Special K - Adventures of a little boy
APPOINTMENTS
born: 02/19/03
due: 03/30/04
Friday, February 28, 2003
A Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Per Amazing Pregnancy.com:
Today is Saturday March 1st 2003.
You conceived on Tuesday June 25th 2002
and your due date is Tuesday March 18th 2003.
249 days have passed since the conception,
and you are 17 days before your due date.
You are 37 weeks into your pregnancy,
and you have 3 weeks to go.
You are in the 3rd trimester.
94% of your pregnancy has passed, there is 6% left to go.
This means that by the end of this month you will be born and an official member of our family. I can't believe this journey has almost come to an end. Its been an amazing ride and I am looking forward to the next phase.
Labor & Delivery Drama
Today I went for our 37 week appointment and it did not go as well as I had hoped. I knew things weren't going to go smooth when the nurse took my blood pressure and I never felt the cuff get tight when she was taking the test. She said it was slightly elevated at 140/70. I mentioned that it seemed off and that the cuff never got tight, but she said it was fine and the doctor would decide how to proceed. Well sure enough the doctor took one look and said I was going to be sent to L&D for monitoring. I told her about the loose cuff, but she didn't seem to care and sent me on my way.
I get to L&D and every room is full so they set me up in the OB recovery room. I have the blood pressure cuff and machine hooked up along with fetal monitors. The nurse put the cuff on so tight that everytime it went off I was in excruciating pain and couldn't move my arm. The readings were still coming in abnormally high too. You were also being a squirmy guy they couldn't get a solid heart rate reading because you kept moving away from the monitor (the doctor at my appointment couldn't find your heart beat on the doppler for the same reason and had to use an ultrasound machine). Finally after an hour and a half another nurse came in to take blood (six vials) and took the tight cuff off. I told her I don't normally have veins in my arm and to use my wrist, but she was determined to find a vein on my arm. She put the tournaquet (sp?) on so tight I couldn't even feel the needle go in...ouch! When she put the blood pressure cuff on it seemed more comfortable than before and sure enough my blood pressure was 124/72 which it totally normal for me. This was proof to me that my entire day in L&D was due to nurse error.
Anyway long story short they sent me home and I am fine. Blood work came back totally normal. I am still measuring four weeks ahead (42 weeks), but my ultrasound done a few weeks ago came back normal and says you aren't HUGE. No other major news to report, I am only dialated "a fingertip" and the doctor seems to think that because I have not had any contractions (which I have felt) I will go past my due date. Our plans for a 03/03/03 delivery aren't looking so good right now.
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
We Made It
Today we are officially 37 weeks into our pregnancy. This is a major milestone because if you are born today you would not be considered premature. As of today you would be classified as a full term birth. Personally I'd prefer you stay in and keep cooking for a while, but I know you will arrive when you are good and ready. If you want to make an early appearance how about next monday (03/03/03)? Auntie and I are going to go walking on Sunday to see if we can get things stirring with you.
Saturday, February 22, 2003
A Whole Lot Of Shaking Going On
Well baby I was wrong last night when I said Monty was barking just to hear his own voice. Apparently we had a moderate earthquake (5.4) here last night and I didn't feel it. Now you will know soon enough that I don't like earthquakes at all and Daddy already knows this about me. He was sure I would be woken up by it and freak out. Instead I slept right through the shaking and only woke up when the dog barked. I didn't even feel any of the aftershocks. I guess this is technically your first earthquake, though I hope you don't have to experience another for many many years (they aren't so nice).
Another Doctor Visit & It's All Good News
I spent the afternoon at the doctors office yesterday. I lost four pound since my appointment the previous week, my blood pressure was down to 110/70 (an all time low), your heartrate was a bit high at 164 bpm, I am still measuring quite big so they sent me for another Non Stress Test (NST). I took Grandma Linda to the NST and she had a blast. She finally got to feel you move (you were all over the place), hear your heartbeat, and when they did the fluid check she got to see you again on ultrasound. The nurses said you were very active and everything was great. Everyone got a chuckle when you had the hiccups, they were so darned cute. The most surprising news to me during the test was that I had a couple contractions. I had no idea, I surely didn't feel them. I have my next appointment next Friday, lets hope it goes just as smooth.
In other news I finally broke down and had prengnacy portraits taken (if you want to see them email me and I'll send you a link). I went to Picture People on Thursday and had them taken. They came out nice and I have an 8x10 color picture of my belly in all its glory to share with you when you are older. I know how much you will appreciate that (yeah right). I also have a very sweet black and white pic that I gave to Grandma & Grandpa C yesterday and they LOVED it. I know it will quickly be replaced with pictures of you, but hey I took the opportunity to steal all the attention one last time.
Anyhoo it is 5am on Saturday and I should be sleeping. Your doggy (Monty) was barking at himself for no good reason and woke me up. I think I'll go try to catch a few Zzz's before I have to start the day.
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
We're Getting Close
According to most books full term is defined as 37 weeks, however our hospital defines it as 36 weeks. This means if I were to go into labor now they wouldn't try to stop it. I am in no way saying I am ready for labor now because I am not. I just started maternity leave and have so much to get done around the house before you arrive. Please please please try to hang out in there for at least a couple more weeks (remember I really would like your birthday to be 03/03/03...hint hint).
And just for clarification here is what Amazing Pregnancy has to say today:
Today is Wednesday February 19th 2003.
You conceived on Tuesday June 25th 2002
and your due date is Tuesday March 18th 2003.
239 days have passed since the conception,
and you are 27 days before your due date.
You are 36 weeks into your pregnancy,
and you have 4 weeks to go.
You are in the 3rd trimester.
90% of your pregnancy has passed, there is 10% left to go.
Sunday, February 16, 2003
We're Ready For Your Arrival
Daddy spent the morning assembling all of your equipment. It was hysterical watching Daddy build the Pack N Play. The directions Graco provides are so bad. We actually had to call Toys'R'Us and ask for help over the phone. After all the confusion was resolved Daddy carried the whole thing upstairs only to learn it didn't fit through the doorway to our bedroom. He had to take it all apart and reassemble it in the bedroom. Fortunately he was in a decent mood this morning and had a good sense of humor. He also put together your swing and bouncy chair. He's not to happy that everything makes noise, but I said tough because I know you will like it. Regardless the only things left to be done before you arrive are laundry (all your new goodies) and packing my hospital bag. Now that I'm not working I can get it all done by the end of the week.
In other news tonight is a full moon. As discussed before we know there is a connect between labor and full moons. Let's try not to test that theory on this full moon. Next month is fine, but now is too soon.
Another 2003 Baby
Congrats to my old college roommates Debbie & Dave on the announcement of their upcoming arrival. They just found out they are expecting mid-October. Yay!!!
Friday, February 14, 2003
I'm Officially Semi-Retired
Well I am now on maternity leave. It was bittersweet leaving work. For as much as that place stresses me out I am really going to miss it (up until I have to go back). Two of my co-workers indulged my most recent craving (Taco Bell tacos) for my send off lunch. I tried to leave without much fanfare since I am not one for being the center of attention (as I mentioned earlier).
Daddy & I went to our weekly doctor appointment today. This one was uneventful. I am still measuring four weeks ahead and the ultrasound results won't be available until next week. I asked the doctor how much she thought you would weigh at 40 weeks based on your being six pounds now. She said it's impossible to tell, but you could possibly get as big as 9.5 pounds...yikes! I set up all of my remaining OB appointments through the end of March. I sure hope I don't have to attend all of them. After next Tuesday (when we qualify for the family birthing room) you can feel free to come at any time. We also were pre-admitted to the hospital today and turned in the paperwork so I can be paid for disability. I feel like we really accomplished something this afternoon.
Today was also Valentines Day. Daddy didn't give me a card or gift, but took me out for a nice dinner. I was a bit embarassed because I couldn't fit in the booth with my big ole belly. Fortunately the waitress has a 3 month old and understood my situation well. They brought me a chair to put at the end of the table and on with dinner we went. Everything was great except Daddy's fish wasn't cooked very well. They replaced the fish and gave us half off our whole meal (a special Valentines package). In the end we scored a great dinner at a cheap price. You will soon learn that your parents love a great value and why this made us so happy.
Daddy is now setting up another computer in our home office so we can both be online at the same time. He has recently become addicted to a new computer game and I rarely see him or the computer. Now we can both be in the same room playing without conflict. At least until you arrive.
Wrist Pain In Pregnancy?
For the past couple weeks my left wrist has been hurting quite badly. I don't know why, but if I don't move it often it stiffens up and leaves me in screaming pain when I do move it again. I went through my magic drawer of wrist braces from college (old sign language injuries) and found a ton of right hand braces, but no left handed ones. I don't think this is an issue my OB would care about so I may just toughen up and deal with the pain. If its still around after you arrive maybe I'll go see my regular doctor. At this point I am at the medical center so much I couldn't bear to have one more appointment.
Surprise!!
Yesterday my co-workers gave me a surprise shower at the office. I was truly shocked and a bit embarassed (I'm not a big fan of being the center of attention). We got all sorts of great gifts including the Pack N Play, video monitor, and your very own first Lakers jersey (it is adorable). I can't believe everyone went to so much trouble for us, I really felt special.
Today is my last day at work. I am actually leaving early so Daddy and I can go to our weekly doctor appointment. It feels so strange knowing that after today I don't have to go to work until June and I am still getting paid. Its crazy.
Thursday, February 13, 2003
What A Cute Baby
Our ultrasound appointment went quite well. I really liked the tech we had, he made sure I saw everything on the screen and explained things clearly. He said you are measuring right on track for 35 weeks and your fluid level is good. Actually he doesn't have a clue how the doctor came up with a number as high as 24.8. You are weighing in at approx six pounds. Since it is just an estimate they say it could be a up to a pound more or less. For arguements sake we'll say you are somewhere between 5-7 pounds right now. We got to see your face and he printed us a picture of your profile. You are a cutie though I don't know where you got that nose. It seems so large, maybe its just because the picture isn't very clear. I also am curious to see if you have hair and if so how much.
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Todays The Day We Get To See You Again
Daddy and I are going to the hospital for another ultrasound today. I can't wait to see you and find out how big you are. I'm nervous though because I want to be sire everything is okay with you. I worry so much (something you will get to know well overy the next umpteen years).
I only have two more days of work after today. It feels weird knowing I am going to be out of the office for MONTHS. The longest I have ever taken off was two weeks. I'm trying to think of fun projects to keep me occupied until you arrive. I have to work on baby shower than you cards, but want something fun to do too.
Not too much else is going on. It's very very rainy here this week. I was supposed to go to the ultrasound today alone (Daddy had to work), but when Daddy saw the weather he said there was no way I was driving myself and reworked his schedule to go with me. I am so happy he'll be there. I like having him at my appointments being involved with decisions concerning you.
Speaking of decisions I signed you up for a Pediatrician. I talked to our next door neighbor Laurie who takes her four sons to the clinic out by our house. She reccommended her doctor highly and said several friends from her church have recently changed their kids to that doctor. I called yesterday and officially put in a request for you to see her. Hopefully we'll get accepted. Now if I could only work out the day care situation.
One last thought, Daddy & I ditched our C-Section class last night at the hospital. I didn't sleep well on Monday and the weather wasn't so great so we decided to go home and relax instead of going to class. It really is hard living 30 miles away from the hospital. It makes attending these sessions really difficult. That is why we are going to take you to the doctor at a local clinic and hope you never need to be in the hospital because I don't like the one they will send you to.
Saturday, February 08, 2003
Want To Be notified When Baby K Arrives?
If you would like to be notified (either by phone or email) when Baby K arrives please send an email to LilSpecialK2003@yahoo.com. Please be sure to include you name, email address, and phone number (if you'd like to be on the call list). I'll make sure that someone has your information when the big day arrives.
A Very Eventful Doctor Visit
Well Daddy sure chose a good appointment to come to. I expected it to be our usual quick "you're doing great" visit, but it was anything but. When the doctor measured my belly she said you are measuring quite big (four weeks ahead) and was a bit concerned with your size. She did a quick ultrasound to check the levels of amniotic fluid and said it was 24.8 (anything over 24 is considered high). She then sent me off for a Non Stress Test (NST) to monitor your heartbeat and check the fluid levels again. The montoring part went fine, but according to the ultrasound the nurse did my amniotic fluid level was 10 (on the low side). The doctor didn't seem worried though. She also didn't seem concerned that when I first checked in my blood pressure was 120/72 and after the NST it was 130/80 and 130/88.
We are now going to the doctor every week and have a Level II ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday to see exactly how big you really are. This weekend we aren't joking around about getting our bags packed and the car seat in. I think you may come at any time. The doctor however thinks I'll make it to the end and she'll put a note in my chart for L&D that I have a big baby so they don't let me labor for hours on end. I don't think so!
Friday, February 07, 2003
My Heart's On Fire
The past couple days I have had horrible heartburn. There is no reasonable explanation why. I was told once you began to drop the heartburn would subside, bit instead it has gotten worse...grrr!!! I wonder if there is such a thing as taking too much Tums?
On the medical front Daddy and I went on the tour of Labor & Delivery on Tuesday night. I am quite nervous because the hospital only has two family birthing rooms which are available on a first come first serve basis to mothers who are 36+ weeks along and non high risk. I want to deliver in one of these rooms very badly. Otherwise you have to go into the big scary sterile delivery room which fightens the crap out of me. Here is the part that worrys me...when we were there on Tuesday night all nine labor rooms and both family birthing rooms were full. L&D was at capacity on a random Tuesday in February. Our due date is a full moon which for some reason triggers more labors...yikes!! Do you think you can choose to be born on a slow day in the L&D?
This afternoon Daddy & I are headed to a bi-weekly doctor appointment. I am looking forward because this is the first appointment Daddy has gone to (except the ultrasound). He hasn' t heard your little heart beating yet and I can't wait to see his face when he hears it. I am also going to start pressuring the midwife to schedule an induction date. I am antsy to know when the absolute latest I will have to wait to meet you will be.
Our weekend is booked with Baby K activities as well. We are going to assemble your stroller, car seat, and swing. Plus we are going to pack all our hospital bags to have them read 'just in case'. I can't be too prepared. Even though both Daddy and I were born weeks late there is always a chance you will be a little stinker and come early.
Oh have I mentioned lately that I only have five more days of work and thirty-nine days until our due date. Everything is rapidly approaching.
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
34 Weeks Down...6 To Go
I can't believe we only have six weeks until our due date. Time is suddenly going by so quickly. Your room is just about finished and if I say so myself it looks adorable. We are going to our second Expectant Parent class tonight. It's about Labor & Delivery (L&D). Before class we are scheduled to take a tour of the L&D department which I am really looking forward to. I think the highlight of this evening will be watching Daddy's face when they show the actual delivery video in class. I don't think he is fully aware what he is going to see. Next week is the C-Section video and frankly I don't know if I am ready for that one.
You are continuing to grow like a weed (a very good thing). I am so tired all the time and can't wait to start maternity leave (8 more work days after today) so I can form a regular nap schedule until you are born. Oh to take a nap mid-day I think that would make my life soooo much easier.
Sunday, February 02, 2003
Tired Momma
You must be in the middle of one of your growth spurts right now. I am so exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open. I took a nap before bed last night and still slept for nine hours. Most people would wake from that refreshed, but now me I am still exhausted. I could fall asleep right now, but don't want to risk screwing up my sleep pattern tonight. Also, you seem to get the hiccups a lot lately. Is it something I'm eating?
Saturday, February 01, 2003
Shower??? It Poured
Today was our second and final baby shower. I ame in awe at the generousity and kindness of others. We received so many wonderful gifts. At this point there is very little Daddy & I will need to buy for your homecoming. We put your room together more today and everyone is joking that there is so much stuff in it we won't be able to find you. Daddy can't get over how many toys you have and you aren't even born yet. You my little man appear to be on the fast track to spoiled (not such a bad place). I'm going to take more pictures of your nursery and post them later.
