I could hardly walk! This same back pain got me up about three times in the night (it causes my legs to cramp). There is still stuff to be painted up there, so I hope that if I stretch before and perhaps just do a shorter amount of time, then I can keep painting (yes, I see a chiropractor regularly). The main reason I want to be able to keep painting, is that I want A to spend his time on other projects . . . like tiling the shower!! He also has to put up baseboard before the carpet goes in.

We're hoping to be able to put the carpet in upstairs by December 14th. That is out goal. We are both very excited about moving up there. The master bedroom is huge compared to what we've been living in, and it will just be nice to have that extra space.

I also really want to put up some Christmas decorations this weekend. That also means that A will have to go get our tree from Grandma's barn and carry some of the heavy rubbermaids to the main floor of the house (they are upstairs and in the basement).

Well, I'd better get to work. Our copier is currently broken (yes, actually broken) so I'm backed up on a couple of things. Oh, the copier also happens to be my printer!! :)

Kansas Trip

We had such a good time on our trip to Kansas. The journey out there was very pleasant. It was nice to stay overnight on the road, instead of drive it all in one day. We had a great time visiting my family, playing games, eating (of course), watching movies, talking, and opening Christmas presents, since we won't be able to travel out there for Christmas this year. Perhaps I will be ambitious next week and put some pictures on here. We also got to see quite a bit of snow for the first time this year. Thankfully we just had to drive in rain on the way home and no snow.

The journey back seemed to really wipe me out, even though we did stop for the night again. I feel sort of dazed this morning and could certainly use a long nap!

This week is busy! The vocal recital is Friday night and so I have "dress" rehearsal tonight and tomorrow night. I hope all my students are ready to go. I am looking forward to the recital and I really do love teaching voice but I must admit that I will be very glad to have a rest. I'm tired! A and I have been looking forward to December and January for some time now, as we don't have any extra stuff going on, except for work. Our birth class ended last night (it was so good!) and lessons will be over this week. I'm looking forward to decorating our house and just enjoying some down time!

I'd better get started on work!

Midwife Appointment

I had my 28 week (7 month) midwife appointment today. It was the first time for me at this new practice. I was glad that A got to go with me. Anyway, I was impressed with the staff and felt comfortable there. Everyone was friendly. There is not really much to report, except my appointments have now gone to every two weeks. Anyway, we just did the usual stuff in my appointment, family health history, my history, measured my belly, and listened to the baby's heartbeat. She had to stick the dopplar right into my belly button to find the heartbeat! :) I then had my Rh- injection. I didn't even really feel it.

I should have prepared some questions for the midwife, but I already felt like I was in good hands because of they deliver at the birth center, and are some of the only ones to do water births. We talked a little bit about that. I told her that I had never thought about having one before but had wanted to keep my options open, just in case, and she thought that would be a good idea. I have no idea how I will feel that day. We also talked a little bit about what happens if I have to go to the regular L&D floor. She said that she has still witnessed some wonderful natural births in the L&D floor. The nursing care is different, but they still have to follow your signed birth plan, and the practitioners are the same.

She encouraged me to stay in the Brewer diet (high protein) but also encouraged me to add in more vegetables (yes, I don't eat many). She also said to make a goal of drinking 1 gallon of water per day. I'm not getting anywhere near that, so I'll have to make more of an effort in that area.

A and I navigated a little easier around this massive hospital this time, which also puts my mind at ease for when we go there for the birth.

Last week

Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I have just been very busy at work! My job here is so interesting. Some weeks I could only work part-time and be ok, but there are others where 40 hours just doesn't cover everything I need to do. Those weeks are increasing in number! I'm beginning to feel a little backed up against my maternity leave and I just have to remember that I still have January (December is too busy) left to prepare stuff for a sub.

I have felt pretty good this week. That means that I also got quite a bit done. Besides the usual voice lessons, cooking, cleaning, and working on Monday and Tuesday, I also got some detailed cleaning done, like the stove and the sink. If only they would stay clean. Then on Wednesday night, I actually got the whole master bedroom ceiling primed. In an effort not to get overly tired, I decided to set a timer and only work for one hour. Well, I wasn't even rushing and got it done in an hour. I'm ready to get done with the upstairs, so I'm sure I will do more painting this weekend. All the ceilings either need paint, touch-up, or a second coat. The baby's room needs a second coat of paint on the walls. It's starting to look pretty nice up there. Then last night, A and I went to see Camelot in Cincinnati. It was very good and we really enjoyed going out together. A's mom got us the tickets (for free) to that made it especially nice!!! :)

I think the only thing going on tonight is dinner and a movie. I feel like I should be painting something, but perhaps I will just take a day off. I told you that I find the work/rest balance thing very difficult. It seems to be all or nothing. I'm looking forward to getting some rest during our trip to Kansas for Thanksgiving.

Anyway, I have a midwife/doctor's appointment on Monday, so I'm sure I will update about that!

I passed

I feel like I just passed an exam in college or something. I passed my glucose test with flying colors. I "scored" a 113 and anything below 135 (I've read 140) is considered "normal". I also had good results on my other blood work (no anemia, blood counts look good etc). I'm so thankful to be healthy!

Early to Bed

We were all cozy watching a movie last night, and I just couldn't concentrate on it. My feet were cold and I just felt uncomfortable. So, I decided to take a bath and go to bed. The funny thing was that this was at 8:00 pm!! I didn't actually fall asleep until 9:00 pm, but still that's CRAZY!! 9 hours of sleep (I get up around 6:15 am)! I do feel very good today. Hmm, perhaps I need to do this more often, even though I like to stay up later.

Tonight is our last night of small group until after the holidays. :( I like getting together with my friends but I will enjoy being a bit less busy.

My goal for Saturday is to paint something! I have procrastinated way too long. The dresser/changing table needs one more coat of paint and new hardware, the upstairs bedroom needs painted, and now I have another great dresser that I'm going to paint (and new hardware). I feel like I need to do something! The most important is probably the upstairs painting, so I'll try to do some of that. Unfortunately, the ceiling needs primed and that's why I'm procrastinating! I'm not a fan of ceiling painting. I think I can motivate myself to do it if I set a time limit, say 30 minutes of ceiling painting only. I could easily get it done in a few days, if I did this.

I really am enjoying this sleep thing today. I feel like I have so much energy and I've been very productive at work. I can concentrate! I'd better enjoy it and sleep while I can! :) :) :)

Test

My test went just fine. I haven't gotten the results yet but I will tomorrow or Friday.

I actually had to have blood drawn twice! I was up and ready to leave when the nurse called me back again and said she forgot to draw enough for a second Rh factor test. It was fine really. The tape seemed to hurt worse than the needle prick. I've never had skin reactions before but that tape really irritated and now my deodorant (natural stuff) has irritated my skin. Pregnancy does weird things!!!

I can't believe there are only two weeks until Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family!

I agree

I completely agree with this blogger's post about the TV strike! It probably won't make much of a difference to us. The only TV I really watch it Dancing with the Stars and I usually miss 1/2 of each episode due to voice lessons. I try to catch what I missed online (full episodes are available).

http://thesimplefamily.com/?p=47

I've been prepping for my test today (I want to pass this SOOOO bad). I had a high protein supper, lots of water, and eggs and turkey bacon for breafast. I brought two hard boiled eggs and cheese with me to work, which I will eat right before I drink the dreaded drink.

Punching

My ribs have suddenly become a punching bag for our girl (we're calling her Toddweina for now, it's a long story). Most of the time it is just ticklish for me but there beginning to hurt a bit. The funny thing is, I love it! I just have to stretch out a little more, so she can have more room!

In other baby news, I have my glucose test tomorrow. Since I'm not a fan of having my blood drawn, I'm not looking forward to this. Yuck! Oh well, better to get it over with. We have our next appointment in two weeks from today. I'm looking forward to meeting the people in this new practice since they came to highly recommended.

I can't believe that we're headed to Kansas to see my family in just two weeks!! Yeah!!

Ok, I'd better start on these piles on my desk. We have so many new projects in November and December. I hope I can get everything done!

Being Noticed!

I had my first pregnancy comment (by a total stranger) today. The Target checkout lady asked me when I was due. I was a little shocked, since I'd never been asked before. :) I feel like I'm showing but I feel like I'm still in that stage where people will look at me and think "hmm, is she pregnant or just really fat?" Perhaps that is why no one has asked or mentioned it before. He he! They're just not sure! :) I'm glad to hopefully be moving into the "pregnant-looking" stage!

98 days!

I do my best not to count down to things because it just seems to make the time go by more slowly! However, when I get excited about something, I just can't help myself! So yes, there are only 98 days until my due date! We have so much yet to do to fix up our house! I recently purchased some Charlie's soap. It's supposed to be the cleanest rinsing laundry soap available.

There are only 43 days until A is DONE with school completely. He just finished his last regular class and has to finish a six week seminar. If I am feeling this excited for him to be done with school, I can't imagine how he is feeling. He has been in school for 1/2 of our married life (almost) and the whole time we've lived in Ohio! He started the day before we moved here. I wonder what it will be like.

I had such a vivid (and terrible) dream last night that people at work were upset with me about not being here enough! I guess I'm just sensitive to trying to do a good job here and especially while I'm pregnant. I'm starting to feel the pressure of the holidays and of my impending maternity leave! Must get stuff done!

The hardest thing for me in this pregnancy so far is finding a balance between work/activity and rest. I tend to work work work until I can't anymore. I have never had so many colds in my life as I have had in the last four months. As yet another sore throat started last night, I thought to myself that perhaps I need to rest more and not worry about the rest (laundry, dishes, dusting, vaccuming, cooking, painting upstairs, painting baby's cabinet, painting trim, work, lessons, organizing, volunteering, etc). All of these things aren't as important as staying healthy but they are always nagging at my mind when I am resting! So, if you come to my house in the next few weeks, please remember that I'm trying to find a balance between work and rest so if you see dishes and dust (you're probably used to that already) excuse it for the time being. :) I'm trying not to get another cold!!

Our visit to Dayton

A and I went to visit the Birth Center last night. Wow! We were very impressed. From some of the things I had heard, I expected it to be more "downtown" ish but the hospital and the birth facility were both very nice! The birth center promotes and encourages everything we thought we would have to ask for (perhaps fight for) at our current practice and in a regular L&D setting. They promote eating and drinking in labor for hydration and only IV's if necessary; limited fetal monitoring with a doppler only; hydrotherapy, relaxation, birthing balls, and movement for pain management; the parents only attending baby for 2 hours after birth; immediate breastfeeding; etc. We were so impressed. She kept saying, "We expect the parents to be ready to care for the baby after birth" (no nursey), and we kept saying, "That's what we want!"

The facility is really great, too. They have a kitchen and living room common area and then three birthing "suites". Each suite has a queen sized bed (for both the mom and dad to use, no cots for the dad!), rocking chair, bassinet, flat screen TV, changing table, and hidden in the closet is any necessary medical equipment. Now, let me tell you about the bathroom! This place has my dream bathtub . . . in all three suites! It is about as deep as our upstairs bathtub, but is at least twice as wide and has jets! I must admit that I was daydreaming about it last night, because I love to take baths. The staff at the birth center will do anything you need them too. The nurse explained that they bake bread for the family, after the birth, will do any laundry you have, wash all the dishes, clean your rooms, etc.

The only drawbacks that we could see from choosing this place to deliver, is that you have to "qualify" to go there. In other words, you have to have a low-risk pregnancy (which I have been very low-risk, so far anyway) and you have to deliver between 37 and 42 weeks. If these things don't happen, then we will be taken to the regular L&D rooms in this hospital. I was nervous about this because I had heard that they weren't very good about natural birth there, but the nurse who gave us our tour said that if we let them know we were planning on the birth center or were transferred from the birth center, they really do everything they can to create a similar atmosphere. Also, we would still be attended by our doctor/midwives in either place. Also, the NICU is right around the corner, if needed.

So, I made an appointment with one of the recommended practices in Dayton that was one doctor and two midwives. I'm not that thrilled about driving up there for my appointments, but I guess I don't really have that many left! :) In the mean time, I'll still be doing my glucose and Rh- testing with my current clinic. When I'm done with that, then I will send all my info to my new practice. I'm so glad to have made this decision. We both LOVED the atmosphere and the confidence of the people in the birth center. I love that they will be there for additional support and I am so thankful that our insurance covers all of this! We truly are VERY blessed!

Choices!

Tomorrow night we're heading to Dayton to visit a birthing center (the only accredited one in Ohio). If we like it, then we'll choose a practitioner (probably a midwife) to see. I'm excited to find out what it's like. If I don't like it, I've got another doctor (recommended by our Bradley teacher) and a hospital in mind. I just hope he's accepting new patients.

I'm recovering from yet another cold. Thankfully, this one is pretty mild (not like the last one). I did take a sick day yesterday, just to rest and recover even though I did feel like doing a few things around the house (I washed our sheets and got caught up on the dishes). I feel like I'm on the mend now!

We are getting so close to being done with stuff!! I miss having time to just sit and read, without feeling like I need to be doing something else. Andrew has a week left in his current class and then he has another six weeks of graduate seminar, where he will review papers he has already written, and write one more to complete the coursework. I'm so excited for him to be done. I can't believe he made it through building a house, working, and homework at the same time! At least we're in our house now (still needs work upstairs!). Also in December, I will be done with voice lessons, our Bible study will take a break, and our birthing class will be over. I absolutely LOVE doing all of these things, but just having more time to take care of myself and the house will be a welcome relief for the brief two months before our girl arrives.

I'm off to have lunch now!

Appointment Update

Our six month check-up yesterday brought our some interesting things. The baby is doing just fine. I measured just right for the week I'm in (24 by the way), my blood pressure was 113/60 (average for me), and we heard the strong heartbeat of our girl. We decided to ask our doctor/practice some questions to see if they would be open to us having a unmedicated birth. Well, let's just say that they are not open to that!

The question and answer period did not start off well because the doctor opened with the statement that the baby's health was the most important thing here (implying that we weren't concerned with that at all, but just wanted things our way). We assured him that the health of the baby is our #1 priority. I asked if I could drink water during labor. He said NO and that I wouldn't feel like it. I felt like asking him when the last time was that he had a baby, but I held my tongue. I was just shocked that you could be refused something so simple as water. He said that I could have ice chips and perhaps some of those would melt so I could have water. Ok then!

I went on to ask about monitoring and IV's during labor. According to him, I must be monitored at all times and have an IV (I'm agreeing to a heplock, so if I am in need of an IV, they can just hook up the tubes). So, I won't be able to move around or use a shower or bath for pain relief. I was also uncomfortable with this practice because they have six doctors and two midwives and you can get anyone of them for your labor/birth, so it's like getting a doctor you may have seen once.

Needless to say, we talked about it last night and think it is in our family's best interest to switch practices. I have been busy looking into some different options. We have received recommendations from our Bradley instructor, so we are looking into those. This is a scary move for me. I feel the need to do this soon, as we have several things coming up, such as our glucose testing and my Rh- injection.

I'm so thankful to have a very (very) supportive husband and family. My mom has even been busy looking up other options for me. I told Andrew last night how great it is to have a family that is so supportive. It would really stink for me to be telling my mom all about this and have her say "Are you crazy? You can't do that." So . . . thanks Mom and everyone else for the wonderful support in these decisions! It really does make all this doable! :)

Pictures . . . Finally!

Ok, I know that ultrasound pictures are usually only exciting and emotional for the parents, but I thought I'd post them anyway. It's just an amazing experience to have that ultrasound wand on your belly and then see these images on the screen. We're pretty sure (Andrew's words) that he both saw and felt the baby move last night. It was so obvious to me, because the kicks were so hard. We'll count it! :)

Alien Baby! A picture of the head and part of the body.





Little Foot (unless she inherits Andrew's foot size, then she'll be big foot)

I'm a GIRL! Ok, I did post this on the internet! :) You can see her little legs and feet angleing off to the left and girl parts where the legs meet!

Less Alien looking shot of the whole baby!

I have my six month OB appointment tomorrow. It will be interesting. I have all of my "natural birth" questions prepared to ask. If they don't answer the way that we feel is best for us, we'll be looking for a more natural friendly doctor (or midwife)! Enjoy!

Yeah!

I finally slept last night. I only woke up once, which is still weird for me, but I'll take it! :)

I'm busy at work, preparing an office manual for my sub during maternity leave. It's becoming quite extensive! I hope it doesn't make me easily replaceable! :)

Sleep!

My baby has been keeping me awake at night! I'm not talking about the little one pound baby in my tummy but my big baby that sleeps next to me every night. Andrew has always had a difficult time sleeping. So far in our married lives, this has rarely bothered me. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper so I can sleep through him coming to bed late, tossing and turning, etc, but the last two nights have been different. I feel as if I am barely getting to sleep, or just hovering right under sleep! Perhaps my body is training me to be a lighter sleeper for when the baby comes but it sure is annoying right now! I still keep waking up every time Andrew moves, even if he moves in his sleep! If you have any tips on getting a very nice deep sleep during pregnancy, let me know!

*Poor Andrew does feel bad that he's keeping me awake, but it's not his fault. He's just sleeping like he always does but it's affecting me differently for some reason.

Confidence!

I have briefly mentioned before that Andrew and I have been going to childbirth class on Sunday night (a 12 week course). I would like to explain a little more about what this is. We're planning to have a natural Bradley method birth. Of course, we realize that the health and safety of the baby is the most important thing and if all goes well, we feel this is the best way to do this. Fortunately, the Bradley method is not about who can stand the most pain (if so, I would not be a good candidate) but it's about giving the mother adequate time and pain management tools to prepare for the birth. This means that I'm doing exercises (and exercising) every day, following a specific nutritional plan, and will be learning lots of breathing, relaxation, and position techniques to be used to manage labor pain. The main thing that this Bradley class has given me so far is the confidence to realize that I can do this, especially since I have time to prepare myself for it (that's one thing I'm good at . . . planning ahead).

I realize that this is not the normal way of doing things now (I think we heard that 97% of women in this area get epidurals) but it is something we want to do for the health of our baby, my health and recovery, and because we really want to be in control of the birth. Andrew is already a wonderful coach. He reminds me to do my exercises, he encourages me to eat right, and he is already helping me to relax. Our instructor has mentioned about how the coach needs to be a relaxation expert. I must say that I found that funny since I already think that Andrew is a very good relaxation expert!

I realize that by writing about this I am opening myself up to (intentionally helpful) comments. This is a decision that I have made and thankfully I have a very supportive coach and a supportive family to help me. I realize that I have not yet gone through the birth and therefore I may feel differently later. I realize that there will be significant pain but we believe the benefits will outweigh the pain. I also believe that God made our bodies to go through this process to give the mother and baby everything needed. If you want to know those little details that are so cool, I'd be glad to share what we're learning. We are really enjoying our class (we have a great teacher) and feel like this is the best plan for us and our baby girl (who shall not yet be named!)!

If you would like to read/know more, visit: http://www.bradleybirth.com/.

Hips!

It's been a while since I've written, so forgive me if this is boring. I'm very foggy and achy today. I believe the achy feeling is coming from my hips so I'm thankful that I have a chiro appointment tomorrow!

I also have the impatient feeling that I just want our baby girl to get here! I've read a couple of articles that this lull can come during the middle of this trimester (right where I'm at) so it's good to know that I'm perfectly normal in feeling this way. I definitely don't want her to come right now, as we still have so much to do to get ready but I'm ready to meet her! I was planning to paint a bit upstairs this weekend, so we could get going with that, but after mowing, doing all the laundry, cleaning, and furniture shopping, my weekend was spent. I hope I can get to it this weekend. It's a weird feeling to be so busy (I'm trying to find time to walk a little each day) yet so mentally bored or eager. I'm not sure what the feeling is. I'm certainly enjoying all of my baby books. Right now I'm finishing up "No-fear guide for first-time parents" and just starting "Husband-coached childbirth" which is recommended from our birth class instructor. If you didn't realize it before, I like to be well-prepared for anything!

I've been on this new pregnancy diet (Brewer, for those of you who know natural) and it focuses on protein consumption for building healthy brain and muscle. I'm also adding a bit more calcium to my prenatal vitamin. This morning for breakfast I had two eggs, two pieces of turkey bacon, a 1/2 grapefruit (yummy!), a piece of toast with peanut butter, and a glass of milk. All of this added up to a whopping 30 grams of protein! It was a lot to eat but it will help me to do better if I get a good start like this. We're supposed to get about 100 grams of protein per day. I got into the 90's last week but also had a couple of 40 days. Thankfully one of my favorite treats is a tablespoon of peanut butter and a cup of milk. We've been buying organic on as much stuff as we can lately and still staying within our grocery budget!

Ok, I guess I was able to write a long post, perhaps my Red Raspberry Leaf Tea helped. I'll try to remember to post the ultrasound pictures on here sometime soon.