38 weeks

We had an ultrasound today. She is approximately 7 pounds right now and looking fine. So, that means no change in my c-section date, still July 6th at 10:30 AM. Oh well, at least she is healthy and what-not.

I asked him if I could do anything about the crazy swelling and basically he said I could lie around in bed for a few days. Hmmm....right now, that doesn't sound so bad! I am guessing my activities over the next two weeks will be even lower key than they have been. Need to rest and keep hydrated here in the A/C.

37 weeks

I didn't gain any weight this week, which is fantastic seeing as I ate most of a pan of brownies last night. : ) Dr. Parrott hooked me to the fetal monitor thing again. She refused to move around any and he asked if she was moving at home. I said she, and hence I, were awake from 4 AM to 6:30 AM with her moving around, the kid was exhausted! He took a tape measure and zipped it quickly next to my belly so that the noise would startle her. She moved every time he did it so her hearing is apparently fine as well.

Next week, we are having an ultrasound as well as the fetal heart monitor thingie. Maybe he will see how ready she is to come out now and move my c-section date up...a girl can dream.

Oh, my guess for her height and weight: 8 lbs, 9 ozs, 21.5 inches long. Leave your estimate in the comments and I will give a prize to whomever comes the closest. I warn you, it will be a lame prize but a prize nonetheless.

36 weeks

This morning, I had my 36 week appointment. I gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks. Apparently, all that water in my hands and feet weighs quite a bit! They did the heart/stress test thing on Molly and she is just fine. Moves around a lot, apparently. Tell me something I didn't already know! So, she and I are still on track for a July 6th delivery date. I go back next Tuesday to do the whole thing again. It's weekly visits to Dr. P. from here on out.

Oh, I finally found our diaper bags. They were shoved in the bottom of the coat closet and came out looking rather yucky. I tossed them in the washing machine today so I could start packing them again in a few weeks. I can't believe I will be carrying around a diaper bag again! How insane! And, we need to install the car seat bases in our cars. Something else very weird to me. Not sure why because I have done this all before but it all seems weird again. I hope I remember how to care for an infant...

Behold....sausage woman....

I can no longer curl my fingers into a fist. That's right, my fingers are so swollen they won't make a proper fist. I guess this isn't really a big deal since I don't often go around punching people but I would like to have that option. The swelling has gotten to be quite an issue the past couple of days.

Yesterday, I got into our still filling pool and sat in freezing water for a little bit. It helped, it felt good. I got out and spent most of the rest of the day in my wet bathing suit. I didn't care that I left little water drops all around the house as I was cleaning, I was cool and comfortable! So, if you show up at my door and I am baking cookies in a wet bathing suit, you now know why!

The home stretch

My 34 week appointment was Tuesday. Molly and I both seem to be fine. The GD is well under control, I still don't have high readings, which is good. My weight gain this time around has been A LOT less than with Sam. Like about 50 pounds less so far!

I am constantly swollen right now. I guess it is a combo of the humidity and just being pregnant. I have sausage fingers and elephant ankles. Not comfortable or attractive. Still getting sick to the stomach but have come to accept that as a fact of life for the next few weeks. It will be weird to not wake up one day wondering whether or not I am going to need the trash can immediately.

I go back in two weeks and they will do a stress test on Molly because of the GD. That will be something new and interesting. Then, I start going to see Dr. Parrott every week until Molly comes out.

Bear with me a bit longer, dear friends. Psycho pregnant Tabitha is almost finished!

Begging and pleading

I tried. I tried to convince Dr. Parrott to take Molly out a week earlier than planned but he stubbornly refused. I used all sorts of debate tactics short of crying, I do have some dignity. So, she is officially scheduled with the hospital to arrive the morning of July 6th.

Other than my briefly humiliating begging scene, my appointment was fine, actually, a bit better than normal. I only have to stick myself once a day now and I actually lost 3 pounds. I guess removing all traces of sugar from one's diet is bound to have some sort of weight-loss effect even while pregnant. I am looking at this as a jump start on my post-baby weight loss program.

Sam came to this appointment with us today and she was rather disappointed herself that the baby just doesn't want to come out of mommy's tummy. I guess she thought we might leave with a baby. Trust me, Sam, mommy tried!

I am now starting to go every two weeks to see Dr. Parrott. My next appointment will be at 34 weeks.

Poking myself

The 3 hour glucose test was just as fun as I thought it would be. I also failed most of it so I officially have gestational diabetes. Sigh. I have to go see a diabetes person next week and learn about the evils of sugar and how to check my sugar four times a day. This doesn't make me a happy camper.

Sugar high

Apparently, my sugar screen came back high so now I have to go back for the extended test. This involves not eating for 12 hours, drinking the sugary stuff again, then having blood drawn every hour for three hours. I am so thrilled, I am beyond giddy with happiness at this news.

Turkey button

This is going to sound silly. Of all the things to be worried about while pregnant and this is what I focus my worries upon -- my belly button popping out. It terrifies me. I can't stand the thought of my perfect little innie becoming an outie, even temporarily. I don't know why but the thought of it completely freaks me out!

It didn't come out with Sam but it seems dangerously close to doing so right now and I still have 11 more weeks of expansion! I am wondering if putting a Band-Aid on it every day might keep it in there? Any suggestions?

28 weeks and counting

They try to disguise that glucose stuff as a yummy orange drink. It looks innocent enough but I have been dreading it the last four weeks. I took some advice and just started drinking and didn't stop until all 10 ounces were down the hatch. I must have had a horrible look on my face because the man sitting across from me in the waiting room kept snickering at me and grinning. Down it went and down it stayed. What a relief that is over! I am now hoping that I don't have any elevated sugar levels so that I don't have to go back again for the longer test.

Heard Molly's heartbeat, had some blood drawn, got to step on a scale and pee in a cup! What a fun and productive morning for me. Signed the papers stating that Molly will be my last child unless some major divine intervention occurs. Dr. Parrott had to stress the permanence of my decision, blah, blah, blah....just give me the pen.

My next appointment is in four weeks and then I start going every two weeks. I am in the homestretch folks! Two trimesters down, one to go!

Laptop earthquake

Last night, I had my laptop perched on my belly as usual doing some blog writing. Molly always likes to dance around in the late evenings, I guess she is a night owl like the rest of us, and she is now strong enough to move the laptop. Yep, those tiny little legs kicked through the placenta and a layer of fat to physically move my laptop up. It was rather disconcerting to type there for a bit!

Perfectly healthy

Dr. Parrott keeps telling me that I am a perfectly healthy person except for being pregnant. How right he is! All of that stuff they look for to go wrong in pregnancy is not going wrong for me. I am quite happy about that. All the symptoms of being pregnant that a woman could have, I have! I guess that is so much better than the alternative but it's hard to remind myself that when I have my head in the trash can...yet again!

Our appointment today went fine. We had another ultrasound and saw all four chambers of the heart. Molly is breech right now but that doesn't really matter to me since we are having a c-section no matter what. I could have told the tech that because her legs keep jabbing me in the pelvis! She apparently has very long legs like her big sister, already in the 97th percentile on femur growth. She is weighing in at a whopping 1 pounds, 9 ounces which is apparently well above average at this point. I seriously can make such strong, healthy babies but I am such a pathetically sick pregnant woman! How weird is that?

My due date has shifted some but we are still on track for July 6th. This might change depending on how fast Molly grows but I am still adamant about not having her the week before the July 4th weekend. We'll see.

Morning Sickness

Seriously! Enough with the all day sickness.

16 weeks and counting

Our appointment went fine today, nothing out of the ordinary. Had some blood drawn, didn't pass out. Was approved again to take Xanax to fly to LA on Saturday, those of you who know me well know I never fly without it! Heard the baby's heartbeat again and it was about 166 bpm.

Next time, it will be a lot more interesting because they will do an ultrasound. We are going to take Sam with us so she can see if she is going to have a baby brother or sister. That appointment is on February 16th, so stay tuned!

The things we crave

I can't get enough sour things. Lemon sorbet, Sour Skittles, Sour Nerds, you name it, I have been inhaling it. I nabbed every sour candy I could find off the shelves at Meijer last night. Chris sat there watching me with pursed-lip horror last night as I dove into my box of sour Skittles. He can't tolerate things that sour. It's funny, when I was pregnant with Sam, I wanted chocolate only. This time around, chocolate makes me sick to my stomach.

Apparently, the smell of cooked Thai food makes me sick too. Poor Scot, makes his dinner last night not knowing that the wrath of my nose would soon come down upon him. I sprayed the entire upstairs in Lysol and then opened my bedroom window, turned the fan on and closed the bedroom door. It was unreal! Later, I kindly asked him to refrain from any more Thai food cooking in the house. The nice man he is, he promised no more Thai.

A slight flutter

I think I felt the baby move for the first time last night. It's hard to tell at this stage but I am fairly certain. I am 14 weeks today with my next doctor's visit at week 16.

We have picked out a name if it is a girl, Molly Lynne. Lynne was Chris's Mom's middle name and I just think Molly is cute. It doesn't hurt that she is one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter series as well. I am quite certain we are having another girl so I really haven't bothered thinking of any boy names. There are a few on the table though: Daniel, Ian, Wesley (as a middle name, that was Chris's grandfather's middle name), Owen (a name from my side, the first McGlone in the New World) and Colin. Chris vetoed Colin because I only like it from my long-standing devotion to Colin Firth. So, feel free to suggest any names that you want.

Hibernation

I truly feel like I could sleep through the entire winter. I enjoy the Christmas season and everything that comes with it but I just can't seem to keep up this year. I get tired SO EASILY and that is very frustrating for someone used to being always on the go.

I am 11 weeks along today so almost through my first trimester. Here's hoping the energy levels pick back up during the second one! Other than that, all is about the same. Fatigue and queasiness.

6 week ultrasound

I had my first doctor's appointment today. I was all nervous about it, like this was my first kid or something. It's really difficult for a self-proclaimed hypochondriac to be pregnant. Ever little twinge, cramp, or pain is all of a sudden a miscarriage. I thought that today's visit would make me feel better, I would see the baby's heart beating and know that everything was fine.

Wrong! All I got to see was an empty embryonic sac. Doctor shrugs it off and says it is too early to see anything. What does he know anyway? He takes some blood for some first visit tests and shoos me out the door. I go back in two weeks for a second ultrasound. TWO WEEKS? Are you kidding me? Do you realize how many diseases I can make up between now and then? Oh, the agony.

At least we told a few people today, Mom, Dad, Casey and Scot. We are keeping the list at these people until after the 8 week visit. We definitely won't tell Sam until then, she wouldn't quite get the whole concept of keeping it a secret.

Keeping secrets

I am not good at keeping secrets. It is killing me not to tell my parents and our close friends. It's hard to act like nothing has happened and everything is normal and there isn't a baby growing in my uterus.

I did schedule our first doctor's appointment today. We go in Monday, November 10th. I will insist on the ultrasound just so I will believe it is real. If I see the heart beating, I will feel comfortable telling my parents Monday night.

Until then, mum is the word. The only people who know are me, Chris and Lilliput (that's what I have named my little ASUS computer I am using to write this blog).

Round 2: Are we really ready?

I took my second pregnancy test last night. I have a tendency to never believe the first one. And after wandering back into the bathroom to stare at the results multiple times, I think I have finally accepted that I am pregnant again. That's right, this is my second child. You would think that I would be used to the whole positive pregnancy test and would believe it. But for some reason, it's just as mythical this time around as it was the last time.

I wonder how it will be different? I am hoping that the morning sickness that plagued me last time will not come visit me again. Will I crave different foods? Will I mess this kid up by drinking too much diet soda? Will this kid look exactly the same as my first? And the question that no one wants to admit to thinking but does, will I love this one as much as my first one?

So, if you care, join me on the ride of this second pregnancy. This will also be where I post funny happenings with my first child. I have been meaning to start a blog like this for oh, three years now and I finally did!

Now, I must remove a splinter from future big sister's finger...