Preemptive Strike

At my Week 32 checkup, I mentioned the baby had dropped quite a bit.  The doctor submitted the paperwork to the hospital, and I was actually getting a little nervous about the baby coming too early.  Like your typical engineer, I started looking for patterns.  I found that when I went for my 3 mile walks, I would have lots of strong Braxton-Hicks contractions, which didn't push the baby out, but definitely were pushing the baby south.  So, I stopped doing my walks.  (Bummer).  But day by day, things seemed to get worse, not better.  I would sit at work and have contraction after contraction.  I could feel the pressure in my pelvis as the baby kept pushing lower and lower.  Not good.  To be frank, I was getting more and more worried that we would have the baby sooner rather than later and we would wind up with a little one in the NICU.  Ugh.  Not the way I would prefer to have this baby.

So, we have found some ways to reduce the contractions, and thereby (hopefully) keep the baby inside my belly til at least week 36.  We tried to change my focus at work so that I wouldn't be as stressed, but we quickly found that it really wasn't the stress, but the mere walking around the building!  So, now I work from home, thanks to everyone in the management team that thought that would be a better alternative than me having the baby early.  They have authorized me to work up to 40 hours per week at home, although I do try to go in to the office once a week.  This has been the biggest help so far!  It's Thursday and I haven't had many contractions this week.  (First time in over 2 weeks I can say that.)  Usually, by Thursday, I'm staring at the calendar wondering how in the world I'm going to keep the baby inside of me for another 3 weeks.  Now, I'm thinking "no problem", and in 3 weeks I'll be back to walking around everywhere!

The other small thing I found was the mere act of cooking dinner.  Yes, but the end of the day, even though I work from home, standing in the kitchen and preparing dinner brings on contractions.  Granted not as many as when I work a full day at work (and I'm starting the dinner process already having quite a few contractions), but they do show up.  So after dinner is spent laying on the couch while Kim cleans up.

But all I need to do is last 3 more weeks and we should be very safe.  Now we just have to prepare a hospital bag and pre-register at the hospital...

Alli the Dancer

Yesterday we had Alli try out a dance class at a local dance studio where some of her friends go.  This class is for 3-5 year olds, and they teach both ballet and tap (in 50 minutes)!  Alli absolutely *loved* it.  She wanted to stay for another class, even though there were no other classes for her.  When we got home, she wanted to play “dance party”.  And then again this morning wanted to play “dance party”. 

Thanks to Marcie’s hand-me-downs, we actually had some dance-wear that Alli was able to wear to the class.  And once I found she liked the dance class, we went through more hand-me-downs from Marcie’s girls and found a pair of tap shoes that fit.  Now she walks around the house in tap shoes all the time so she’s ready to dance!  We just have to get her some tights and some ballet shoes, which we will do soon.

32 Week Checkup

Today was my 32 week check up.  The odd thing about today’s checkup was in the weight.  The scale said I lost 1 lb over the last 2 weeks so, of course, he asked what changed.  I said I eliminated my protein shake in the morning and I made sure I didn’t eat any pasta at lunch (cause our cafeteria is serving a lot of pasta these days).  That’s all I’ve changed, and that was due to the glucose test.  He asked if I felt tired, or hungry, or anything like that and I said no, I just made sure I was eating more like I did when I was carrying Alli.  So we moved on to look at the baby.  This baby already has chubby cheeks and a double chin!  My goodness, what a big baby!  And based on the ultrasound measurements, the baby weighs 4lbs, 7oz.  Holy cow!!!  (To give you an idea, most babies weigh 4 lbs at 32 weeks, and Alli was right there at that time.)

Last Thursday, the baby dropped – like a couple of inches in 1 day.  I mentioned this to the doctor and he said that the baby would be fine to come out now, it’s just that it wouldn’t get to go home with us, so if I started to go into labor, they would do what they could to stop it.  He also said that dropping so early is a pretty good indicator that we won’t make it to my due date – that the baby will come early.  And, he decided to submit my paperwork to the hospital now, because we could have a baby in 4 weeks!  Wow!!!  Not sure we are ready for that, but bring it on!

Our Last Mini-Vacation

This past weekend, we ventured down to Tucson again.  Yes, another resort with summer deals.  This time, it was because we were going with friends and wanted our girls to be able to play with each other.  The pool was fun - mostly because of the two girls, not because the pool was fabulous or anything.  We also had fun feeding the Koi food (they had a large Koi pond and supplied the fish food), and learning about owls, harris hawks, tarantulas, and snakes as the Sonoran Desert Museum wound up bringing these animals to the lobby on Saturday!

One of the things that Kim and I notice about packing is how much easier it is with Alli.  We were leaving on a Friday, so we got ready for school and before we went to school we said "Alli, go lay out 3 outfits."  And when she was done with that, we said "Pick out some stuffed animals you want us to bring on the trip."  And then off to school we went.  Kim and I worked from home and packed here and there in between working spells.  When I finally went into Alli's room to grab her things, it just made me laugh.  She did a great job laying everything out.

Hiccups / Reading / Responsible Big Girl!

So, this is really 3 different subject posts in one, but they are all short.

1) HICCUPS

This baby has ridiculous amounts of hiccups.  And since I feel *everything* that the baby does inside of me, I feel every case of the hiccups.  Yesterday afternoon, Alli and I were watching a little TV after dinner and the baby got the hiccups again (3rd time that day).  So I told Alli that the baby had hiccups and put her hand on my belly where I feel them and she was able to feel the rhythm with me.  She kissed my belly and told the baby that it was okay, they would go away.  What a sweetie!

2) READING!

Yesterday at school, Alli was able to read 3 words:  cat, bat, hat.  Her preschool teacher, Mrs. Gyger, was working with her and made sure I knew Alli's great achievement when I dropped her off this morning.  Alli was very excited, as were we all.  Mrs. Gyger said "she is *so* ready to read!"

3) RESPONSIBLE BIG GIRL!

This morning we were running late for school because I chose to take 10 minutes out of the morning to play with Alli.  So I finally stopped and told her I had to go brush my teeth and finish getting ready so we could go to school, and she would have to then brush her teeth and get her shoes and socks on.  When I finished and go to the kitchen, I was going to pack up her backpack.  But it was gone.  I was a little dismayed, not knowing if Kim had tried to be helpful and did something with it, but it was not the time to misplace the backpack.  So I went into the fridge to get her lunch and that was gone as well.  Alli was in her bedroom, putting on her shoes and socks.  When she came out, she announced she had already brushed her teeth, she had her shoes/socks on, and she was wearing her backpack.  She had taken her lunch from the fridge and packet it up herself.  WOW!!  What a big helper!  I was extremely excited and kept praising her for being so responsible, especially since we were running late.  That's my girl!!!  :D

Week 30 Checkup

Another good visit with the doctor.  This baby has Kim’s nose and Kim’s lips.  That’s about all we can tell visually right now.  Everything on the baby looks healthy.  The baby is practicing it’s breathing, which apparently is a good sign.  We could see the “breathing” on the ultrasound.  Apparently, that means the baby is not stressed and maturing nicely. 

One thing that did surprise me were the results of the glucose tolerance test.  Apparently, normal range is 145 or below.  My number was 150.  He said that wasn’t really bad, but I should cut down on my carbs and sugars.  Huh!  I wonder what changed from when I was pregnant with Alli!  But, I guess I will be watching my diet a little closer for the carbs and sugars.  He said it’s nothing bad, just that since the sugar stays in my system longer, the baby is getting some of it, and that can make for a bigger baby (not really what I’m looking for.)  I’m wondering if that also explains the fact that I’ve gained 16 lbs already, and I only gained a total of 18 lbs with Alli. But, mom and baby are healthy, so I am just thankful for that.

One more thing - if I had to guess, this baby has Kim's personality.  Here's an example:  When Alli was in my belly, at night, I would lay on my left side but if I ever changed to my right side, Alli would kick relentlessly until I finally went back to my left side.  This baby, when I switch sides, will kick for a few times and then just "oh, whatever" and settle back down.  Totally laid back - and that's Kim!!!

Vacation in Tucson

This summer, we decided to check out one of the (somewhat) local resorts down in Tucson.  We picked the JW Marriott at Starr Pass – mostly because they seemed to have lots of things for kids (pools mostly).  So we were able to spend part of a day on their lazy river and huge water slide, and then almost a full day at the other pool, swimming all around and watching Kim down his margaritas!  J  It was a nice vacation, although more expensive than I was expecting given our phenomenal room rate.  I think they jacked all the food and drink prices up a ton, cause ate/drank almost double what we paid for the room!!!

After our resort stay, we went and stayed with friends for a night at their new house.  It was beautiful and we had lots of fun, especially since they had a little dog that Alli was able to chase around.  At one point, Jen held her little dog (Dexter, now affectionately known as Texter) so Alli could pet him.  They had a little conversation, which she filled me in on later.

Alli:  “Sometimes when I do this to Bagheera (grabs her neck and starts choking), then he growls.”

Jen:  “Oh!  Why would you do that then?”

Alli:  “Because sometimes I’m a good girl, and sometimes I’m not.”

Oh my!!!  I guess I need to pay more attention to our “good girl” when I hear Bagheera growl!!!

Sibling Love

At my last Ob visit, Dr. Plimpton had asked me if the baby responded to Kim's voice.  I told him no, but that the baby seemed to respond to Alli's voice.  In the days that followed, I was rethinking that answer, wondering if the baby really was responding to Alli's voice.  But this morning I decided I was 100% correct in the answer.

We are on a little stay-cation.  Well, we're considering Tucson close enough to home to call it a stay-cation, although if you ask Alli, the drive was very long.  :)  So we are at a beautiful resort in Tucson, cashing in on their summer specials, using their many awesome pools, and of course paying exorbitant amounts of money for food and alcohol.  This morning Alli woke up early as usual, but being that we are all in one room, we couldn't send her out to watch TV, so we tried to have her play on the iPad quietly while we continued to sleep.  Well, that lasted about 10 minutes and then it was melt-down city.  The discipline from daddy and crying from Alli ensued, and meanwhile, the baby got extremely agitated and I was just getting kicked like all get-out.  The baby was so upset for the entire duration that Alli cried, and so I've decided that this baby just genuinely loves his/her sister and was very upset by Alli's crying - reacting to her more than any voice the baby hears.  Awww....  I hope the two really enjoy each other!

Haircut Turned Spa Day for Alli

Today the whole family went to get haircuts.  This doesn’t happen very often where our haircuts align, but today it did.  So Alli got her hair just trimmed, because she wants to grow it long (like Rapunzel) and with no bangs.  (Should have thought of that before she cut part of her bangs to the quick!)  So Stacy did a great job evening out the last of the Alli haircut and got it shaped so we could just let it grow for a long time before another cut would be necessary.  After the haircut, Alli was most excited because Mary (Stacy's assistant) paints her nails (to keep her entertained while Kim and I are getting cut).  Alli already knew she wanted green nailpolish and was very excited to ask Mary for it.
So Mary painted Alli's finger nails, and then Alli said "now toes!".  Oh boy.  We were laughing.  She picked a sparkly red for her toes.  As a mom of a 4 year old, I cringe over the dark colors, but I must admit, they look really good on her!

So at the end of Alli's haircut-turned-spa-day, we decided to document with some pics.  Here is Alli with Mary (on left) and Stacy (on right), as well as a pic of her fingernails and toenails.

And after all the fun at the salon, we went out for some yummy ice cream.  Can you guess what Alli's favorite flavor is?  :)

Our Summer Cleaning Project

I believe I blogged earlier that my goal was to clean all the closets in the house, to make room to fit the baby and all the “stuff” that comes with babies.  The goal was to throw things out, take them to Goodwill, or find a new home for them in different areas of the house, all in order to make the spare bedroom (and current storage area) the baby’s room.  So, let’s just say, we haven’t done a very good job on this house project for most of this summer. 

To spark my drive (and therefore drive Kim as well), I decided to order a changing table/dresser for the baby.  And where to put it?  Well, in order to put it in the spare bedroom, we would *have* to do some cleaning.  :)  (At least I know how to put the right carrot in front of my face!)  So this weekend, we had about 70 books go to Goodwill, a couple of bags of clothes / handbags / miscellaneous items, and a couple of old cameras that we haven’t used in about 7 years.  We filled 2 garbage bags with “things” that we haven’t touched in over 5 years – most of which are products that we do not use anymore and therefore don’t need to replace.  By the end of the weekend, I felt we had made a decent dent in our house.

I’m hoping the drive stays with us a couple more weeks.  There are things in the garage we can clean out (although it’s really hot outside to be working in the garage), and there are still things in our bedrooms, bathrooms, office, and kitchen.  Yes, still a lot of cleaning out.  Maybe this is a good thing that we have a little one coming – it’s making us get rid of the clutter that just winds up collecting over the years.