15 pounds

Okay, so I got this idea when my mother-in-law told me she still doesn't think I look "very pregnant" in my photos. I thought to myself... do you remember what I looked like before!? Well, I guess this isn't quite as drastic a difference as I expected it to be (this outfit must be slimming), but I'm definitely wider; my chest is way bigger, my tummy's bigger, my clothes are bigger, and my hair's even longer (I haven't cut it since then). I've actually gained about 15 lbs so far, and I still have 2-1/2 months to go. This tummy does have lots of growing left to do!

That's Kim Barnett next to me. She's going to be fixing up the jogger stroller Pam gave us - putting new tubes in the tires and stuff. Yay!

My main "working from home" activity for the day is getting (over-due) oil changes on both cars, gas and maybe a car wash. That, plus yesterday alone I had over 30 emails in my LAF inbox, so I'm working! Emailing, planning, blogging, shopping, cooking... it's all good.

Daycare Centers

This morning we looked at daycare centers. I had already narrowed it down to two, based on location and cost, and boy were they different!

The first was Westlake Childcare Center, which was a little house, pretty close to where I (currently) work. The staff were all very young - mostly college students majoring in early childhood education, and it was a little overwhelming seeing all the babies crying. The crib set up was kind of like a kennel, but other than that it was like being in a grubby little house with lots of babysitters. One plus is that they have webcams in every room, and we could log on anytime and see exactly what's happening.

Next was the Children's Center of Austin. This is just a couple miles from our house, has great hill country views, and feels more like a school. The staff were mostly Hispanic women who really had those babies under control! The whole time we were there, I only heard one baby cry, and she was picked up immediately and soothed.

There was one room of little babies all just chilling, one room of 6-12 month olds napping in cute little cribs, and another room of 12-18 month olds being fed rice and beans with tortillas. They include snacks (bananas and cheerios for younger babies) and lunch with tuition, and they have vegetarian options, so we wouldn't have to pack food once she's eating solids - just make sure they have enough diapers, wipes, and milk. They also had music playing, which was very soothing. And they have a swimming pool, dance classes and activities for children 2 and up.

Both centers thought we were fine on time, and could actually wait to reserve until after she's born and we're more certain about what date we'd want to start. Both had ratios of 2 teachers to 8 babies, and both were flexible as far as drop-off and pick-up times.

But the Children's Center was a clear winner. It's so close to home that Chuck could drop her off and pick her up easily - even if she was sick and needed to be picked up mid-day. It's far enough away from my work that it would be hard for me to visit during lunch, but that's okay.

This Week

Instead of just kicking and wriggling, I've been feeling the baby move around in my tummy in a much more distinctive way. When I lay on my side and she's sleeping, I can feel her whole body move to that side - and I can feel more clearly when a knee or elbow (or something) is moving across me. It's like there's a real person in there all the sudden!

This is the week when many women opt to get the 4D ultrasound, but at $300 (not covered by insurance), we decided it wasn't necessary... we'll see her when she comes out, and until then we can just assume that she'll have Chuck's nose, my eyes, and perfect little fingers and toes ;) We'll have another regular sonogram in 4-6 weeks.

This week I started researching breast pumps and daycares. I had lunch with the other mom's at work, and they informed me that I need to get on waiting lists for daycare centers now, and shared some websites and suggestions for what to look for and questions to ask. Since I'm not going to New Orleans next week with the rest of the LAF, I'll spend some of that time touring nearby facilities and hopefully finding one that's good enough.

I'm thinking we'll have her in daycare 3-days/week for the first 3-months after maternity leave, and Chuck and I will each take half days from work on the other two. That's the initial plan, but it's always subject to change...

Third Trimester Symptoms and Complaints

Happy MLK Day! I've had a weekend full of strange new happenings in my body. This blog is about some of those things, followed by exerpts from the chapter in my Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth book entitled Third Trimester Symptoms and Complaints. I didn't read it until last night, and suddenly feel like my (poor aching) body is right on track:

What happened: Yesterday morning I woke up so sore and said to Chuck, "I feel like I slept with a ton of bricks on me."
What the book says: "Around this time, you may start feeling a hard-to-pin-down full-body discomfort. For most women, this hits in the morning..."

What happened: I made a frozen lasagna and dropped it while taking it out of the oven! Chuck thought it was hillarious and took pictures. Those pictures do not need to be posted here.
What the book says: "Let's face it, grace and dexterity aren't part of the late-pregnancy package. In fact, feeling like a klutz is par for the course, especially as you enter these final, fumbling months."

What happened: This weekend I felt the baby hiccup for the first time!
What the book says (in a different section dealing with my exact week of pregnancy): "Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may feel to a case of hiccups, which may be common from now on."

I'm also finding myself peeing more often, continuing to get heartburn, and having Braxton Hicks contractions most days... all things the book says will begin or become more frequent in the third trimester. Perfect!

Actually, I feel great today and am heading off to prenatal yoga as soon as I post this. See ya later!

Goodbye 2nd Trimester

That's right folks, as of this morning, we seem to have entered the 3rd trimester. I think I just had a growth spurt in the last 2 days. It's scary to think of how much bigger I'll get in the next 3 months!

Recently I've been experiencing pain in my lower right groin area. At first I had no idea what this could be; a sharp, almost pinching pain that might be slightly alleviated after a trip to the bathroom or resting awhile. At first I thought maybe it was my urinarty tract, bladder or bowels being squished. But yesterday I had a busy day at work, and it just got worse as I powered through it. By the time I got home, it was bad. So I googled it, and if it is what I think it is, it seems to be pretty common.

Round ligament pain. Basically, the ligaments that support my uterus are being way stretched, which can result in pain on one or both sides of my lower abdomen. Other women have described it exactly like what I've been feeling. And it makes sense... but that doesn't make it go away!! When I told Kim Barnett, she said "Well, at least you didn't have morning sickness and all that!" Then totally separately Chuck said "It's about time you experience discomfort during this pregnancy!" Fine - I get it - you have all been secretly waiting for something to cause me pain. Enjoy.

I have no idea how women got through pregnancy before the internet. I guess they'd buy a book or just call the doctor. But it's so easy to be able to google something and find information from medical sites, blogs and interactive forums that answer my questions and put my mind at ease.

PS: Happy Birthday Mom!!

Banking on it

As you may know, before Chuck went through chemo (close to 5 years ago now), we banked sperm, just in case. It was expensive, but seemed like the thing to do. And as you've probably guessed, his actual sperm ended up working just fine. So, we recently got the storage renewal notice and are debating whether to keep it or not.

Why not keep it - just in case? Well, at $365/year, it's pretty pricey. It's safe to say we're going to have at least one baby. If he were to have a recurrence (which he won't), it would most likely be that we'd have enough going on with one child and a cancer diagnosis - and/or, we'd be past our prime child bearing years by then anyway.

To cancel we have to sign the paperwork in front of a notary. Chuck says we may as well keep it one more year (we're actually a little late with the renewal at this point), but I think he just doesn't want to think about it or find a notary and go through the steps. Maybe this weekend I can talk him into cancelling... unless, do you think we should keep it?? Oy.

Fun & Games

Today Teresa, Daniela, Amelia, Candace and I went to a Babies R Us free event on how to throw a fun shower. We played games, ate snacks, and even won a couple of prizes! At lunch afterwards we kind of discussed what my baby showers will look like, but nothing was solidified. I know we'll have one for work and one at my house, sometime in Feb/March. Candace wants to make a diaper cake, and we'll play a few games... but any suggestions are welcome!

Afterwards, we looked at baby clothes, both at Babies R Us and Gymboree, and I did end up buying a cute little summer dress :) But for the most part I probably won't buy anything else until after the showers.

This last week or two, my tummy's been growing larger at a much faster pace than the last 6 months. Today she was more active than any other day too. She was moving and kicking in a way that both Chuck and I could see and feel on the front and both sides of my tummy; in the morning, and again in the afternoon (who knows what she'll do tonight!).

Now Chuck's working on fixing our under-TV components to be better child-proofed, and will be moving some cords that are tripping hazards. Soon we'll start setting up the little play area where the foosball table used to be... did I tell you I sold the foosball table on Craigslist? Time to exchange big kid toys for little kid toys!

Traveling

I'm just about to week 26 (6-1/2 months), and for the past week or so I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions. It's pretty wierd - I'll just be hanging out, maybe driving, usually at night - and my lower abdomen will tighten and I'll feel pressure pushing down. It's not really painful or super intense, but it's different. Once it starts, it keeps happening pretty regularly for an hour or two.

I'm not scared of going into pre-term labor or anything, but just having strange things happening in my body does make me second think the trip to New Orleans. Blueberry's already done her fair share of traveling in her short life. She's been to Chicago for Lollapolooza (that one technically counts because even though I didn't know I was pregnant yet, her cells were dividing and she was implanting right around that time); Philadelphia for the LIVESTRONG Challenge (at 6-weeks, I wasn't feeling good and didn't like being so far from home); and she flew to Arizona for Thanksgiving (which was fun - I was with Chuck and felt great).

I keep hearing people say they went to New Orleans and came back with a cold, or pneumonia, and I certainly don't want to get sick. I'm at the point now where sleeping is getting uncomfortable, and even with my body pillow propped strategically around me, my arms will fall asleep from side-sleeping, or I'll end up on my back or tummy and wake myself up from discomfort. And trying to keep my bladder happy and stay hydrated (especially at night) is a huge challenge. So, staying home and taking care of myself seems to be the thing to do.

Clothes!

Yesterday I went to Old Navy, and everything in the maternity section was at least 50% off. Not only did they have my sizes, but it's the first time everything actually FIT! I'm big enough now that my "inbetween" things don't fit at all anymore, and real maternity clothes are a necessity. I got 3 full outfits - 3 pairs of pants, and 4 shirts for oh, about $55. Seriously:

Speaking of clothes - this might be a good post to discuss the ever changing bra size extravaganza. Like it or not, I just keep growing. I recently went to this store called Special Addition, which is geared specifically for maternity/nursing. I was told they'd be the one place in Austin to have sizes that would fit. As you know, I used to be a 36C... and now I'm officially up to an F cup. I still had trouble finding a good fit (they don't like using underwires in maternity bras, which makes it difficult), but I did make one purchase and think, er... hope it'll suffice for awhile.

And, as per a request, I'm also including a photo of all the baby clothes that were hanging in the closet photo. I realize that you still can't see all the details, but I think you get the gist. It's a pretty good start!

To My Loyal Readers

I was just informed at work that I have whole fan base who were disappointed that I didn't blog more over the break. WHAT! Loyal readers? You guys need to comment sometimes because I had no idea :) Actually, over the break I had a computer virus that made it hard to do anything online, but now (after a $100 virus removal and a new version of Norton), things are back to normal. So here ya go:

First, Andrew & Julia just found out they're having a boy! So not only will Blueberry will have a cousin the exact same age, but the Wadey name will live on even if we only have daughters. Phew!

In the last couple of weeks baby girl Wadey has been wriggling and kicking around like crazy. I usually feel it most when I'm relaxing on the couch (like now), or laying down for bed. And it's not necessarily just random kicks - she's become responsive to Chuck touching my belly, and he can really feel her too! I told my mom the other day that the strangest thing is how I have no control over her movements - and she laughed hysterically and informed me that I should get used to that, because I'll NEVER have any control over her!

I just signed us up for a comprehensive preparing for childbirth class in February, which is 12 hours long and will go over the phases of labor, baby care basics, etc. February and March will most likely be full of things like that - I'm finding all kinds of classes and events such as: the Seton First Friday Film (you know, popcorn and a movie about what to expect when you bring baby home); free events at Babies R Us about how to diaper and throw fun baby showers; prenatal for partners at Yoga Yoga; infant & child CPR; breastfeeding; you name it and somebody offers it.

It is strange to imagine what life will be like 3 or 4 months from now. The nursery's almost done, which I guess makes it feel more real - but still, I go in there and try to imagine a baby girl in the crib, and I just have no idea what she'll look like or sound like or how dramatically our lives will change. Right now it's still pretty abstract, but when the time comes, we'll be ready.

Happy New Year!

My New Year's resolutions? To stay healthy, keep doing yoga, finish the nursery, and of course - to be a good mom.

We just picked up this crib from a family who posted it on Craigslist. It's a convertible crib, which means it changes into a toddler daybed, and I think it turns into a twin sized bed as well. We already had the bedding ready to go, and I think it looks great!

Here's a pretty good shot of the mostly completed nursery. We still have a shelfy thing to build, and I'll probably need a changing table. But we accomplished everything I was hoping to accomplish over the break.

Tomorrow morning I have an OB appointment before I head back to work. Chuck won't be joining me for this one... I'm just getting a glucosa test to check for diabetes. Shouldn't be too exciting.