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

eating Oreos on the couch

Well, its official - I am now on maternity leave. My hernia (or "hyenia" as I call it in honor of Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles) has progressively gotten worse and more uncomfortable.


The Doctor diagnosed it as an inguinal hernia. The condition is more common in men, but is not abnormal to be found affecting pregnant women. The occurrence of this condition in pregnant women is 1 in 1,000 according to the Mayo Clinic. One of the concerns of this condition is strangulation of the intestine (reduced blood flow causing the tissue to die), or when a loop of intestine becomes trapped in the weak point in the abdominal wall which may obstruct the bowel, leading to severe pain, nausea, vomiting and the inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas. WELL, for those of you that know me ... there are no problems with the bowel movements or passing gas! LOL! I guess that is a VERY good sign! I was only able to find a picture of what this condition looks like in males (i.e. sketchings of male anatomy affected by the condition). Honestly, I didn't really feel like posting a picture of male anatomy on my little site ... but if you have a morbid curiosity, you can "google" the condition. The Mayo Clinic website is quite informative!

Anyhow, so the next couple of weeks I am going to have to find stuff to occupy my time. I am going to have to resist the urge to park my behind on the couch and eat Oreos all day! Actually, I am trying to be good and swim each day and I have made a list of items to accomplish for when I start to feel bored.

Anyhow, I just wanted to give ya'll a little update. I will have pictures next time as the family is going camping this weekend :o)

Ciao -
Jenn

test results

Great news ... my glucose test results came back normal! No gestational diabetes for me! Yahoo! I can continue to eat as much fruit as I like .... Life is GOOD!

I am still working on getting my latest ultrasound pictures scanned and uploaded for every one's enjoyment. Unfortunately, I do not own a scanner so I am kind of at the mercy of others who are more technologically advanced than myself!

I included a pic of Emily (my sister-in-law) and myself at around 28 weeks. I am now going on 32 weeks (8 weeks to go!) and have gotten a little bigger since this last photo. I will have Tim take a picture sometime in the next week or so and I will post it up!

Anyhow, I hope this finds each of you doing well! Until the next time ....

J

Its raining, its pouring ..

Well, you all know that saying ... when it rains, it pours! So the hernia ... that condition is pretty static for now. I have been working a modified schedule (5 hours a day) which seems to keep the discomfort at a manageable level. I feel very grateful to work for an employer that can accommodate me with reduced hours ... hallelujah!



Ok, so the next thing to come down the health-related pipeline ......Two weeks ago I went in to take a standard glucose test that all pregnant ladies take around 26-30 weeks. The purpose of the test is to see how efficiently a pregnant body processes sugar and how much glucose is left in the blood stream for the baby to use.... basically, I get to drink a concoction that tastes like a flat Sierra Mist and have my blood drawn one hour after drinking my little cocktail. The lab then determines if my levels are too high which could point towards a condition known as gestational diabetes. Well, apparently there was too much glucose in my blood stream after the one hour so I had to go back for a three hour test this past Thursday. The three hour test monitors the blood levels over a longer period of time, which helps determine if there truly is a problem or if the previous test was erroneous.

The three hour test required me to fast (a total of 12 hours without sustenance) and have my blood drawn four times. Needless to say, it is a bad idea to withhold food from a pregnant lady (especially one that MUST have breakfast to function) and I was not a happy camper in being poked by the sado-masochist ...err, phlebotomist several times. Needless to say, it was not a very pleasant experience and I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't the receptionist's fault that I didn't get to eat my breakfast that morning! Anyhow, I am still awaiting the results of my three hour test and will be sure to keep ya'll in the loop once I find out.


You may wonder: What happens if it comes back positive and I do have gestational diabetes? Well, the condition allows the baby to get fatter, quicker ... from what I understand, the major impact is that I may need to have labor induced early depending on how bit the baby gets. I am hoping it comes back normal and that everything is Jim-Dandy!

On an other note, the nursery is coming along! Fezzik has claimed the nursery as his ... he is the king of the rocking chair and owner of the area rug as can be told by his fur left behind! We have sooooooo much stuff piled in there that still needs to find a home ... I have no idea how we are going to make room for it all! Thank you to all of those that have helped us in "stocking up" for our little peanut! We can't wait for his arrival and we can't wait for all of you to meet him!

We hope this finds each of you doing well!
Love,
Jenn, Tim, Peanut, Nahla, Fez, and Bella ......

montage of happenings ...

Another couple of weeks have gone by and Tim and I have been through additional pregnancy adventures! We had a shower, a 3D/4D ultrasound, and a prenatal appointment since my last post.

The shower was wonderful! I was able to visit with family from near and far. Tim and I received many treasures that will greatly help us in providing for our little peanut. While the ladies got together at my mom's house, Tim and the guys had their "male bonding" day out water skiing on the river.


The 3D/4D ultrasound was an interesting experience to say the least! We arrived at the clinic in the middle of the afternoon which, is one of peanut's active times during the day. The technitian started by capturing an image in the traditional ultrasound (2D) image - he then converted the image to 3D which allowed us to see a pituresque version of our peanut's face. The images captured were distored in various ways ... for one, the little man is completely smashed in a very small, tight space! My placenta was cozied up to the side of his face like his favorite little blankie and the umbilical cord covered part of his mouth. We were able to hear the heart beat, capture an image of his face, and of course, check out his junk down below. I will be sure to include SOME of the photos on the blog once I am able to scan and upload them (no junk pics). I was going to wait to post the 3D/4D experience until I had the photos uploaded and ready to go; however, I felt it important to share the following news:


For the past three weeks (or so) I have had a lump in my groin area that has been quite uncomfortable. At times, the pain would be mild and could only be felt once I stood after a long period of sitting. Most nights, the swelling would subside in my sleep and be all but gone (besides some tenderness in the area) in the morning. However, after about 15 or 20 minutes of standing, the swelling and discomfort would return. In the past week, the discomfort has increased enough for me to address my concern with my Doc at today's prenatal appointmet.


Well, it turns out I have a hernia! Unfortunatly, there isn't really anything that can be done at this point as the condition needs to be surgically remedied. Unless my condition becomes serious, they will not fix it until after the baby is born. What does this mean for me right now, you may ask? Well, as long as it remains the same (swelling continuing to subside at night - meaning the intestine sucking back in where it belongs) I can get by on a modified work schedule, no more walking for excercize and plenty of time sitting on my duffer. However, if my condition worsens (as it may with additional weight gain) I may be required to be on bed rest and to have a C-section delivery :( The doctor said that my current condition does not jeapordize the baby - the only element for now is my discomfort. The Doc said that I probably have had this condition all along but it has most likely been aggrivated with the pregnancy weight gain.


Soooo, it sucks that I have a hernia, but I am glad to know what the swelling is from and that the baby is fine! I tell you, nothing is more scary than the unknown! Anyhow, I wil keep you all posted as to what developes! For all of you that pray, I could use the prayers - for all of you that "think" I can use your thoughts!!

I hope this finds everyone doing well!

Love,
Jenn

A bib for a monkey

As I become increasingly large, I have adapted as the human race has done for thousands of years. Sadly, my adaptation has taken me a step backwards in the evolutionary process. I have learned to become increasingly proficient in using my toes. Instead of bending over to pick up things that I have dropped, I now grip the key ring, pencil, piece of paper, etc .. with my toes and bring the object up to hands reach. Tim is quite impressed with my ability to turn the water spickett on and off with my toes so I may continue to water my plants in the back yard. I must say, I too am proud of my inventiveness as I now rarely have to squat like a sumo wrestler to pick things up. Instead of mimicking the movements of a sumo wrestler, I now use my feet like a monkey.... I like that analogy, monkeys are much more agile and not nearly as fat.

So you are probably wondering what the bib comment was about? All women who are mothers know to what I am referring...and no it is not in reference to their little rug rats. My belly has created a shelf that catches all food that somehow falls out of my mouth. No, I am not wearing a pendant necklace in this picture. Although you can barely see it, you are witnessing my latest accessory ... Thai peanut sauce!! Its all the rage! Sadly, I can rarely eat a meal without spilling something on my protruding belly because I have also developed a hole in my lip. All I can say is "thank goodness for the Tide pen!" People with kids and women who are pregnant should vote to give the inventor of the Tide pen the Nobel Prize!!

In other interesting news, my due date was changed once again ... sigh! It is now September 17th. HA! Suckers! I was right ... many of you who know me well, know that I LOVE being right!

Tim and I are working to finish up the nursery. My mom has been assigned many sewing projects to keep her busy ... quilt, curtains, crib skirt, and a rocking chair pad. I think it will come together nicely as time permits .... once it is in some type of order, I will be sure to post a picture.

Well, that is all for now. I need to go throw my peanut sauce shirt in the wash ... that is, unless I want another painting shirt!! I hope you all are doing well in your endeavors!

Hugs,

Jenn (a.k.a. the Monkey that needs a bib)