33 weeks

Doc Appt: A much better turn out than last week. BP 124/84. Gained 3 lbs, but still down 2 from starting weight. They said they will be hooking me up to the non-stress test every visit now. Jolynn was not as active as last time but her heartbeat was steady and the doc said that was all she was looking for; that Jolynn was not stressed in the womb. She said if everything keeps going the way it is we can look at a due date no later than 8/8. Next week is another ultrasound.

This past weekend was my first shower. I had so much fun. I'm really not used to being the center of attention. Usually I am the one hosting (I love to host parties). Everytime I turned around someone was doing something for me. Getting me water, get another present, packed up all the presents and brought them to the car before I knew what was going on. All taken care of.

This weekend is the Annual Fourth of July party at the Moritz house. Lots more food, fun, friends, and family. Hopefully the weather will hold out because everyone always goes in the pool. I went in the day before the shower to try and clean out some of the debris. A bit cold, but okay once I moved around. I couldn't quite get myself to go under however. When I got out I felt like I weighed 30lbs more! The front of me felt soo heavy. I didn't feel lighter when I was in the water, but getting out was such a difference.

Jolynn's progress:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal.

Friend Shower

I had my first baby shower this afternoon. I'm sorry, but I was so caught up in everything that I did not take many photos and I didn't pass my camera off to someone. I believe Jodi was taking some photos so check Facebook or possibly her blog for more photos.

I showed up a bit earlier than I was supposed to because I was soo excited. Erin was already there and had decorated. She, Jodi and Margaret were staging the food and other table. I did get pictures of the finished staging of each table. The food was fantastic and the shirts that everyone made were really cute.

It was so nice to see everyone there. Strange how I have been friends with some since I was in grade school and some for a couple years. As they went around the room telling everyone who they were and how they knew me, some were like 6 degrees of separation because of meeting through someone else.
Thank you Jodi, Erin and Margaret for hosting this party. You did a fantastic job - Jolynn and I appreciate it very much.

32 weeks

Doc Appt: Good and Bad again. I lost another 2 lbs. That's 5 total! They hooked me up to a fetal monitor for a non-stress test. I thought Jolynn was doing just fine. The books say to count at least 10 movements in an hour. She did 9 in 20 min. Doctor came in and said, "hmmm, not quite what we're looking for"; then did a claw with her hand and gave Jolynn a shake. Then Jolynn moved about 9 times is a few minutes. Doctor came back in and said, "yup, that's what we were looking for." Ok. I go back again next week and then the week after that they have another ultrasound ordered. Oh, the bad...blood pressure was 146/96. Another good...I only waited in the lobby for 2 min!

Things are moving along in the room too. Jon put up the blinds and curtains. Sounds like the book shelves will done in another week or so. Our travel system arrived. Thank you Cindy and Sarah! Jon found it on the deck, we think it arrived Wednesday. They didn't leave a note on the door or in the mailbox saying it was back there. Luckily it didn't rain as hard as it did the night before or we would have a soggy box.

Last class: The pediatrician came. We (mainly two people) asked many questions. They went through bathing, swaddling, soothing techniques. We watched a video at the end that was hilarious. It had this doctor on telling you the 5 S's to calm a crying baby. I wish I would have written them down. Swaddle, Shoosh (that was the funniest), Swing, and I can't remember the last two. I really lost it after the shooshing. I really enjoyed going to these classes, even if we knew a majority of it. We ended up meeting a couple from Rogers. She goes to North Clinic also and we are (were) due a week apart. Jon and I just found that we related to them more than the other couples and they were easy to talk to. We exchanged information so hopefully we'll keep in touch now that class is over. Once again, Facebook is a wonderful thing.

Jolynn's progress:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

31 weeks

Braxton Hicks - otherwise known to me as constant sit ups. I probably have been having these for a few weeks now, but didn't notice as much. This week has been crazy. I feel like I am getting them ALL.THE.TIME. Sometimes it will be part of my side, then my whole stomach will be one hard ball. Really, it's like doing a bunch of sit-ups. Jon asked if I was having contractions - no, those would be more intense, and would feel like menstrual cramps too. Pretty sure I don't have those.

We have been getting many things off our to-do list this week also. Mom and Bumby have started or finished their projects. Jon helped organize the guest room. I washed all the Munchkin Market clothes (4 loads!). And we moved the big mirror in Jolynn's room to our room (it attaches to our bedroom set anyway) so I could apply the mural (yet to do).

Monday's appointment: BP 140/82. Must have been okay to them because they didn't raise my meds again. I did mention that the last two times I have been in for an appointment they have forgotten about me in the waiting room and I had to notify them 15 min after my appointment was supposed to start that I was still there. This last time I waited 20 min in the lobby, then didn't actually see the doctor until 45 min after my scheduled appointment. This really doesn't help my BP. All other stats were good again - no weight gain and Jolynn's HR was ~148. Next week I will have a non-stress test. They said they would do another ultrasound around 35-36 weeks to see how she is progressing. If we need to go in at 37 weeks they will determine if she is head down or breech; and this will decide if we are induced or c-section. Still hoping to ride this out as long as I can - cook baby cook.

Class: almost done. One more week to go. Today's was pain management through the labor stages using ice. I found that the ball worked the best; doing the Doula Hula or leaning over it and having Jon massage my lower back.

Jolynn's progress:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

BOW 2010

Summer BOW. A little different this year being I was 30 weeks pregnant. I didn't take any classes that were strenuous. First class was handgun. I already know how to shoot them, but how often do you get to? So I did that, I would just like to say that you don't want to mess with this mama - I'm a dead eye.

I bring you back also to last summer's BOW I believe - when I took out the buffalo.

Class #2 was canoeing. Funny thing with this (I should have taken a picture). When I put my life-preserver on, everything was going great until I got to the tummy. Darn thing slipped right up! I figured I was pretty buoyant if anything was to happen. I ended up with the instructors. It was very relaxing. I ended up getting a bandanna award for being able to steer so well (was in the back). The instructor in the front said she barely had to do anything. The other instructor sat in the middle and was able to observe everyone else. Being back in the canoe on a big lake reminded me of BWCA. Thinking of planning a trip out there again maybe next spring.

Class #3 was walking stick. I've made many sticks in my time with Tent City, but this time I had tools and embellishments...wood burners, Chinese carving tools, leather, beads, rocks, paint.

Class #4 was supposed to be Fly Fishing. We had heard that the class was on a river with tubes or off shore or off a bridge. Since I didn't have chest waders and they didn't have hip waders, I thought the other two would be my option. Well, the first class came back and said they were on the lake in tubes. Sunday morning it happened to also be raining (again), so Margaret said absolutely not. I ended up going back to the walking stick class and made another stick. I helped another attendee with her stick - she was 92 (?) and was having trouble stripping the bark from her stick.

The roomies this year:

Dorothy, Linda, Margaret, and me (we also had a newbie-Becca)

30 weeks

I had my 30 week appointment on Monday. My glucose results from last week were 88, (which were lower than last time!) so I don’t have to do the 3 hour test. Still haven’t gained any weight. My BP was 140/88. She upped my meds again to 300 mg 2xday. She said to tell my boss that I would for sure not be going past 39 weeks, so at the latest I will now be 8/8. If they have to keep upping my meds and it looks like the baby isn’t growing anymore, I may go in at 37 weeks (7/25). I don't know if this means induction or C-section. I'm hoping for induction. The only thing I am worried about with this new time-line is the showers. Nothing has gone out for dates as far as I know. I have only the car seat to get to be able to bring Jolynn home. Everything else can be later. The car seat is a combo traveling system with the stroller, so I don't want to go get it early if someone already bought or planned on buying it. (I have since found out that my cousin and aunt have gone in together and purchased this so I don't have to worry about the car seat.-Thank you Sarah and Cindy!)

Okay - so you ask,
"Are you excited?" - yes!
"Are you nervous?" - I wasn't until I got the news that I was possibly going from 10 weeks left to 7 weeks.

Besides the news about moving up the due date, the doctor also put me on Zantac 2x day. She thinks the night time acid reflux is causing my cough, which in turn makes me cough so hard I gag and then throw-up. Hoping this will help, since taking around 10 Tums a day is not working.
Night one of new drugs: 300 mg of BP meds+2 tsp Robitussin+150mg of Zantac=no Tums all night and only getting up to go to the bathroom!

Class this week:
We went over more relaxation techniques, medications, and packing your bags. Probably all good things considering we are at the end of 30 weeks and now looking at 6 weeks left. I'm really hoping we go longer than 37 weeks, but preparing myself for it at the same time. We found out that the epidural can actually lower your blood pressure (which was a bullet point in the disadvantage side). In my case, this may be a good thing.

This jump start in time has kick started something in Jon. He had two days off this week (his normal), but he got so much done. Normally I ask what he did all day and he says nothing or he'll do something that really does itself (laundry/dishes in dishwasher). This week he tackled cutting the lawn, pulling/killing weeds, laundry, dishes, vacuumed, laid carpet in the entryway, and we both started organizing/cleaning the guest room. Lots of stuff getting accomplished here. He also made dinner two nights in a row! I am soo grateful to have him in my life. I can't imagine anyone else caring for me so much (even when I am bitchy).

Jolynn's progress:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

29 weeks

This will be an early mid-week post. I'm off to BOW for another fun filled relaxing weekend! Jon and I went to an early class this week too because they were giving a tour of the rooms again. This time I brought my camera. It goes kind of fast because I wasn't sure if it was okay and I didn't want to hold up the group. You get the idea. The first video is the birthing room and the second is the recovery room. They don't look much different except the birthing room has a big tub, where the recovery room has a shower.

I also had another doctor's appointment. Jon came with this time. I brought my readings and the cuff I was using so they could see that yes I was taking my BP, but it probably wasn't accurate. They agreed. The readings were very off. I read 142/90 at the office visit. I lost another pound. Jolynn's heart rate was around 140. I forgot that this visit was also my next 1-hour glucose test. I don't have those results yet, but the orange flavor really gave me a stomach ache this time. Since my BP was still elevated and I was due for another ultrasound anyway, they scheduled one for later in the afternoon. Everything still looks good - still a girl. She measured just right for the week I'm on. The technician said she measured/weighed in the 50 percentile. Almost 3 lbs! She wasn't able to print any new profile pictures because once again Jolynn was camera shy. She was all curled in a ball with her head tucked into her chest.

Jolynn's progress:
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.