People Say the Darndest Things

A couple of weeks ago at church, I was picking up Linus from his Sunday School class.  I had on a loose fitting dress and the lady in his class asked me if I was pregnant.  I tried to not be too offended, but do I really look pregnant?  Of course it made me a lot more focused on my eating habits and workout routine for the rest of the week!  The funny thing is that I have had the opposite happen as well.  I was super pregnant with Linus, like T-1 month or so, I was at a neighborhood get together and the lady I was talking to was asking if I had kids and kind of looking at my stomach.  I was like "Hello, there is no doubting that there is something extra in my body right now" but she was of the age that you didn't ask people about that unless they told you!  Funny how different things are now.

That same day at church, I was walking back to the sanctuary when I overheard two ladies at our coffee bar.  One of them I believe was pregnant and the other was asking her how it was going because she looked really tired.  Why do people think that is an okay thing to say to someone, kind of like telling someone that they look as if they don't feel well.  If they are tired or don't feel well, they really don't need to be reminded of the fact that they are not doing a good job hiding it!

How Rude!

Okay, so I meant to do this post forever ago, but I have been a little busy, so here it is.

When you are pregnant, people usually treat you on two different extremes, at least that has been my experience. They either act like you have some kind of debilitating condition and can't muster up enough energy or stamina to stand for more than 5 minutes, or they don't even see it. Let me tell a little story about the later...

Like I have said many times before, I am a pretty good pregnant person. I am capable of lots of stuff, but I still value the southern gentleman and help! I was at Target the weekend before I had Linus to buy the double stroller. There I am all HUGE and pregnant lifting the stroller down from the top shelf while this guy and his wife and their baby stand there and look at me. Not a huge deal I tell myself, but then it gets worse! I lift the freaking stroller box onto the cart, obviously struggling and he still just stands there. If that were my family, if BG hadn't offered to help on his own, I sure enough would have nudged him until he did. So that was bad, but it continues... Then I am out in the parking lot struggling to get this huge box into my compact sedan and TWO, yes TWO men walk by and stare at me. One was even parked next to me, and didn't even offer the slightest bit of help.

Why I ask? Why? Are we so scared to help people for fear of them thinking we are stalkers? Are we so consumed in our own little bubble that we don't even recognize that another one of our specie needs help? We freak out when someone hurts a helpless animal, but we won't help one of our own kind when they are obviously struggling? Is this all due to the stupid women's rights movement (don't even get me started on that and the trouble that has caused). Your thoughts?

Two Totally Different Experiences

As I was laying in my hospital bed for 3 days, I started thinking about how different my two deliveries have been. Neither one was traumatic or horrible, neither was perfect, but overall, they were both pretty good and I would do it again if I didn't have to be pregnant (and I hadn't just gotten my tubes tied :) ) Here is a run down:

With SD

• At Collin County Hospital, with a black female OBGYN who had great bedside manner
• Gained 60+ pounds
• Went in to be induced the night before and had contractions, water broke etc, but ended up a C-section
• Epidural
• Very attentive nursing staff, but got kind of annoying because they were so in my business
• At night the nurses timed their visits so I didn't have to be woken up as often
• Could only eat ice chips until my epidural was out
• Had epidural for more than 24 hours
• They helped me shower the first time, etc.
• Newer hospital with "updated" amenities
• More of a drive from home
• Both my pediatrician and OBGYN were not on call that weekend, so I saw someone else

With Linus

• At Tarrant County Hospital with a white male OBGYN who is to the point and fun to talk with
• Gained less than 40 pounds
• Scheduled C-section, had to wait in pre-op (with nothing to occupy our time) for emergency C-section to be done
• Spinal Block
• Very friendly nursing staff, who was more hands off, we are here if you need us, which I really appreciated
• They didn't do a great job of timing their visits at night, the last night they did a horrible job!!
• Spinal block started wearing off that day and I got to get up the next morning and walk around
• Hands off, which means they let me get up for the first time and helped me, but then just left me on my own to get back in my bed
• The TV was a Zenith and the volume button on the bed didn't work, so we had to get up to change the volume
• They were doing construction on the hospital and there were workers outside my window one morning as I was breastfeeding
• Saw my actual doctors in the hospital

All in all, they were both great experiences. I have had great deliveries with little to no complications. I am truly blessed and I am so glad to be home with my family. Speaking of my family, we have even numbers of both sexes, even our dogs fit the mold! Just a little fun fact for you!

False Labor

This morning I started having contractions. I wasn't sure if they were really contractions or not, so I called my mom and asked her what they were like. I know, this is not my first rodeo, but when I was pregnant with SD and was having contractions, I was being given Nubane, which is a narcotic and to say I was out of it, is a HUGE understatement. So, back to this morning... My mom convinced me that what I was experiencing was in fact contractions. Thankfully, I already had an appointment with my OB for my weekly check up. When my MIL got to our house, I had her feel my stomach during one of them, and she also confirmed. So, I sent BG a text to tell him so stay close to his phone just in case, and I threw together the rest of the stuff for my bag.

They were somewhat regular and definitely more intense than Braxton-Hicks, but were not incredibly close together. So when I got to the doctor, I told them that I had started having contractions and he checked me out. I was having real contractions, but it was doing nothing to my cervix. So, basically, I get to have contractions and it is doing nothing. Part of me was hoping that I would leave the doctor's office and go up to the hospital for delivery. The other part was relieved that I still get to go to our big conference this week and still have time to get stuff done before next Tuesday.

My contractions calmed down as the day went on, but they are still happening. I guess Linus could still come early, but most likely, his birthday will be May 20th!

Pregnancy Update, Part Seven

I went to the doctor yesterday for my second to last appointment before Linus' arrival! I told him how I was having pain (like a pulled muscle) where I am guessing my C-section scar is. He told me this was completely normal and it was probably more intense because Linus had a HUGE growth spurt! I asked exactly what he meant. He told me that I grew from 39-42 cm in two weeks. You usually only grow about 1 cm per week. Then when I was talking to my friend Lindsay, she reminded me that you are supposed to be as cm as you are weeks. Funny, I am only 37 weeks and I am measuring 42!!! I guess Linus is going to be a big boy, which I am very thankful for! The doctor said he will at least be over 8 pounds, I grow 'em big! As far as I go, I only gained 2 pounds which is about average since Linus is adding somewhere from .5-1 pound a week. And everything else looked good! Kind of excited that I have not had to have an "internal" exam yet, maybe I will get to skip out on that since I am having a C-section!

I think that I have this mentality right now that I know I only have two weeks left to enjoy the pregnant belly so I am stuffing my face like no other! For example, the other night, I ate 5 GS cookies and could have eaten more. Then I chose to have Cheez-its for dinner last night, why do they have to be so good? Oh well, it is all about a little indulgence, poor Linus, hopefully I am not starving him of nutritional value :)

On an unrelated note, SD did great after we had to have the night of crying. She went right to bed. Last night she did okay, but didn't go right to bed, but when she woke up this morning with a fever, it might have been because she didn't feel well! BG had something similar earlier this week, so we will blame him! Thankfully, my rockstar immune system laughs in the face of it (I sure hope I am not jinxing myself right before I give birth).

Oh and on a COMPLETELY unrelated note. I saw these shoes in an ad this morning and I was taken aback. Do they just scream 1980's or what? Some things should not come back!

Pregnancy Update, Part Six

T minus 24 full days until Linus arrives! I am getting really, really excited and really happy about having his residence be apart from my body! He is a mover to say the least. Yesterday at work, I was training some girls and they started freaking out because my belly was doing all sorts of weird things. The night before last, BG had put his hand on my stomach (this NEVER happens) and I was already drifting into dream land. He woke me up when he remarked, "What is going on in there?" I explained to him that his son was ALWAYS doing that and he couldn't believe that I could sleep with that going on!

I had a doctor's appointment this week and YEAH!!! I only gained two pounds, so I think we are up to 34 or something total, not too shabby. As long as I stay under 60, things will be peachy. If I gain 26 pounds in the next three weeks, someone needs to wire my mouth SHUT! Other than that, I haven't really started swelling, which is nice, because it was really bad with SD. My friend Tess remarked how much lower I was carrying this time, and don't I know it, the little guy is resting on my lap, where as SD was hangin' from the girls!

My C-section is still scheduled for the 20th of May and my doctor said everything looked good. It should be interesting to see how the airline reacts to my doctor's note and obvious state of pregnancy. They better let me on that plane or they are going to see one seriously IRATE pregnant woman. I am taking my C-section papers just in case because when you get random comments like "you look like you are about to pop" when at church or in the grocery store, it might take more than me telling them that I really am not due for a while!

On an unrelated note, I am working from home today (MIL's legs not doing well) and SD about lost her marbles when I put her blankets in the wash this morning. The funny thing is, she is not really all that attached to them, or so I thought, because she doesn't carry them around or take them places, but evidently, they must NOT be washed. Little does she know that Baboo was in there as well, but we have a spare that I gave her to calm her down until the blankets were dry.

Well, I better get SOMETHING done while she is sleeping!

Pregnancy Update, Part Six

I had my Dr. appointment today and got to schedule Linus' arrival. We are scheduled for May 20th!!! That is 6 weeks and 6 days away, not that I am counting down or anything. I gained an additional 6 pounds, which puts me up to a total of 26 pounds. Higher than I had hoped for at this point, but still less than half of what I gained with SD. The fun part of my visit today, I got a shot, in the rear!! Shouldn't they stop giving you shots there after the age of 10 or something? The history behind the shot...

My blood is O- (the universal donor I think) and BG's is A+. Because of this, our kids have a 50/50 chance of being positive and because I have RH- blood, my body might reject them if our blood mixes. So, they give me a shot now in case I go into labor and then they give me another one at delivery if the baby is +. SD was positive, so I got two, but I do not remember the second one, I was all hopped up on Nubane to remember much of anything.

So we are officially in countdown mode, or at least I am. I am getting really excited about the arrival of Linus and the fact that I will be able to bend again! I am also now officially starting to freak out about what needs to get done at work and at home to prepare! My list so far:

• Paint Linus' room, it needs to at least have holes patched, etc. so we might as well repaint it since we won't have another opportunity to have an empty bedroom until SD goes to college in 16 years!
• Work, where do I start?!?!?! I have so much to do at work it is crazy (my boss is officially freaking out). I need to get the new hires and Denis trained so that they can do my work while I am gone. I need to get our new accounting system in tip-top shape so that it can be useful while I am gone. I need to write an accounting manual with all of the instructions. Oh, and I need to get caught up!!! Not to mention we may be adding another new software that integrates with our current accounting system before I leave. I am trying to remain calm because like I said, my boss is about to have a coronary!! It does make me feel good that I am a valuable resource and will be missed!

I have now started the going every 2 weeks to the doctor, which is kind of annoying because all they do is weigh me, have me pee in a cup, check my blood pressure and I am out of there! I have not had to start with the "internal" exams yet, and I am not sure if they have to do them as often since we know I am having a C-section, but we will see.

On a related note, we have decided to make Linus our last baby and make that decision permanent (why not while they are there). This decision was confirmed today when I was riding down in the elevator and a girl who works on my floor was telling me that she just found out she was pregnant, they thought they were done and she was actually going to make that permanent this month when low and behold she was pregnant. I don't really like surprises, so the no birth control and no surprises thing really makes me happy!

Pregnancy Update, Part Five

I went to the doctor again today. It was fun Glucose Test day! That stuff is not all that nasty, but it burns like the dickens! Anyway, I passed the glucose test, all is good! I gained another 7 pounds, only 20 total so far, which is pretty good considering I only have 10 weeks to go. Not to mention, I gained 60+ with SD, so hopefully I won't gain 40 pounds in the next ten weeks. Next visit, I get the fun Rho-Gham shot! I am O negative and BG is A positive so I have to take a Rho-Gham shot now and then if Linus is positive, I have to have another one at delivery. SD was positive like her daddy, so I got two last time. If I remember correctly it is a kind of painful shot, really thick!

It was pretty funny though, my doctor said "your blood is good, your sugar is good, your urine is good, your blood pressure is good, your weight is good, why do you even come and see me?" I was glad about that, I am a pretty good pregnant person although I don't like it very much. Linus is breech, just like his older sister, but the doctor told me to tell BG it was because his manhood was weighing him down. BG thought that was pretty funny! He did a sonogram and made sure to show me his gresticals, I don't want to see them, I really don't care, but he makes sure he points it out EVERY time, I guess it is a boy thing! Do you think he would do this if it was a girl? I seriously doubt it!

Also, I had to take SD to the doctor this morning before my appointment. Poor thing has a rash on her girly parts! We bought Huggies instead of Pampers because they were cheaper, well it turns out they have been more expensive! The caused a major rash and she is in total pain, freaks out when you put ointment on it! Oh well, live and learn right? We will save them for Linus in case he doesn't do well in Pampers. I am kind of a diaper snob though, I really like the material of Pampers and they stretch so much more than any other diapers. That is one thing I don't go cheap on, diapers!

Pregnancy Update, Part Four

I went to the dr. today for my monthly appointment and it was shocking! Brace yourselves for this news, I gained 8 pounds! You read that correctly, I gained more weight in the last month than I have my entire pregnancy. The good news is that I have only gained a total of 13, which compared to my total weight gain last time, is not that bad (I stopped counting at 60). Plus, you always have one month where you gain a lot, I am going to tell myself that this was my month! I only have 3.5 months left!!! Yippeee!!! Dr. said we should plan on Linus making his scheduled appearance around the 20th or 21st of May. He did another sonogram and Linus is still very much a boy! SD is getting prepared for having a new baby in the house, she has even been putting her dolls in the swing and pushing them, it is pretty cute.

Unfortunately the doctor said I could help paint SD's big girl room, so I guess that is what BG and I will be doing over the next couple of months. Her room is going to be a cowgirl room that is pink and brown, how stinkin cute is that! Linus gets to keep SD's adorable antique nursery rhyme room and then maybe when he gets big enough he can have a cowboy room to match big sister's.

I also asked the Dr. about permanent BC, he said no big deal! It won't increase my recovery time and it is a smart decision since they will already be in there. Now we just have to decide if we are 100% sure that we are done blessing this earth with mini BGs. Please pray for wisdom and guidance on this, we are pretty sure, but not 100%. The pros and cons.... I will save that for another blog, I have to have material!

Pregnancy = A condition?

A friend of mine gave us free passes to a gym, actually it is a 3 month trial membership. So BG and I went down to sign up this weekend so that we have a place to work out while it is still chilly outside. Anyway, as we were filling out all of the necessary paperwork, they were asking us all sorts of questions, one of which was if we had any medical conditions. I thought to myself, is pregnancy really a condition? Well, I mentioned it anyway, not that you can't tell by looking at me that I am pregnant, but that can sometimes be an uncomfortable topic. He wrote it down, confirming the fact that some people think pregnancy is truly a condition. As we were driving home, I thought about it more and how some people think it is some sort of incapacitating medical phenomenon. Like when you are picking something up and people are all "don't do that, let me help you, you ARE pregnant." Yes, I am pregnant and perfectly capable of pretty much everything I was capable of before said "condition." I don't let pregnancy slow me down or stop me from doing things, well it slows me down a little, waddling takes way more time than a normal walk. But let me tell you a little secret, women have been doing this for years, lots and lots of years. Women used to give birth on bricks people, it is NOT a condition. Women used to be out picking cotton the day after they gave birth. Now a days, we don't experience anything close to this, at least not most people. Sure, it can be an excuse every once in a while, but that is just what it is, an excuse, something you use to get out of doing something you don't want to do! Anyway, off my soapbox and back to work!

All that being said, I still don't like being pregnant!

Pregnancy Update, Part Three

Well, the verdict is in! Linus is a BOY!!! That is right, we will have a little girl and a little boy, a perfect little family! He was very proud of his manhood already, and Daddy said that it starts young! We are really excited, now we just have to think of names for the little guy.

As for the pregnancy in general, all looks good, everything is measuring as it should. And, I only gained 1 pound! The doctor was very impressed since it was over the holidays. If you could see me, you would be shocked that I have only gained 1 pound, because to say I look pregnant is an understatement!

A Series of Pregnancy Updates, Part Two

I went to the doctor yesterday, 16 weeks along. He said everything looks fabulous!!!! On the way positive side, I have only gained a total of 4 pounds. This made me ecstatic since my doctor is so preoccupied with weight gain. My blood pressure was great and Linus' heartbeat sounded good. For me, hearing that heartbeat is such a reassuring sound, especially before they start moving around a ton. He did offer to do the quad test, which we opted out of since if anything came back, it wouldn't change what we would do, which our doctor agreed was a good choice, especially since there are a lot of false positives! January 10th is the next appointment, in which we will find out what Linus is!!!! I can't wait! I love knowing, it starts to make it more real for me, plus then BG will FINALLY talk names with me! He is refusing to do so until we know what we are having. Plus, then I will get to start getting stuff ready, buy baby clothes, etc! As far as Linus goes, I have felt him/her move a couple of times, more like doing little flips. And Linus likes the right front side of my belly and got mad when I was pushing there the other day. I do think that he/she is more on my bladder than SD ever was, which may not be good for later in pregnancy when there is no room! So, set your Outlook reminder for January 10th to find out what Linus is!

A Series of Pregnancy Updates, Part One

I had my second sonogram today and thankfully the baby actually looks like a human instead of a blob. I got to see the little tadpole, which my coworkers are affectionately calling Linus, move around. It is so cool that you can actually see your baby as it grows. Next sonogram we will be able to find out what It is!!! But that is two months away. The good news is that I didn't gain any weight. My doctor is staying on me to only gain 20-30 pounds, which I am all for because that is much easier to lose than the 50-60 I gained with SD, but I gained 50-60 before, and that was eating right, for the most part and exercising. My doctor is also somewhat of a bitter ex-runner, well that is my conclusion about him, and he doesn't want me running. I am heeding his advice somewhat and am interspersing walking and running, but I have not given it up completely!

My thoughts on pregnancy, I don't like it. I have pretty easy pregnancies, but I just don't like it. I convinced myself that it wasn't that bad, and that when I was pregnant with SD, I was actually pretty good at it. Now that I am pregnant again, I remember why I don't like it. My least favorite part is right now, for a couple of reasons. First off, I just look fluffy. I hate the fluffy part of pregnancy, I would so much rather have a round belly, just not too big please! Second, it is a scary time, it is the vital time where if the baby is going to make it, this is the time that most determines that. I just get so freaked out and worried about it. But, baby is doing well, so that is a huge relief for me! Third, NOTHING fits!!! Your maternity clothes are too big, your regular clothes cut off circulation and make you feel yuck. So, what do you do? I have transitioned into mainly maternity clothes, yes, they are big, but at least I can breathe!