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My 2 Theet

2:24 pm CDT May 23, 2008
Where to begin...
Our appointment with Dr. Glander on Wednesday ended up being a little hectic. When she took my measurements, she said they seemed a little bit "off" and that she wanted to move up my ultrasound to check the size of the boy and the amount of my amniotic fluid. While I was lying on the table with my shirt up, my stomach turned rock hard and raised a good inch or so ... I was having a contraction. I've had Braxton-Hicks contractions for a while now, but they've never been so strong. While we were waiting for the ultrasound technician to squeeze us in, I had 2 more contractions. Then, when we finally got in to see the technician, I had another contraction. She wanted to finish my scan but said that we needed to mention the contractions to Dr. Glander. She performed a "mini-physical" on the boy and said that he looks great and that he got a perfect score. She also said that she "didn't remember the last time [she] had seen a head of hair like that" -- and she went on and on (and on) about it. We thought it was hilarious, and Eric thanked her for the heads-up. I was bald for more than a year when I was born, so the boy is clearly getting the Italian genes from his papa (I'm already imagining afros, dreadlocks and mohawks in the near future). After she was done, we met with Dr. Glander again. She said that the boy is already measuring about 6 lbs, 9 oz! I'm really hoping he'll decide to come a little early, as the thought of trying to deliver a 9 lb. baby au natural is enough to make me break a sweat. She said the most notable measurement is his femur and that she thinks he's going to be long/tall. The amount of fluid looks good, though it's on the normal - high side. She said that that, in addition to the different glucose readings I was getting a while back, was enough to make her think that I'm "borderline gestational diabetic." She doesn't think I'm officially diabetic, so she's not making me go to the classes or test myself or take insulin or anything, but I do have to watch my intake of sweets (including fruit AND maple syrup -- boooooooo). As for the contractions, she said that I should continue to monitor them closely and that if I have more than 5 in an hour (I had 5 in about an hour and a half), I should give them a call.
After our appointment, I ended up working from home for the rest of the day. I was having some serious pressure in my pelvic area, my back was hurting and my feet and ankles had gotten pretty swollen. That's right -- after all this time, the swelling has finally hit. I experienced it for the first time on Saturday at our yard sale. Our friend Andrea stopped by to visit for a little while, and we decided that instead of cankles -- no definition between the calf and ankle, I have theet -- no bone definition between my thighs, knees, calves, ankles or feet. It went away after a couple of hours, but since then, it's been happening every other day or so. Luckily, it's not painful at all -- just incredibly unattractive. Due to my recent discomfort, my lack of sleep and some work stress, my boss-lady (and friend) suggested that I go ahead and pick a day to be my last one at work. I was planning to stay until the arrival of el boy, but Eric and I talked about it and decided that she's right. So my last day is going to be two weeks from today -- on June 6. I'm surprised at the amount of relief I felt in making that decision, which definitely means it was the right one. Also, I had a dream this week that my water broke while I was at a work event, and ever since then, I've been absolutely terrified of that becoming a reality.
Last weekend was nice and productive. The yard sale was a success (except for the whole swelling thing), and we took everything that we didn't sell to Goodwill. It felt so good to get rid of so much stuff! Our CPR class went well, though our instructor was a VERY intense older, heavyset gentleman. He got so worked up when talking about child safety that I honestly worried that one of us might end up having to perform CPR on him. He was very knowledgeable though, and overall, the class was great. The tour of the maternity ward at Northside went well, too. It was pretty short and sweet, but it helped me figure out what I do/don't need to bring to the hospital with us. Then that night, we had dinner with Lauren and Nathan, the couple that lives near us and is expecting twins in June. We had a really great time with them -- it was amazing how much we had in common. Nathan is from a small town in Texas, too, so he didn't even bat an eye when I said "bless his heart" nine times over the course of our dinner (nine might be a slight exaggeration).
Work has been pretty rough for both of us lately, so we couldn't be happier about the long weekend ahead! Our neighborhood pool is opening for the summer, and we're going to be there with bells (and enormous maternity tankinis) on. I'm looking forward to making myself do absolutely nothing for at least a couple of hours. This weekend is also Decatur's annual Art Festival, and we're planning to check it out with some friends. We're also grabbing dinner with a friend of ours who's a labor and delivery nurse at Northside to get some scoop from her. She's kindly insisted that I call her when I'm in labor so that she can hook us up with the best rooms and nurses. How cool is that?!? We're also planning to meet with a doula that a girl in my yoga class recommended. I know, I know -- it's a little hippy dippy, but I'm not ashamed. I figure the more support we (me AND Eric, bless his heart) can get in that delivery room, the better. Besides, we're just meeting her for now -- we haven't actually decided if we want to use her or not yet.
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'll leave you with a couple of ultrasound pictures and another ever-expanding picture of myself. I'll check in after our next appointment next Thursday. XOXO

the boy's full head of hair (!), his face from the front and a profile shot (with his hand covering his mouth and chin)

the belly at 36 weeks

POSTED BY meaganhop

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