Let the count up begin...

Beginning yesterday, I'll have doctor appointments every week until Baby H decides to arrive. Dr. Smith said everything looks good. In fact, it was kind of an exciting appointment -- I'm 1 cm dilated! I asked, "So what does that mean?" and he said, "It means you're 1 cm dilated." Ha. Basically, I could stay like this for the next few weeks, or I could keep dilating. I'm just "ahead of the game," as Dr. Smith said.

During the exam, Dr. Smith could tell that Junior's head is "way down there" -- which isn't surprising to me since, as I've said before, his hiccups kind of give him away. I'm continuing to gain weight, and the baby's heartbeat is still going strong. He was moving around again, and the nurse had to follow him with the monitor to get his heartbeat. As active as he's been all pregnancy, I have a feeling he's going to keep us busy from the beginning.

While counting up the centimeters, the days are counting down... it's hard to believe that we're less than a month away from meeting our little guy!! It seems like there is so much to do -- install the car seat, pack a hospital bag, pick out his "going home" outfit. We went shopping at Sam's the other day and stocked up on frozen foods, and I hope to make some meals to stick in the freezer too. I still need to find a pediatrician, not to mention everything I need to do at work and with Mary Kay to prepare for some time off. I know everything will be fine, though. I'm not worried :)

I have slowed down a lot in the past few weeks, though. Which is tough for me because I'm used to being on the go all the time. I suppose it's good for me to slow down a little! I just feel too tired to do things I need to do. I guess what needs to be done will get done, so again, I'm not too worried. It would help if I could get comfortable at night and sleep all the way through :)

Showered with gifts (part 2)

OK, here they are. :)

My wonderful sister-in-law Heather threw us a fun shower in Bedford at my equally as wonderful mother-in-law's house. The theme tied in with our nursery bedding and decorations. We received a lot of nice things. It was funny to see the difference in what we got at this shower compared to what we got at the first one in Ohio -- fewer clothes, more books, for one example.

Enjoy!

The cute -- and yummy -- cakes.

My two moms :)

My Bedford, Va., family -- mom-in-law, grandma-in-law and sister-in-law with our niece (who actually live in Richmond...)

A good view of all of our gifts.

Hat made by mom-in-law.

Diaper bag from mom.

Aunt Elaine and cousin Nicole came down from Ohio with Mom. I just love her face as she checks out the English-, Spanish- and French-speaking octopus!


First bank I opened, painted at a pottery place by my brother Allan and his wife Leslie. So cute!

Second bank I opened, painted by niece Eliza. Very cute as well -- can't have too many banks, especially in these economic times!

Eliza tells me about how she painted the bank for her baby cousin.

I just love these swim trunks that Eliza picked out!

Baby H's Great-Grandma Angel made this beautiful quilt using a crib sheet from our registry so it would match exactly. It's so nice, and I'm sure the baby will treasure it as he grows up!

A stroller with built-in infant car seat from David's dad and step-mom.

"So, I'm supposed to smell this?!" David's step-mom's sister is playing the game that Heather had set up for the guests -- guess what candy bar is smashed up in the diapers. It was fun to watch people stick their noses in to see what they were!

Gaining weight, learning to breathe

Sorry, I know I've been slacking on the postings. Here are the latest updates:

Last Tuesday was our most recent doctor's appointment, and everything's going well. We're both gaining weight like we should be. Dr. Smith answered my questions with patience, and I felt better about things I've been feeling. Baby H. is still moving around like a gymnast, although in recent days it's a little less frequent. The books say that's because he's running out of room to move. I think he's also getting into position; Dr. Smith said at our next appointment, which is Tuesday of next week, he'll be able to tell how the little guy is positioned. When Dr. Smith felt my belly last week, he had kind of a confused look on his face... he said it was almost as if Junior is on his side. I can tell that by his kicks and movements -- like I mentioned in a previous post, his feet seem to be at my upper right, and his head (judging from his hiccups) at my lower left, almost at a diagonal. Starting next week, I'll be seeing Dr. Smith every week and he'll be doing internal measurements. I can't believe D-Day is right around the corner!!

Last Tuesday was also our first of two Lamaze classes, the second being last night. They were really interesting and, I think, fun. David and I learned different breathing techniques to get me through contractions and labor, and he learned all sorts of ways to help me when I feel like it gets to be too much :) I've pretty much decided that I won't get an epidural unless I absolutely can't handle the pain. I've talked to several friends who didn't use an epidural for pain and they did just fine. There is just something about having a needle put that close to my spine, not being able to get out of the bed once it's in, and not being able to feel much of anything from my belly down for a significant period of time that I just can't embrace the idea. I'm learning that there are other ways to find relief!

We haven't taken a recent belly shot, but plan to do that soon. I'll post it once it's been taken. I'll also post Bedford shower pictures, hopefully tomorrow. I know, I'm a slacker... just like I haven't written any thank you cards. They're coming, don't worry!

It's funny the reactions I get from people about how I look. If they see me from behind and then I turn around, they're shocked that I'm pregnant because Baby H. is like a basketball on my front. Most people ask when I'm due and then comment on how small I look. I guess I'll take it as a compliment, although I know how much I weigh!! I've never, ever weighed even close to what I am now -- although I know there's a baby involved :)

OK, I believe I'm pregnant now...

So, I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. I admit that, and I know I'm lucky. I didn't have morning sickness, I haven't had many real cravings, I haven't had an aversion to foods or smells. I have my tired days, but I haven't been sick (knock on wood).

Well, this week I hit 33 weeks, and I guess Baby H decided it was time I didn't have it so easy. I started off the week feeling really run down (although that could have had to do with all the running around we did last weekend putting together Junior's room -- photos coming soon). Then Wednesday I felt nauseous for a good portion of the day. That was not fun. I don't know exactly what it was, but Thursday I was feeling much better.

I do get tired and winded a lot easier than pre-pregnancy, which I am not surprised by. I've cut back on walking around the neighborhood to twice a week on a good week. And I take naps when I can. I must say I'm glad I work two part-time jobs -- one of which allows me to make my own hours -- instead of a full-time job. I don't know what I'd do :)

Another thing I've noticed in the past few weeks is awful heartburn/acid reflux. It's terrible. I finally broke down and bought myself a bottle of Tums today... they seem to help. I'm starting to pin down the foods that trigger it -- it's hard to cut anything out at this point, since I've had the pleasure of eating whatever I want this whole pregnancy (see paragraph 1).

And lastly, though possibly most importantly, I've noticed my terrible memory lately. It's so bad, I forgot that I had the photos from my Bedford shower on our camera, not Heather's (who took the pictures, but with our camera), until this past week, when my mother-in-law reminded me of the fact... So those photos will be going up soon, I promise -- I don't have to wait to get them in e-mail like I thought I did.

Baby Boy H has hiccups again :) It's such a weird/neat feeling. He moves around alot, mostly on my right side. I think I can tell where he is these days -- his little feet kick me on the right, and his hiccups come from my lower left, which would be about right, since D-Day is only a little more than a month away!

My next doctor's appointment is Tuesday morning, and I have a short list of questions for Dr. Smith. I'll give an update on here next week. I never really gave a report from the last appointment, but everything was fine. We're both growing like we should be!

Showered with gifts (Part 1)

OK, here are the long promised shower photos. I'll start with ones from Ohio. Like I mentioned before, it had a ducky theme. Mom and Aunt Elaine, with help from some others, were responsible for this great event :)

The duck on the left is soap... the one on the right, chocolate!

Yummy cake :)

Grandma, me and Mom ... can you see the family resemblance? :)

Lots of great gifts! Let the unwrapping begin!! I tried to pick out some of the more interesting photos... :) Thanks, Nicole, for capturing just the right facial expressions!!

My wonderful helper, Kristina!

A blanket hand-made by Grandma.


Gifts for everyone! Here I'm drawing a name for a door prize.

Aunt Pat, me and Aunt Elaine.

David showed up just in time to load gifts into the vehicles!

Quick report

I just wanted to make a quick announcement: I am no longer an "innie" :) It's funny how your body changes during pregnancy -- my ankles disappear by the end of the day, my feet move slower than they used to, I'm constantly hungry. Plus, if you start out with an "innie" belly button, chances are it will eventually pop out. Well, that's what mine did over the weekend. As David says, it's now more even with my belly than it is an "outie."

Ah, the joys of pregnancy! :)

What a weekend...

This past weekend was the baby shower in Bedford thrown by David's sister Heather and their family. It was a lot of fun, and the decorations were very cute! We have some creative families -- the Ohio shower, which was equally as cute, was a duck theme, and the Bedford shower's decor played off of our nursery bedding, which is helicopters and airplanes.

My mom, aunt and cousin were able to come down for the shower, and my brother Allan and his wife Leslie were able to come up, which made it extra special. Mom and her crew got to our place Friday night, then Saturday morning we all headed to Bedford. Saturday evening they went to Allan and Leslie's in North Carolina for the night before heading home.

Sunday David and I came back to Richmond. I had a Mary Kay appointment later that afternoon, so I rushed to that -- and in my haste, I fell when I was hurrying into my customer's apartment. It was a little embarassing, though very painful. Both of my knees got scraped up (my pantyhose were ruined, of course), as did the back of my left hand. I also caught myself with the palm of my right hand, but that came out unscratched. So I'll be wearing pants for a little while to cover up my extra-large bandaids. I haven't really had a problem with balance so far in my pregnancy, but I'm sure it had something to do with my fall!

No worries, though -- Junior is just fine. In fact, I believe he had hicups Sunday night, and again Monday evening!! It's kind of neat. He's still moving around like crazy, although it seems he moves more when I'm not around people who want to feel him move :)

I promise, pictures are coming soon!!