Bag of tacks

Today and yesterday were eventful days for Peanut progress.

Yesterday, Tim and I took a tour of the hospital in which we hope to welcome our little Peanut. We are members of Kaiser and they have a hospital in South Sacramento that is home to a very nice maternity ward ... well as nice as a hospital ward can be. Tim is normally the one that is freaked out by hospitals; however yesterday, I was the one who was shaking in my shoes. Mostly, the tour made the impending birth of our Peanut a reality. Although the big belly and preger ailments are reality enough, the tour made the proximity of our reality an absolute truth! I am hopeful there is room to check in to the South Sacramento hospital we toured as we are "assigned" to another hospital that is closer to our house. If South Sacramento is full, we will then be asked to go to Kaiser off of Morse Avenue, which is an older facility and does not have the same accouterments that Kaiser South hosts.

Today marked my 36 week prenatal appointment. I saw the doctor and was able to have some of my most recent questions answered. I had some concerns as some of my body parts have begun to function differently and are not feeling so great (i.e., shooting nerve pain in my butt, nosebleeds, cervix discomfort, increased hernia swelling, and pooper trouble -I'll just leave it at that). Most of the changes I have experienced in the last week are due to the fact that our little Peanut has dropped into the chute! The increased pressure in my pelvis area has caused my intestines to be totally squished (explains the pooper trouble and increased hernia swelling), my nerves are affected (shooting butt pain), and his head is grazing my cervix (cervix discomfort) ....my salvation is that I am in the home stretch and hypothetically have only three more weeks to experience these symptoms.

After the doc answered my questions, she started the physical exam where she swabbed me for strep (in the hind parts, not in the mouth), and checked to see if I was dilated. Ogh mama mia!!!..... that process was about as comfortable as sitting on a bag of tacks!! I nearly rolled off the table when she performed that process! To all you moms out there ... God bless you for going through that discomfort!! It will be nice when I am in the hospital with the epidural and won't be able to feel that happen on a semi-regular basis. For those of you who don't know, the doctor jams her hand up the hoo-hoo and measures with her finger to see if the cervix (at the tippy top of the vaginal canal) has opened at all. The good news is that everything is sealed up and no dilation has occurred. I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if he came early because of the discomfort, but he still has some time to bake just yet.


On an other note, I have included some sporadic pictures of the nursery. It is still being worked on, but the pictures will at least give you all an indication of what it looks like for now. The picture to the right is of an aboriginal tapestry that serves as the inspiration for the nursery. The tapestry was given to me by Jarv, my surrogate brother from Australia who is very dear to my heart.
Well, I am off to watch a movie and resume my position on the couch!

Until the saga continues...

Signing off,
The Mother Ship

Balloon

Well, as you can see - I am starting to balloon. No, I am not hiding a beach ball under my top! It is hard to move around with that great big obstacle in my way! I will be happy for our Peanut to arrive not only for the sake of meeting our little Peanut - but also to deflate the beach ball!!

As you now witness, this picture describes how much of my time is spent. Tim must have snapped this picture unbeknownst to me. I was uploading pictures for today's little post and saw this one. The cat apparently, was using me as his little bed. He kind of found a nice little contour with the belly ... I am an ergonomically-correct cat bed! Joy!

So some of you may know this, but most probably not ... in the summer months, Tim and his brother suffer (not really) from a strange phenomenon ... cave man feet. Both their feet swell and look like Flinstone feet until the weather cools down. One thing I am proud to announce is that my feet have yet to drastically swell. They only swell slightly if I have been on my feet too long. I thought this picture was funny ... it showcases my feet on a swollen day (for me) and a normal day for Tim ... ding!! ding!! ding!! I win, my feet are less swollen! Yeah!

Well, things are falling into order now... well, as much order as it can be! I have installed car seat bases in both cars. The picture is of Tim assembling the pack n' play .... Mr. proud papa once again, assembling a sleeping area for our peanut! We have our hospital tour scheduled for this coming Wednesday and my 36 week prenatal appointment is on Thursday. I am in the home stretch and will, of course, keep you all posted as to any updates in my (or Peanut's) condition!

I hope this finds you all doing well!

Hugs,

Jenn

4 weeks to go

Hello from preger land .....
I thought I would just post a little update with a few pictures taken this past weekend ....


This past Saturday, my good friend of 22 years (Angela) was married here in Sacramento. We were fortunate the summer heat was on vacation somewhere besides Sacramento (I think it parked itself in the form of a heat wave on the East coast). I was excited to be involved with Angie's wedding even though I couldn't be in the wedding party - I followed her around during the day and helped in any way I could. Her wedding was truly beautiful and my round belly behaved itself throughout the day. I did have to confess to Tim that I had a love affair that night .... that is, with the buffet that was served during the reception. Olive bread, salad, fresh fruit (two helpings), shrimp salad, salmon in cream sauce, prime rib, and two pieces of wedding cake ... not to mention the three shirley temples and two cups of decaf coffee I had to wash it all down! Ogh what the hell ... I am pregnant, and if there was any time to indulge and treat myself it is when I am eight months pregnant and have been waddling after a bride all day!

Sunday found me pretty tired and sore from my "hyena" and previous day activities.... It was my mom's birthday and my Aunt Dorothy and two cousins, Jamie and Kim came down from Chico. They brought my dresser that Dorothy re-finished (the last piece of furniture for the nursery) and then we all took a trip to Ikea. Against my better judgment - I decided to brave Ikea on a Sunday with them. After all, it is not that often that I get to see my aunt and cousins! We enjoyed a late lunch (I took it easy with a ham and cheese sandwich, chocolate milk and a banana since I was still full from the previous evening!) .... I found a nice straw chaise lounge downstairs and waited for the girls while they wound themselves through the maze of furniture madness. I must say, I had the best seat in the joint! I would like to say the picture makes me look fatter than I am, but the truth is that I am getting BIG! Just call me big mama! No ... actually, that might not be such a good idea these days :o) Yesterday, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably while watching The Bridge to Terabithia as one of the main characters died during the movie. Oy-vey, gotta love the prego hormones!

Anyhow, the picture of the nursery is fast approaching. I have made progress over the past few days now that the dresser has arrived!

I hope you all are doing well !

Hugs -Jenn

last date (for a while) ....

Well, this note comes to you on a VERY full stomach (in more ways than one)! Tim and I just got back from one of our last date nights for a while. We went out and saw the new Harry Potter movie and then enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at our favorite restaurant, Scott's Seafood. We topped off our little evening with a single scoop of Baskin Robbins ice cream. Auuuggghhhh, it just tastes good re-living the last two hours!

The other full tummy part ... comes from being 35 weeks pregnant!! No stretch marks yet (knock on wood) ... Holy s&%$ - there are only 5 more weeks to go! I have a feeling that these last five weeks are going to go very fast. Tim and I are anticipating the arrival of our little peanut, but are enjoying the sleep while we still can. We are still working on the nursery - it is coming along slowly, but surely.

We just finished a 4-day camping trip to Loon Lake with the Browns which, was nice. It was refreshing to "get out of Dodge." Although I spent my time parking my derriere in a camp chair, or in David and Marge's 5th wheel trailer, I truly enjoyed the "last hoorah" away from home for a great while. I was fortunate enough to sleep in the 5th wheel, which is equipped with a flush toilet ... this was a vital part of my happiness for the trip due to my current nocturnal pee pee habits (twice, most likely three times a night). I also was still able to enjoy my cereal and milk each day! What a life! Nahla accompanied us and was truly filthy when she came home. She still has some pitch on her fur even though she has had two shampoos since arriving back home.

Hernia update: it sucks more than it did before. I find myself needing to lay on my side more often to alleviate the pain. So far, so good on having a normal delivery however. At my last appointment, the nurse practitioner said that I can try for a normal delivery as long as things don't change for the worse. On a good point, I only gained three pounds since my last appointment! Ya-hoo! I have kicked-up my swimming and feel great for doing so. The little peanut is more active than ever - I mostly feel his little foot move around under my right boob .. he apparently, likes being close to that spot. He is truly a boy!

Other than having trouble wiping my own butt and needing Tim's help to wash my feet, things are hunky-dory!

Signing off for now ....

The Mother Ship