Monday
February 4, 39wk.
Guess
what I'll be doing on Super Tuesday....
I'LL
BE HAVING A BABY!!!!!!! (Much more interesting that
watching the election results on TV if I may say so... )
My
doc wanted to start out with a NST, and apparently the results,
combined with the fact that my blood pressure had gone up
slightly and there were still traces of protein in my urine
made him decide. I was 3 cm. dilated and things were "in
progress", but because of the elevated BP and the protein
the doctor wanted to book me in at the hospital for either
tomorrow or Wednesday to be on the safe side. I'll be admitted
at St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank tomorrow morning at 5:30
am. Because of the elevated BP he did warn me that they might
have to administer the epidural, but we won't be able to say
anything for certain about that until tomorrow. Right after
the exam - as I got off the table - it felt as if my water
broke. I immediately went to the bathroom and I'm pretty sure
it did. Sorry for the ignorance, but heck, this is the first
time I'm going through this, but I'm pretty sure. Anyways,
the reason why I'm not 100% sure is that now, several hours
later, I'm still not experiencing strong contractions, so
maybe it didn't, who knows?
Anyways,
my doctor was very excited and everything looked good: Kai's
position is favorable, my physique is good and my hospital
bed is ready. What more do I want?
David
suggested we go out for a steak dinner, which we did and it
was delicious. Great steak that melted in my mouth. I've got
3 more hours that I can eat, before all food and liquids are
forbidden (after midnight), so I may still make myself another
sandwich before I go to bed. Who knows when I get to eat again??
Physically
I feel tired. I'm cramping lightly and my body is sore and
it feels as if it's a lot later than it really is. I can tell
that Kai has dropped as far as he can. When I get up it almost
feels as if he's about to drop out from between my legs  ,
but I guess that's normal.
It's
strange, the thought that tonight will be David and my last
night together. Tomorrow by this time I might be a mommy....the
thought is so unreal and still so strange, but I guess I'll
get used to it soon enough  .
I'm experiencing a combination of feelings, hard to describe.
On one hand excitement to meet Kai (finally). Then there is
a bit of "exploring the unknown". I know that once
I get to the hospital they'll do blood work in preparation
of the epidural, but what happens after that...I have no idea.
I guess I'm on the ride right now, and all there is left to
do is just ride it.
Wow,
I'm going to meet this little being tomorrow. This little
creature that I've felt move around inside of me for so long
and now, finally I get to meet him. I'm excited and am looking
forward to holding him in my arms, looking him in his eyes
and seeing the human being and the love that David and I created.
How awesome is that!?!?!?!?!
I
guess I'll be back in a few days.
With
love,
An excited mommy-to-be  .
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Sunday
February 3, 38wk.6d.
Did
I mention already that I am so ready to get Kai out and be
done with being pregnant?? I'm sorry if I'm falling in repetition,
but it's simply how I feel. Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED
being pregnant and these past 39 weeks have been absolutely
amazing and overly wondrous, but I've arrived at the point
where nature kicks in and tells you that all good things have
to come to an end and it's time for Kai to be born. Unfortunately
though, I don't think he has received that memo (yet).
My
back has been killing me these past few days. It constantly
feels as if someone put electro-patches on the muscles behind
my right shoulder blade and pulses it constantly with little
electric stimulation. They tingle and spasm and there just
does not seem to be a way around it. I treated myself to a
heavenly pregnancy massage this afternoon and the therapist
actually knew to get rid of the knots for all of 1 1/2 hours
before they came back and tightened my back up again.
On
Friday we had our re-check at the doctor's office to check
my blood pressure and protein levels in the urine. They both
were fine, nothing to worry about, which was a good thing
as my doc had gone sailing this weekend and wasn't around...
I did mention that I hardly ever really feel the
contractions and up 'til that point had a hard time defining
the difference between the Braxton Hicks and real
contractions. As a result, the nurse decided to do a NST -
the one that Kai hates with a passion. And he communicated
that once again this time. I got hooked up to the monitors
and when he decided to lay low and the nurse buzzed him, he
kicked me the hardest he has ever kicked me. It made me jump
and in turn made both my mom and David jump as well. It brought
tears to my eyes, the poor fellow got startled to the max.
His heart made a jump of 30bpm and the moment was followed
by a contraction that ran off the page.
Long
story short: all is well and I'm still pregnant. We have our
weekly doctor's appointment tomorrow at 3:30 pm. In the meantime,
David has booked a commercial which shoots on Thursday, so
we actually do want to talk to the doc and see what we can
do to possibly expedite Kai's arrival and maybe get him to
enter this world on Wednesday.
Mom
and dad arrived on Thursday and are staying for the full month
of February. It's lovely to have them over and they are such
a great help around the house. I'm glad that Kai held out
to be born until they arrived, so they can share in the experience
as well. If all works out, even Goddaddy Mike will be back
from business tomorrow night and will be around to meet his
godson as soon as he enters this world. I'm very happy about
that, nothing better than having family and friends around
for an event like this.
In
the meantime I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by phone
calls and inquiries that go along the lines of "Has Kai
arrived yet??" Uh, no, if he had, we would have shared
the news.
No news = still pregnant.
Yet at the same time, if nobody would inquire, it'd be annoyed
about that as well, so I guess I'm finding myself in a phase
where I just get easily annoyed. Oh well, at least I recognize
it myself. No offense to anyone though, I get that people
are interested and especially close friends and family are
thinking of how things are going, but I guess it's just my
hormones acting up right now. I sincerely apologize for their
behavior, but all I can say is: "they've taken over".
Having
said that, I think I should give my hormones some well-deserved
rest and go to bed. Luckily I'm still sleeping okay, with
the exception of those nights when I have to get up for a
bathroom break during which I make the major mistake of starting
to *think*, which will then keep me up for an hour to 1 1/2
hours before I'm able to get some more shut-eye. I guess I
just shouldn't think so much. Yes, I know, "that should
be easy", but in fact, it's more difficult than....you
think (pardon the pun, I know, it's horrible). Well, off I
am.
Oh,
did I also mention that my belly aches?? It's this constant
pressure as if it's on a bruise, but it feels like somewhere
between painful and itchy. The only thing is that when I touch
it to lightly scratch, it's sore to the touch. And it's extra
painful when I laugh....darn it....
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Tuesday
January 29, 38wk.1d.
We
had our 38-wk OB Appointment yesterday and it wasn't as exciting
and spectacular as I had hoped for.
My blood pressure had gone up a bit (though still within safe
limits), but combined with some protein found in my urine,
it made the doctor want me come back later this week to have
these things re-checked. My appointment is for Friday. If
the blood pressure has gone up or is at a point that is higher
than it should be, we'll have to sit down and discuss the
possibility of induction. Quite honestly, I'd like to avoid
induction, but if it turns out to be the better and safer
choice for Kai, then so be it. I borrowed a blood pressure
machine from our friends so I can monitor it at home. If for
some reason it goes up either today or tomorrow, I'll pop
by the doctor's office earlier, otherwise we'll wait for Friday.
If everything is okay on Friday, I'll have my regular weekly
check-up again on Monday.
In
the meantime, Kai had dropped another centimeter to the -1
station. I'd expected that as my appetite has trippled over
the past few days. Lately I hadn't been able to eat more than
1/2 serving of dinner, but the last 2 nights I put (with ease)
2 deep dish servings away after which I'd look at David and
say "I'm still hungry, wanna go out for a milkshake?"
The darling actually humoured me and took me out for my much-desired
hot-fudge milkshake in the pouring rain. That's what you call
"LOVE". 
Yesterday
my hands were just aching (probably of the fluid retention
and the higher blood pressure). My knuckles were sore and
my middle and ring finger kept tingling and "falling
asleep". Very uncomfortable.
I
did some grocery shopping this morning. Mom and dad are arriving
on Thursday, so the fridge is and pantry are stacked. This
afternoon I have to go to the DMV to register our new Prius
(which we LOVE) anf for the rest I may tidy the house a bit
and / or do some scrapbooking. I'll try to take it easy rest
a bit as well.
I
just can't believe that Kai's arrival is around the corner.
It still feels so distant and unreal, but I guess that once
labor starts those feelings and experiences will change.
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Sunday
January 27, 37wk.6d.
I'm
still  .
Not much has happened this week, although I can tell clearly
that Kai has dropped more. My appetite is back: yesterday
and today I had 2 full dinner servings after which there was
still room for dessert. Lemme just clarify that I cannot remember
the last time I had that during or even before this pregnancy.
Also, since yesterday I'm experiencing this tremendous pressure
as if Kai is about to burst out of my belly, very uncomfortable
- makes doing anything on my feet impossible. Standing / walking
- not pretty and definitely not comfortable.
The
Braxton Hicks contractions come and go, although they still
don't happen that often to be quite honest. I don't know if
that's a sign that Kai may still be a while, or maybe that's
just how my body happens to work  .
We've
got our 38 week appointment with Dr. Pearson tomorrow. According
to his counting I'll be 38 1/2 week, so I'm very curious to
hear what the "progress" is. I'm getting more and
more excited about meeting Kai, yet at the same time I still
have this feeling of "what am I going to do once our
little monkey has made his entrance into this world?"
It's
obvious that he's running out of room "in there".
Any movement or adjustment in position from his part feels
like a tremendous "ouch" to my belly and internal
components. Luckily I'm still sleeping well and am only waking
up 2-3 times a night, so I'm still getting my vitamin ZZZZZ.
I
had a lovely pedicure treatment today. Oh my, how long I'd
been looking forward to that. My footsies got treated and
I had my toes painted Baby Blue, appropriate considering the
circumstances I thought .
Well,
off to do some more cleaning & tidying and then...off
to bed. I'm gonna see if I can get David to rub my back, it's
killing me and all I can think of is how wonderful a good
chiropractor & massage treatment would feel right now.
The chiropractor will have to wait, but in the meantime, I
hope David can help with the back rub....
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Monday
January 21, 37wk.
Well,
exciting news from the doctor's office....it looks like we're
"in action"!! Yesterday I had some tiny bit pinkish
colored discharge, which got the nurse very excited and she
said that I had probably started losing the mucous plug. The
baby had dropped as well.
When the doc came in, we chatted a bit - he had tripped while
training for the LA marathon on Friday and dislocated 2 fingers
as he fell. His hand was swollen and he told us that he had
actually on the spot put his fingers back in place!!!! Then,
after taking some X-rays and finding out that all was well,
he'd decided to go sailing this weekend. I have to say, I
LOVE this guy and have the utmost respect for him.
Anyways, so back to AAM....
the doc got very excited when he discovered that "things
were happening":
Kai has dropped to the -2 station, I'm 1cm. dilated and my
cervix has started effacement. (He didn't give me a %). When
we asked for his estimate, he said that he would still expect
to see us in his office next Monday, but that "he would
be a very happy man if this baby came down the pipeline within
a few days after the check up". His preference is that
babies are born around 38 1/2 weeks and I will be exactly
that next Monday. He expected 7-10 days from today....
It really hit home and made this 'event on the horizon"
come so much closer. We're both very excited and a little
overwhelmed with the thought that we may be Mommy & Daddy
by the end of next week.
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Saturday
January 19, 36wk.5d.
We
went out to visit a friend last night who lives about an hour
driving away from us and the entire way there I had these
menstrual-like cramps that located themselves like a waist
band around my belly, going into my lower back. It caused
David to get slightly concerned as far as the hospital bag
was concerned and he rightfully suggested I double-check it
today so we can put it in the car and have it with us at all
times, especially if we're driving for a little bit to get
somewhere. So...that's what I did today. The cramping went
away over the course of the evening and returned when we got
back home, but a couple of hotpacks on my lower back did wonders.
I slept like a rock last night and woke up groggy and feeling
like I had a major hang-over .
I
went through my bag, made a list of last-minute things I need
to get, did some bookkeeping (I'm really trying to get our
2007 taxes prepped and ready so I don't have to do that this
Spring) and went through the pics that we've taken over the
past months to select the ones that I want to have printed
for Kai's scrapbook.
And
now the time has come...after almost 5 years, I'm going to
sit down and go through the pics I have from our wedding to
put our wedding album together. I guess I'll just have to
say "better late than never" .
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Friday
January 18, 36wk.4d.
Our
Date Day was just lovely yesterday. We left after lunch time
and David drove me to the heart of Hollywood, to the Hollywood
& Highland structure where we parked our car. Our plan
for the afternoon: to be real traditional Hollywood tourists
 !!
All the years that we both have lived in Hollywood (or LA
for that matter) we never have done the "touristy"
things that one does when visiting Hollywood. So now, with
Kai's pending arrival would be a better time than ever to
do this!!! We had soooo much fun!!! We booked a tour that
took us through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, saw some
of the "Stars' Homes" and just had a blast. Afterwards
we went out for dinner at Café du Village, our "come
back to" restaurant where "back in the day"
we had our first date and later our rehearsal dinner. It was
just lovely.
It
was such a nice day to really spend it together without any
work-interruptions and just have the time for the two of us
and laugh and have fun. We had a blast. When we got home,
we spent the rest of the evening on the sofa and watched a
movie. It was truly a lovely day and I sincerely hope we'll
be able to continue to build in days like this once Kai is
born.
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Thursday
January 17, 36wk.3d.
Even
though I continued to count my weeks by the original EDD,
according to my doctor's calculations, I'm officially Full
Term (37 weeks) right now. It feels really awesome and yet,
nothing different from yesterday. David and I have our last
"just-the-2-of-us" Date Day together. He's got this
afternoon and evening planned out from what I understand,
although I have no idea what we're going to do. It all starts
at 1:00pm this afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it
and it's just lovely to spend a day together with no interruptions,
just have it be the two of us, while we still can .
We
had a friend over for dinner last night and luckily I had
prepared spare ribs in the slow cooker, so dinner was very
low-maintenance (LOVE it). Some time around dinner I did get
some Restless Leg pains, but nothing too bad. I slept well
last night, although the pain in my hips had returned this
morning and was radiating down into my leg. It almost feels
like a sciatic pain, but then coming from under my hips as
opposed to from out of my back. Other than that, it feels
as if the contractions have briefly disappeared, no cramps,
no "lightning" pains, it's quiet. I do feel Kai
constantly moving around and shifting positions, so all is
well, but I am looking forward to Monday's check up at Dr.
Pearsons to see if anything is happening already.
I
spent some time sipping tea in the glider in Kai's room yesterday
and it was just lovely. Sitting there, rocking back and forth
and imagining that in a few weeks I'll be sitting there with
our little Baby Kai in my arms. Hard to imagine, but it's
a beautiful thought.
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Wednesday
January 16, 36wk.2d.
The baby shower was amazing!!!
Nina and Noreen had really gone all the way out to make it
a personalized and very memorable event. About 30-40 people
showed up to celebrate and honor Kai’s pending arrival.
Noreen’s house was decorated with blue/silver/white
“It’s A Boy” decorations. The food was delicious
and the custom-designed cake matched the wild animal theme
perfectly. It was beautiful. We got spoiled with tons of gifts,
even from people who couldn’t be at the shower in person.
The whole afternoon was just wonderful and turned into a beautiful
memory to treasure for the years to come. When we got home
we went through all the gifts again and read the messages
people had written in the scrapbook / guestbook – just
beautiful.
I spent Sunday writing Thank-You notes and washing and putting
away gifts. It’s a bigger assignment than you’d
expect to be quite honest…
I’ve been feeling great, although over the weekend the
swelling resulting from the fluid retention really started
bothering me toward the end of the day. The discomfort is
mainly located around my ankles and knees, but nevertheless,
it’s quite uncomfortable. I really try to elevate my
feet as much as possible, but this is easier said than done
when you have things that need to be done during the day.
Last night I had a severe case of acid reflux, which kept
waking me up during the night. Today is not much better, but
I hope that with the medicine that I got from Dr. Pearson
it’ll improve over the course of the day.
I re-arranged Kai’s dresser yesterday (did someone say
“nesting”? )
and I think it’s ready to go, although I’d love
for Kai to continue to bake a bit longer before he decides
to make his entrance.
Well,
I think I’ll start going through the photos of the past
9 months to see which ones I want to include in our Baby-scrapbook.
Never thought I’d be all into the scrapbooking thing,
but I think it has something to do with hormones or something….who
knows???
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Saturday
January 12, 35wk.5d.
The New Year has started out incredibly productively!! We
got the nursery done and I cannot
say how very excited I am about it. If I may say so myself,
it looks AMAZING!!!! I absolutely LOVE it and I just cannot
wait to be spending time with Kai in it  .
I continue to realize that I can get bigger than I am and
every morning renews / refreshes that realization. We had
our 36-week OB appointment this Thursday and it is all looking
good. My body is “ready to go” as my doctor stated
it, however, nothing is happening yet. Which I guess is a
good thing, as I know I would get stressed walking around
knowing that I am 1-2 cm. dilated while nothing else is happening.
He also expected, based on my pelvic structure, that the birth
would be relatively easy. Oh, how I hope he’s right
.
My contractions have surprisingly gotten less over the last
week, and since Kai hasn’t dropped yet, I’m starting
to wonder if maybe he is going to be one of those “cool
LA dudes” who is fashionably late?? 
I guess time will tell.
Yesterday I realized that I’m carrying a very resourceful
little guy who is even more stubborn and obstinate
than I thought: first of all he was able to put his foot in
a place I thought he couldn’t reach: under my rib cage
while pushing outward!!!! Oh my Holy you-know-what, that hurt
like crazy and wasn’t a good thing compared with the
fact that I was driving….
Then when I tried to push him down a bit and move him around
– guess what??? He pushed back just as hard!!!!
Every time I gave a little pressure on his foot, he pushed
back. I’m telling you!!!! Just his father….hahaha!!!
Anyways, overall I’m feeling fine. Evenings are getting
uncomfortable. We went to see Enchanted the day before yesterday
and I just could not get comfortable in the theater. Maybe
me enjoying dinner a bit too much had something to do with
it, I don’t know, but the pressure on my rib cage was
just far from comfortable.
Today is our Baby Shower and I am so looking forward to it!!
It’s probably because in Europe we don’t really
know the “Baby Shower phenomenon”, but I am so
incredibly honored that Noreen and Nina are putting this together
for David, me and Kai. And then all the people who will be
there to celebrate with us – I’m just so touched
already!!!! I truly don’t know anything about the shower,
aside from the fact that at 1:00pm I have to be over at Noreen’s
house in Burbank. Can’t wait!!!
I think it’s time to go make some tea and curl up on
the sofa to read a bit. It truly is the perfect morning of
a perfect day.
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Sunday
December 30, 33wk.6d.
I woke up this morning to excruciating pain in my left hip
/ butt cheek (right behind my hip bone) and just couldn’t
stay in bed anymore. Laying down really made the pain go all
the way through my leg, into my ankle – not pretty.
Tonight I have to figure something else out because sleeping
this way with the body pillow definitely ain’t working
anymore. I’m thinking to take over the bed and take
advantage of all the pillows, prop them up and underneath
me and see if that may help a bit.
Last
night I think I officially moved into the stage where my stomach
is reduced to its minimum size where after a few bites I’m
full, but 30 minutes later I find myself scavenging through
the fridge hunting for food. Also, the peeing every 10-15
minutes has set in – oh the joy!!!
Instead
of spending it on the sofa reading a magazine, I spent my
morning baking the traditional Dutch “oliebollen”
for New Year’s. Somewhere something went wrong in my
scheduling action this morning. Now, my house smells like
my Dutch comfort treats, all the windows are open but the
smell ain’t going away…
I decided to go for a swim to see if I can loosen up my hips
a bit and give that muscle some movement. It was nice, but
now it feels like sciatic pains…not much of an improvement
I must say. After lunch I’m going to go for a walk,
see if that might help.
Adding
to yesterday’s list of “you know when you’re
done being pregnant” was my experience at the pool today.
You know that you’re ready to have the baby when:
- At
the pool people start a conversation with you by saying
“you must be almost there…” and follow
it up by asking whether you’re carrying 1 or multiple
babies…..!!!!!
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Saturday,
December 29, 33wk.5d.
Christmas
was lovely. We spent it together and started out with a lovely
breakfast. The day was spent watching Christmas movies on
our new TV and it was great to just "vedge" with
the two of us .
We prepared dinner together and it was better than we could
have gotten in any kind of restaurant: a beautiful Filet Mignon
that melted in our mouths with a Creamy Cognac sauce. On the
side David had made mashed potatoes and I prepped lemon roasted
asparagus. This all was served with a very nice bottle of
Cabernet Sauvignon of which I enjoyed
half a glass - something that I had been looking forward to
for a very long time .
Dessert: individual chocolate molten cakes from the oven served
with a home-made raspberry coulis - delicious. In other words:
Christmas 2007 was a big success!
The
check-up appointment at Dr. Pearson's office went well, although
it started out with a shock: in the past 2 weeks I had gained
4 lbs!!!
That startled me and immediately helped me decide not to ask
about my weight gain anymore for the remainder of this pregnancy.
I really don't want to know anymore. The shock was slightly
absorbed by the nurse's explanation that I'm most likely starting
to retain fluids in my legs and that it had nothing to do
with our scrumptious Christmas dinner .
I'm still not happy with that given, but oh well, very little
I can do at this point. Although I have to admit that I've
never weighted as much as I do now.....
I sincerely hope that all that weight will flush away upon
delivery. I've read about women who were back to their pre-
weight by the time they left the hospital and I keep my 
that I may fall in that category as well....
The
good news about the check-up was that Kai has turned head
down!!  ,
Well done little man!! We obvious don't know what direction
he's facing without doing an ultrasound, but at this point
he's in the right position. At one of the previous appointments,
Dr. Pearson even estimated that I have a 98% chance of a vaginal
delivery - something that I could not be happier about. My
blood pressure is still low, so also that is good news. Let's
hope we can keep it that way. David was friendly reminded
to ice a good bottle of Champagne for the big day. Since my
milk won’t come in really for the first 2 days anyways,
a (1) glass of champagne actually helps in that process –
apparently…..
My next appointment will be my 36-week appointment on January
10 (2 days before our shower, but hey, who's counting )
after which I will be checked weekly.
I'm
keeping myself busy with all the things that I still want
to do: I'm almost done prepping our '07 taxes (woohoo!!!!!!),
but oh that's not all - still need to look into life insurance,
need to draw our wills up, need to finish Kai's room, need
to buy a dryer (nope, I've NEVER really owned one, but I think
now is a better time than ever to acquire one.....), get it
hooked up, wash the bedding and stuff and oh yeah, I also
wanted to scrapbook. When I was about 14 weeks into my pregnancy
I bought some scrapbooking stuff with the plan to do that
once I was on maternity leave...what went wrong???? Here I
am, on maternity leave and the scrapbooking stuff is still
in its packaging....
...
I'm
really getting more and more uncomfortable I must say. Mornings
are good, evenings are bad, very bad, maybe I am getting to
the point of being done being preggers:
-
Getting up from the sofa is a huge undertaking which I can
no longer do by myself without falling off it (ungracefully).
- At
night I often can't decide if continuing to lay on my left
side in bed on my aching hip is better or if I should try
the herculean effort of rolling over and rearranging all
my pillows to try my right side to then find out my right
hip hurts even worse and I have to roll back.)
- I
refuse to do anything/pick up anything down from the floor
unless there are at least 3 other things I can do while
down there.
- I
run out of breath after wiping off the sofa with a leather
wipe...
- Every
time I get up from either a sitting or laying position it
feels as if gravity doubles up on my belly and pulls this
right out of me. The pressure gets so bad in the evening
that the only way I can actually walk is by cupping my belly
and lifting it up. As a result as soon as I plant my bootie
on the sofa it ain't coming off until I'm ready to go to
bed.
BUT...for
the rest I'm feeling great! Seriously, I really don't want
to complain as this pregnancy has been really easy going and
without any major hiccups. The discomfort is the toughest
thing I think so far, so I have no reason to complain whatsoever
- which therefore I will not do either!!
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Sunday,
December 23, 32wk.6d.
I feel bad for not having kept up my diary as I had told myself
I would during this pregnancy. Nevertheless, I hope that the
thoughts that I am putting down will be of some significance
later on when I read this back.
It’s Christmas in two days and David and I are finally
taking a few days off after a couple of hectic weeks. David
is out (battling the crowds) to buy my Christmas gift. We’ll
be celebrating the Holidays quietly and in private this year
as it’ll be our last year with “just” the
two of us .
Thanksgiving
is already behind us. John Ruth came to visit and stayed for
a week. We had a lovely time, it was wonderful to see him
again and have a chance to spend time together. A few days
after his departure, David’s dad arrived – he
stayed for a week, the most time David has had with him since
he was 13 years old. It was good for them to spend some time.
It’d been 4 years since we had seen him – the
last time was at our wedding…
After two weeks of visitors, it was just great to get the
house back to ourselves. As lovely and fun as it is to have
visitors over, it just takes a toll and it wears you out and
in the end, all you want is “just your house back”.
I am officially on maternity leave and it feels great .
My first day back at work will be on my birthday, so I really
have 6 months off. It feels great, while at the same time,
the prospect of not receiving a paycheck for half a year is
a little scary. Work has been slow over the past couple of
months and even though David has booked several commercials,
those are not expected to start airing until in the new year.
Nevertheless, I try to trust that things will work out just
fine, but at some points that’s just a challenge with
the prospect of extra expenses once Kai is born.
David has been incredibly busy with the “Is it Safe”
project for which he and Tom filmed the trailer over the past
two weeks. They pulled some 16-18 hour days, but got everything
in the can. The thought that this could actually “go”
is energizing and really gets our excitement going. Wouldn’t
it be cool and how big of a change that would be for the new
year….
The
day that John arrived we had our 30-week follow up ultrasound
at the hospital to check on the previa. The good news is that
the placenta had moved up and out of the way which meant that
my chances for a vaginal delivery were back on track .
At the moment of the Ultrasound, Kai was breech, so hopefully
he’ll have turned by the time he’s ready to enter
this world .
At the moment I’m seeing Dr. Pearson every two weeks
and I must say, it’s comforting to know that both Kai
and I are being monitored so well. A couple of weeks ago,
I noticed (for the 2nd time) a decrease in activity after
Kai had gotten actually pretty active and strong. It really
worried me, but since I had an appointment coming up the next
day I held off on calling the office. During the check-up
they did another Non-Stress Test (which they had done the
first time in November when I experienced the decreased movement)
and again, all turned out well. We past the test with flying
colors and similarly to the first time, Kai did not like the
NST at all .
As soon as those monitors got hooked up to my belly, he started
kicking them like crazy. I seriously think he’s already
trying out for the soccer scholarship and as far as I can
tell, there’s no doubt he’ll get it .
I have now entered the stage where I’m starting to be
uncomfortable with the extra weight and the limited space
available to my growing baby. He is pressing up under my rib
cage making me short of breath and causing soreness in my
rib-area. I sleep on average 2 hours in a row before I wake
up with sore hips and pain going into my legs and ankles from
the pressure that the extra weight is inflicting on my hips.
Rolling over has become a big project as well. In the morning,
getting my socks and shoes on is a completely new challenge
and so is bending over. Feeding the dogs has become more and
more difficult as the belly is in the way when I bend forward
or go down through my knees to put the food down. This morning,
I actually got out of breath and pretty tired from feeding
the animals and doing the dishes before making our own breakfast.
I never thought that pregnancy would have such a big impact
on your physique and condition. I guess I underestimated that
.
Kai is obviously running out of space “in there”.
His movements are becoming less and less the kicks and punches
that I had so gotten used to feeling. They are now turning
more and more into his head or feet stretching out and bulging
out on the side of my tummy. Fascinating idea, I admit, but
a painful and rather uncomfortable physical experience –
especially since he’s doing that at the same place all
the time .
I do very much enjoy watching what I call my “jello-belly”
. Often I find it rather more amusing to watch my belly jiggle
left and right than to watch whatever we’re watching
on Television.
I’ve
also noticed that in the mornings, Kai seems to wake up to
the sound of my voice. Often I can lay awake in bed without
feeling him move, but as soon as I either say something to
David, Chaplin or one of the dogs, within 30 seconds he starts
his morning gymnastics work-out .
I’d like to think he’s responding to my voice,
but in reality, who knows ??
I’m just very curious to find out who he will be, what
he will look like and what kind of personality he will have.
One thing David and I are certain about: he’ll be stubborn,
no doubt about that as that is a trait that every single member
of his direct and indirect family will have passed on to him
.
The
past 2 months have been busy in preparation of Kai’s
arrival. We had signed up for several classes that St. Joseph
Medical Center offers to prospective parents. In addition,
we had met a L&D nurse who teaches private birth prep
classes. We were able to work out a barter with Jackie to
take photos of her kids in exchange for the class. It was
so valuable and it looks like we even got a friend out of
the exchange. We were invited to her and her husband’s
(Greg’s) Christmas party and we’ll also be ringing
in the New Year at their place, in pajama’s playing
poker. How fun! The Infant Safety & CPR class was very
informative, but frightening – knowledge that I hope
to never have to rely on in the future. The Infant Care /
Parenting class was spread out over 2 classes and was a sheer
amount of information overload for me. I honestly don’t
remember any of the details, but I hope that with the hand
outs and the knowledge that we’ve covered it in class,
all that info will come back to me at the times that I need
it once Kai is born. The breastfeeding class was similar in
that it gave us a ton of information. I hope that with the
counseling of the hospital staff and our new-found pediatrician,
we’ll be able to turn breastfeeding into a success –
something that I really, really want to achieve.
Only 20 more days until our baby shower, but hey, who’s
counting?? I am so excited about it and cannot wait to find
out what Noreen & Nina have planned and put together.
I just cannot believe that that’s coming up in 20 days!!!
The New Year seems still so far away, but as a matter of fact,
it’s just around the corner with only a bit more than
a week to go!
I may be wrong, but something inside of me says that Kai may
be making his entrance a bit earlier than expected. I don’t
know why, but it’s a gutt feeling. We have our 34-week
appointment on Wednesday and I’ll ask Dr. Pearson if
he can figure out what position Kai is in at the moment. If
he’s still breech, I’ll be asking Jackie about
the acupuncturist who she worked with to see if we can get
this little baby boy to turn in a more favorable position.
I think this is the time where I should be pulling out my
hospital bag list and start putting some things together.
My fear is that I’ll go into labor and I’m not
prepared…and on that note: there’s still so much
left to do!!!!! Prioritizing Marieke, priorities…..
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