We had a baby!

I opened my computer 4 or 5 days after Gus made his arrival to find the beginnings of a post that I was writing while we were in the hospital.  I was writing it to keep myself distracted from the pain of contractions.  Here’s what I had:

“Since we last spoke…

I took myself up on the bath. Ryan got it ready for me and I did my best to relax in there for about an hour. Ryan got some things cleaned up and showered then we went up to Mesa Cafe to get some breakfast before we came to the hospital. We had packed all out our stuff and took it with us so that we could go straight to the hospital.

So here we are now, in the hospital and all hooked up. When we got here this morning there was no one else here so we got the “best room” and all kinds of love.

I was feeling more discomfort than I was interested in so I asked for an epidural. That was easier than I thought it would be and honestly, the worst part about it is the catheter. But that just got placed so I’m hoping it will calm down.

My contractions had been coming every 4 minutes before the epidural and have since slowed down to about every eight minutes, but my doc said she’d swing by around lunchtime (any time now) and break my water. Hopefully that will do the trick to get the pace picked back up.

For now we are just hanging out and waiting. More waiting. It does look like my parents will be here in plenty of time for the big show.

I’m getting nervous about pushing. Glad I got the epidural.”

 

Well once I got the epidural the contractions all but stopped.  My doc came and broke my water and after an hour of still nothing much happening, my doc requested I be hooked up to pitocin.  Well my nurse didn’t think I’d need much so she started me on the lowest dose.  After a bit she upped it then went on a break.  The other nurse came in after a while and found that the clamp on the pitocin drip hadn’t been unlocked so I hadn’t been getting any pitocin.  She unlocked it and it finally reached me about the time my regular nurse came back to check me.  I was fully dilated.  She encouraged me to allow my body to just labor for a while and do its thing to work baby down rather than wear me out by having me push.

This worked okay for a while, but there was a window in my abdomen where the epidural hadn’t reached.  After enduring it for a while (as it continued to get worse) I asked if we could ask the anesthesiologist to try to adjust it.  She was great and came really quickly but was unable to get the drugs to hit that spot, so I was stuck dealing with the pain.  May I just say, power to the women who do it completely naturally.  That was an uncomfort I just had no interest in.  Our nurse came in and checked on me and when she saw that the adjustment in my epidural hadn’t made a difference, she had me try a practice push to see if it was worth having me start pushing or whether it was better to let my body do it’s thing and just suffer the pain.  She told me I was a great pusher and after 15 minutes or so of pushing through contractions she called my doc and had her come on down.

I pushed for a total of a little over an hour.  Once he got down far enough that it was just a matter of getting his head out my doc massaged and I pushed and we tried really hard to get him out.  Ultimately my doc gave me a tiny little snip which was just the ticket to get his head out on the next push.  Ryan was there with gloves on to play catcher.  He helped turn the baby’s head and tilt him this way and that (as per the doctors instructions) and pull him out.  Once his shoulders were out I was invited to reach down and help pull him out and up to me as well.

Once out they look for a nice big screech to indicate he got a nice big breath.  He did not oblige so once they got the cord cut they took him to the baby workshop station thing on the other side of the room to help him along.  It turned out he swallowed all kinds of amniotic fluid on the way out and his stomach was so full that his little lungs didn’t have space to fill up.  They suctioned out his stomach and nose and lungs and after lots of rubbing and stimulation (and after he peed all over the nurse) they finally got him squawking at which point they gave him back to me.

He was swollen, smelly (amniotic fluid smells weird) and really red but he was mine and snuggly and he seemed to like me, so we decided to keep him.

Looking back (and even in the moment) the whole thing was really mellow.  It was damn near the ideal situation.  My parents made it.  Both parents had cameras out and got some amazing pictures and video.  Ryan was so much fun to watch.  I kept finding myself looking at him while I pushed and trying not to laugh at his facial expressions.  He just looked so silly happy and amazed.  He was cute.  It was really special to have everyone there.  They were great company and support.

He weighed in at 7lbs 7oz, was 20.75inches long.  When we left the hospital he had only lost 6oz.

He has gotten cuter and cuter every day since.

More to come.

 

Cervix watch 2013

Doctors appointment this morning and we had a non stress test. They put me in a comfy lazy boy recliner and hooked me up to two monitors. One was to chart his heartbeat, the other was to chart my contractions. Things apparently looked good there. Here’s a picture:

The first picture is of me hooked up to the monitors. The second is the printout of what was being monitored. His heart rate is the line on the left, my contractions (or lack thereof) are the line on the right. His real time heart rate is the number showed on the monitor.
After about twenty minutes they unhooked us and we went off to get a cervical check. I made it all the way to a solid three centimeters and 80% effaced. Progress!
They won’t let Gus stay in there any longer than 42 weeks. This means that we have scheduled an induction for late Sunday night. We are hoping (obviously) to get things moving on our own before then. In this vein we had our doc strip my membranes when she was all done with her cervical check. This results in labor within 48hours in 40% of cases. For some, it can be done multiple times and result in nothing. For us it made sense to give this a go before we are forced into a medicinal induction.
So there we are. We shall see.

Cervix watch 2013

Cervix check round two and nothing has changed since last week.
We were given the option to induce if we chose but I think we will hold off and see how our next appointment goes on his due date.
I wish I had had a camera when she told us we could have him on Friday if we wanted. I looked over at Ryan and his eyes were huge!!! Our doc laughed and said “you look like you need a reminder that she’s not going to stay pregnant. This will end in a baby. Sooner than later.”
I think he was just surprised at getting the option of picking a date.
Anyway, we’ll keep waiting and working. I will try to keep reminding myself that I will likely be at the same point in a week. No hopes up.
I figure if four games of bowling last night didn’t move anything along, nothing probably will.

39 weeks. Are we there yet?

How far along? 39 weeks.  6 days.  Whatever that means.
Baby is the size of an: Still say watermelon. I think he stays watermelon sized till he comes out.
Total weight gain: 25.5lbs.  I gained 2.5 pounds this last week! Damn birthday sweets! 🙂
Gender: Boy!
Name: Augustus Gordon Berry. Gus, Gus-Gus, Zen and Gordy are all acceptable nicknames.
Stretch marks? No stretch marks, but I do have a beautiful henna design across my belly now!

Have you started to show yet: I pretty much think I look the same.

Maternity clothes? Nothing new. I’m just stretching out what I’ve got.

Movement: Still smooshing. Still hiccups. Good baby keeping his mama sane.
Best moment this week: Daddy came to visit! Birthday! waking up to Ryan working hard and making phone calls trying to figure out how to get the damn car seat installed correctly! Henna! Pedicure! Hairstyle! Tulips! One Week closer to meeting my little happy feet!

Worst moment of the week: At some point, for some reason, we (Ryan and I) had a fight.  Neither of us remember when or why, but at the time, we both remember that he said “you know each week when you write your blog and ask me what your worst moment this week was? This is it!”  

Miss Anything: Easy movements, not waiting, knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow, the other half of my closet.
Belly button in or out? Still pokes out, but getting flatter.
Food cravings: Sweets!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Blood sugar issues.  But that’s par for the course for me and I try to avoid those when possible.
Labor Signs: I can feel my pelvic bones coming apart (they are supposed to). I was woken up 3 or 4 times last night with contractions that are more painful than before.  Still nothing regular though.  I’ll have a few days for feeling normal, then a few days of feeling like it’s gonna happen any minute.  I have been told that I’m looking for consistency.
Symptoms: Contractions, swelling/ really sore hands and feet, sore hips (mostly just after I have been laying in bed all night, heartburn.  Yep, same as last week.
Upcoming appointments/events: Tomorrow I have another appointment with the doc.  I assume she’ll be continuing to check my cervix for dilation.  You’ll have another cervix update after that.
Happy or Moody most of the time: He’s out in the car attempting car seat installation so I can’t ask Ryan. I would say it was a fairly moody first half of the week, and a pretty happy second half.  We have had our squabbles, but we have been pretty good about getting past them.

Sleep:(I have no idea where this prompt went) sleep has been interrupted by heartburn, but I’m not having too hard a time falling asleep or back to sleep.

Looking forward to: The real deal!!!

Cervix watch 2013

An update from my doc today:
My body is doing good work. The few crampy contractions I have had, have gotten us to a 2.5-3cm dilation. I’m still “hard” I’m taking that to mean that I’m 0%effaced.
It’s hard to like my doc as much as I do. We always get to chatting then I forget to ask questions. I’m doing a double back today to drop off my short term disability paperwork that I need to have her fill out.
Next update from her will come a week from today. Unless of course something exciting happens between now and then. Fingers crossed something does or that we make some progress but then.

37 weeks. Full Term!

How far along? 37 weeks.  You should see the look on my customers faces when I tell them I only have 3 weeks left.  Lots of double takes.
Baby is the size of an: Still say watermelon.  I think he stays watermelon sized till he comes out.
Total weight gain: 23+lbs total.  I’m about the be the heaviest I have ever been.  (side note, I weigh myself on my wii.  After I was done today Ryan wanted to know how he was doing in the weight category.  The wii is funny and wants to have a little conversation before it gets down to business.  It first asked Ryan what he thought of MY posture lately (he said it was the same).  Then it asked if he thought he was paying enough attention to me lately.  Seriously.  I don’t know what I was thinking not taking a picture of the screen.
Gender: Boy!
Name: Augustus Gordon Berry. Gus, Gus-Gus, Zen and Gordy are all acceptable nicknames.
Stretch marks? Still none.  Ryan learned a massage technique from a physical therapist friend of ours to help the linae alabe keep from splitting.  It’s the muscle? the runs between the two sides of your ab muscles keeping them connected.  It get stretched (obviously) during pregnancy and can even tear.  If it does, the muscles don’t ever really come back together very well and the only thing that can repair it is surgery.  It’s not a big deal, just an aesthetic, but whatever we can do to help this little body bounce back, why not do it?  Plus, it’s easy and requires lotion so we just incorporate it into the lotioning of the belly procedure.

Have you started to show yet: I still don’t think that he is dropping visually, but physically it feels like he is.  I can breathe easier (still not like I could pre parasite, but a little better) and the heartburn seems to have almost completely subsided.  I feel like I hang out the bottom of my shirts a little more than I did too.

Maternity clothes? Nothing new.  I’m just stretching out what I’ve got.

Movement: Still lots of smooshing.  He’s a good baby making sure his mama doesn’t worry about his well-being in there.  He has been waking up with the hiccups a lot too.  Just in the morning, or at least that’s when I notice them.  He’s gotten strong enough that if he’s positioned right (and I’m slouching enough) his kicks into my ribs can hurt!
Best moment this week: All of my good moments this week have been overshadowed by the fact that I have had a cold all week.  It’s been pretty annoying and has been killing my sleep.  I think it’s starting to get a little better (didn’t wake me up as many times last night) But now, due to the lack of sleep and all the nose blowing, I’m getting a sore just under my nose.  😦

We did find a meet our new pediatrician! We met with him early on Friday morning.  He is the same guy that our two closest friends with kids use and we both really liked him too.

Worst moment of the week: Last night was pretty bad.  I was tired, bored and in a fair amount of pain all night at work.  I was having period like cramps pretty much the whole time I was there that would not go away when I took Tylenol.  It was not my best night and I’m glad today is my Friday.

Miss Anything: RIght now I miss sleep.  I miss being able to lay down without my sinuses filling up.  I miss waking up feeling healthy.
Belly button in or out? Still pokes out, but getting flatter.
Food cravings: Still sweets.  I have been trying to limit my sweets to better for me options, like my dessert every night is greek vanilla yogurt with strawberries and granola.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The contractions combined with the changes in blood pressure that seems to come with them make my head swirl a little.
Labor Signs: I had my first real painful contraction 2 nights ago.  It wasn’t horrendous, but it hurt and changing positions did nothing to alleviate the pain.  It only lasted 40 seconds or so, and it only happened once.
Symptoms: Lots of braxton hicks, cramps, blood pressure spikes, mild swelling, no more pretending I can sleep on my stomach etc…
Upcoming appointments/events: We are now into the once a week territory for appointments.  I have one tomorrow (with a midwife as my OB will be out of the office for the day, I think it might be cool to get perspective from someone new) and each Tuesday until I deliver.
Happy or Moody most of the time: “Ooooohh… I’d say you were happy.  You have to throw in the cold there though.  I’d say if there was a week that was your hardest, it was this week.” -Ryan

I tend to agree.
Looking forward to: I’m excited for my birthday celebrations.  I’m excited to have the next three days off.  I’m excited to meet the little happy feet that keep playing with me.  I’m excited that I have such an awesome big sister who did a bunch of shopping for us so now we will have all of our necessary items (they are coming in the mail).  I wish I could be the photographer at my own delivery as I’d really like nice pictures of the occasion (perhaps my dad will read this and not only make it in time, but rise to the occasion of official photographer. No flash please)

This and that

Is this a sore throat that is the beginning of a cold? Or did I just continuously (and very unlike me) find myself into a position that had be snoring.  I originally thought a cold, but at this point I’m thinking I was snoring.  Either way, the hot coffee on it feels pretty amazing.

My Doctors appointment yesterday was good.  Pretty standard like all the rest.  Still a good heart rate for Gus, good blood pressure for me (despite the occasional spike in blood pressure I feel when I rest). Good weight gain.  All good and she said all of my aches and pains are totally normal.

I really need to focus some energy today on getting my hospital bag packed.  I have managed to get the pants I want to have with me washed, but that’s as far as I have made it.

I also want to work on a trunk basket that has all of the essentials of toting a baby.  Of course I have a diaper bag, but rather than keeping it stuffed to the gills with anything and everything I could possibly need, then having it to lug it around everywhere, it would be nice to keep all of the lesser used items (a change of clothes for the parents, backup diapers/wipes, a change of clothes for the kid, etc..) in a basket in the trunk of my car (I’ll probably make one for Ryan too) so that I have it there with me/us, but I’m not having to carry all of it in to every establishment I visit.  I even found a basket which will be perfect for the job.

Another on my list of things to do is to practice installing the car seat.  I’m sure Ryan will still say it’s too early, but I think it will be good to be more comfortable with it and with getting it right.  Plus, I almost never use my back seat and the damn thing is just rolling around in my trunk.  Why not give it a shot?

I got a call this morning from my all time favorite regular.  He had gotten a call from a friend of his (another regular I used to have who I ran into yesterday) who let him know that I’m pregnant.  So he called very excited and wanting to spread the joy.  I love him and miss him so much.  He stopped drinking about 3 years ago and I haven’t seen him much since (plus I switched jobs) I totally respect him for quitting and completely understand why he doen’t like hanging around there anymore, I miss him though.

I don’t believe I have anything else to write.

36 weeks. The month long countdown begins!

How far along? 36 weeks.  Now it’s starting to feel like it’s gonna take forever.
Baby is the size of an: Some say as big as a watermelon! I say basketball.
Total weight gain: 22+lbs overall.  I’m no longer worrying about weight.
Gender: Boy!
Name: Augustus Gordon Berry. Gus, Gus-Gus, Zen and Gordy are all acceptable nicknames.
Stretch marks? Still none.  Still itchy. Still plenty of time for them to come.

Have you started to show yet: I have been told twice (three times?) this last week that I look like I am carrying lower.  It’s not a difference I have noticed visually, and I don’t think he has “dropped” all the way, but I may be a bit lower.  The last few nights the reflux hasn’t been quite as bad, and I have been able to breathe a bit easier.  Still run out of breath, but it doesn’t seem like it happens as easily.

Maternity clothes? Nope.  Making do with what I’ve got.  I am at the end of being able to use my normal size small t-shirts though.  Too tight on the bump.

Movement: He smooshes around a lot.  Like a lot.  Seems like he is smooshing more than he is sleeping.  I wish I knew what he was doing in there.  Still no big acrobatics like changing positions altogether (he has been in the same spot for weeks and weeks) but he stretches out a lot.  The other night I was laying in bed and he did a full body stretch.  Picture laying on your side in the fetal position, then push out to straighten your body.  That’s what he did.  I could feel and see his shoulders down by my left hip and his feet up near my right ribs.  He held it there for probably 10 seconds, then let himself slowly curl back into fetal position.  It’s kinds cool to be able to know what he’s doing when he makes those movements.
Best moment this week: I finally found a comfortable position on the couch! One I can even sleep in a little propped upright (so I could sleep right after a meal if I wanted/ was really tired!)  I have mentioned hating this couch once or twice, and it was nice to finally figure out how I can sit on it without hating life.

Also, being done in the bar has been wonderful.  I have felt so much better physically.  No more back pain, no more sciatic pain.  I have joint and feet pain now, but that’s not really work related, just where I’m at.

Worst moment of the week: Anytime Ryan and I don’t see eye to eye.  We had one of those moments this week and it brought me to tears (I held it together till he was out of the room.  I hate wining an argument just because I cried.  I want to win cuz I’m right, not because I’m emotional).  I did manage to pull it together and we reeled his frustrations in enough that we could talk it out like grownups and be happy with each other again.

Miss Anything: I miss being able to eat whatever whenever without having to worry about heartburn.  It has gotten a little better the last few nights (this may just be due to the fact that I have been watching what/when I eat though) I miss sleeping fully on my stomach. (It’s getting harder and harder for me to pretend it’s comfortable)
Belly button in or out? Out unless I’m having a contraction, then it flattens and the whole area gets sort of concave.
Food cravings: Sweets almost always sound good.
Anything making you queasy or sick: If I sit in a position too long where I am hunched or twisted, I will start to feel crappy.
Labor Signs: Stronger ans stronger braxton hicks.  At least once a night I’ll get one that sends my blood pressure up too.  I have also been noticing that once I lay down or in the middle of the night, I’ll often get what feels like the beginning of a real contraction.  More crampy and moving to the pain side of uncomfortable.
Symptoms: Swelling is happening.  Not bad at all, but in my fingers, feet and calves.  I don’t think anyone would notice it by examining my extremities, i just notice that I can’t get my ring off, my pants are tight (where the weren’t before) on my calves, and my toes don’t look so anorexic.
Upcoming appointments/events: Tomorrow we have an appointment.  She said she’ll be doing a strep B test.  Not sure what else she has planned or when we will be switching to weekly appointments rather than bi-weekly.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Rya says happy, a little less so than before though.  To be expected.
Looking forward to: Baby, birthday, a bath perhaps!

35 week update! Are we there yet?!?!

How far along? 35 weeks.  this means when people ask how much time I have left, I can now tell them 4 weeks and 6 days
Baby is the size of an: A honeydew melon.  5.5 lbs.  Both ultrasounds I had last week said the same thing, just over 5lbs.  Right on track.  Based on the measurements they did, he came in at one day under his due date.  No more worrying about weight.
Total weight gain: Speaking of weight.  This last week my scale says I gained 2lbs.  I feel that for sure.  I’m getting much bigger.  Still cute, but noticeably bigger.  So I’m up a total of 21lbs.
Gender: Boy!
Name: Augustus Gordon Berry
Stretch marks? Still none but the last few days I have been noticing that my belly has been fairly itchy.  This is a sign of dry skin, stretching, and ultimately stretch marks.  Hopefully the extra coconut oil I have been slathering on helps.  I’m still trying to drink lots of water to help avoid this from the inside too.

Have you started to show yet: Last night Ryan noted that my hips are surely widening (this was proven when I tried to put on a pair of maternity pants the other day and couldn’t get them past my hips.  And he says I am developing little love handles.  Still, if one didn’t know I was pregnant and was looking at me from behind, they’d have no idea.  

Maternity clothes? Nothing new still.  The weather has been nice though so it has been fun to break into some of my warm weather clothing to see what fits.  I still have enough.

Movement: Pretty much the same.  I feel more jabs around my bladder than before.  I know his head is down there, and he has often had a hand down by his head too.  I think him trying to stretch out is what does it.  That kind of pain is the worst when I sit upright (rather than stand of recline) but it’s not exclusive to sitting.  It’s also not a horrendous pain, more uncomfortable.  Same as his little feet in my ribs.  Uncomfortable.  PLus, when they are in my ribs I can’t poke them back, and really, what the fun in that?
Best moment this week: Ultrasounds! We had 2 this week.  This first was with the pro to check and make sure that Gus was growing appropriately.  All was well and we got visual confirmation that he is in fact a boy!

The second ultrasounds came from me donating my and Gus’s bodies to science. (higher learning) A friend of mine is in the ultrasound program at our local city college.  She asked if I would be willing to come in and let her (small) class learn about OB ultrasounds on us.  Seeing as ultrasounds are harmless (if not a bit annoying for baby) I decided that the contribution we could make to higher learning was important so we said yes.  We went in on Friday afternoon and all the class oood and ahhhhd as (most of them) saw their first OB ultrasound.  It helps that this is one cute baby.  It ended up being really educational for me too! As the instructor worked her way up and down and across my abdomen, she was telling the class (and me) about all the things we were seeing, how and why to do all the different measurements, and the things (read problems) she was looking for (there were none, and she assured me after each one she listed that might show up, that we were experiencing none).  I have read so much during this pregnancy about all the different tests and problems that can arise during a pregnancy, again, thankfully we really haven’t encountered any, but while we are in at each of our appointments, I either forget to ask about them or figure they will tell me if something is of concern.  Well at this ultrasound it seemed like she addressed all of them.  It was really neat to get a more in-depth look at what’s going on in there and how these things work.

I had a nice talk with Gus afterwards thanking him for being so good and letting us all learn on him.  I told him that future mamas and babies will benefit from us having done that because those students all learned so much.  I apologized for any discomfort he felt being poked at and if he could hear or feel the sound waves.

Also, my last night in the bar!  I have been miserable and trying to get out from behind the bar for weeks now.  Saturday night was officially my last night in there (with the exception of one training shift, but I don’t count that because I can do all of my training from outside the bar).  FInally I’m done! I’m really glad to have made the transition to working on the floor.  It’s so so so much easier on my little body.  It’s also nice to have a change in my schedule and daily activities.

Worst moment of the week: The damn sewing machine not doing what I want it to, and eating my hands in the process.  I got a big stash of used bumgenius diapers (25 covers plus all the inserts and then some for $40) The velcro is pretty much shot all almost all of them, but the company makes a little refresher kit with new velcro and elastic. $1 a kit including shipping.  So I ordered 12 to see how it would go, broke out the sewing machine and more or less fell on my face.  It’s kinda hard sewing through velcro.  Ry and I both gave it a shot, then we decided to forget the velcro and convert all the diapers to snaps instead.  I have spent the better part of the last week removing all the velcros (done) and I will start on replacing the elastic (by hand, the sewing machine on that tiny detail seems silly and is really awkward) while I wait for the snaps I ordered to get here.  Hopefully that process will go much more smoothly.
Miss Anything: Late night snacks! I have had to cut them out due to heartburn.  Miss easy movements (getting up and down/ out of bed easily)
Belly button in or out?MOstly out and starting to flatten more.
Food cravings: Still nothing weird.  Not much in the way of gotta have it cravings.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Sitting is still the only thing that really does it.  I have finally found a position that works on our couch to keep me feeling pretty okay.
Labor Signs: The occasional BH contraction. Still nothing new or exciting here.  They do seem to be getting stronger when they do come though. Harder tummy.
Symptoms: I have had the occasional hormonal moment (no more tears though).  Hips are sore when I have been laying for a while, heartburn!, super super mild swelling (no one would be able to tell by looking at me, I can just tell with how things like my clothes  and rings fit)
Upcoming appointments/events: Doc on the 19th.  That’s it!  It’s smooth sailing.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Ryan says without missing a beat, happy.  The moods are there, but I agree with him.  Happy.
Looking forward to: Birth?!?!?!?!

34 weeks. Holy Crap!

How far along? 34 weeks.
Baby is the size of an: A large cantaloupe.  Baby should weigh in around 5.5lbs.  We will find out come Wednesday.
Total weight gain: I’m scared of my doc tomorrow.  In the last week I have gained only .2lbs.  So I’m up a total of just over 19lbs.  Here’s the thing though, i was actually trying this week to gain a little extra weight! I did cut out all the cookies and candy and crap I had been eating and reverted back to nuts and whatnot. ( my new go to dessert when I need something sweet is vanilla greek yogurt with granola, shaved almonds and half a banana)  Now I’m feeling like I also need the reassurance that he is growing just fine.  Wednesday can’t come soon enough.  He still feels good in there, and I certainly look like I have gained weight!  Maybe this is just what my body does pregnant, which is fine, I’d just like it to be medically declared so.
Gender: Boy!
Name: Augustus Gordon Berry
Stretch marks? I’m excited that I may end up with none.  We aren’t to the end yet though, and there is still the my milk came in too fast boob stretch marks to look out for.
Sleep: It’s getting a little worse.  I think it’s mostly dues to my allergies though.  Stupid crappy time of year with restless legs which are apparently made worse by Benadryl.  It’s still not awful.  I have just been doing a little more tossing and turning.

Have you started to show yet: Ryan says I still don’t look like i’m showing from behind, though he says I am starting to get a little bit of love handle action. (probably my intestines or something being smooshed out of the way)

Maternity clothes? No money to shop. Nothing new.

Movement: Same as last week.  I found the other night while I was at work that he kicked out his little foot and left it there, for like 2 hours!  Normally when I play with it he’ll move it back in, but it wasn’t until I peed that he unstretched and cozied back in.  OKay, I get it.  You need your space.  Sorry little parasite that my bladder got in your way.
Best moment this week: Lots of little productive moments have been fun.  Seeing Gus’s room coming together is fun.
Worst moment of the week: Ryan came to work to bring me dinner one night this week.  I asked for what I wanted very specifically and while he was doing me a favor which I appreciate, he messed it up.  The hormones were in town that night and I totally started crying.  Aware of how dumb it was, but unable to stop the tears.
Miss Anything: Still missing the clean house.  My dad is coming to visit this weekend which is just the excuse we need to band together and whip this house into shape! Also, Benadryl.
Belly button in or out?It’s pretty much the same as it has been.
Food cravings: Still nothing weird.  Not much in the way of gotta have it cravings.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I get icky feelings when I have been sitting on the couch too long.  It forces bad posture or twisting or scrunching of some kind or another no matter what you do and after a while it makes me feel kind of queasy.
Labor Signs: The occasional BH contraction. Still nothing new or exciting here.  They do seem to be getting stronger when they do come though. Harder tummy.
Symptoms: I cried, I have been achy in some new spots, I have been getting queasy (see 2 questions ago).  Nothing awful though.  I have been lucky.
Upcoming appointments/events: Doc tomorrow and ultrasound Wednesday.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I for sure have had a little more mood thrown in this week, but I think my general happiness has helped even it out.
Looking forward to: Wednesday to see the little guy and make sure he’s growing well.