The Golden Nugget

I've been calling Bryan "nugget" since before we had a name for him.  I am not really certain of when or how I came up with it, but it stuck.  For me anyway.  I don't think Chris calls him nugget.  Nor anyone else.  But I like it and for as long as he's on the inside, he can't be embarrassed about his mom calling him "nugget" in public.

I had a sonogram yesterday to take a better look at our little nugget in that my OB thought I might have to give birth to a toddler.  The good news is that she was wrong!  He's a perfect, right-on-track with an estimated weight of 5 lbs, 10 oz.  So, if he gains an average amount of weight and I carry him to exactly 40 weeks, he'll be about 8 lbs!  Doesn't get much better than that...or does it?

It does.  It really does.  There seems to be some consensus that my "blip on the radar" with regard to the whole preeclampsia/bed rest thing was really just that.  It was a hiccup most likely caused by all of the traveling I was doing in January and February.  For most women, it's not a huge issue, but I was having to re-acclimate to the altitude change every time left and came home.   Which was A LOT in those six weeks!  Once I got home and stayed put, my blood pressure stabilized and the regular contractions subsided.  I still have a lot of contractions, but not more than 4 in an hour.  And when I have 3 in an hour, I can avoid the 4th with a big glass of water and resting on my left side for an hour.  It's  like magic.

The even better news:  There's ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to believe that I will have or will need to have this baby one day or one minute before he's full term.  There will be no induction scheduled and any labor before 36 1/2 weeks will be stopped.  Apparently, babies born at this altitude (and higher) before the 36 1/2 week mark have difficulty breathing because of the lack of oxygen.  I hadn't really thought about it, but it makes total sense.  Babies born at 34 weeks in MI have few complications.  Babies born at 34 weeks in Denver have more breathing/oxygenation complications.  But I am 35 weeks today, so that's a good thing.  Only 2 weeks before there's nothing to even think about.  I can say with 100% confidence that I will have an April baby.

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you.  No more drama for this pregnant lady!!  Oh, and some pictures of Nugget for you...the 3-d machine makes him glow orange-ish gold.  Hence the Golden Nugget! I think he has Chris' nose.

He loves to have his little hand over his eyes.  And he's sort of smiling in this picture!

With a little assistance from the technician, our little golden nugget moved his hand.  And he already has chubby cheeks! I love it!! 

 

BFFs and Belly Laughs

I know I've gushed about how fortunate I am to have such a great network of girlfriends all over this country.  I have been sent BOXES and BOXES full of baby stuff (I know, I've mentioned that too!!) from four different states, four different friends, but all the same love.  Yesterday's box was, by far, the most interesting.  It was from my BFF since fifth grade, Angie.

Angie has four kiddos.  The twins, Luke and Lydia just turned four in February, Eloise was two in October, and Miles was born in November.  Needless to say, it's a busy house for sure.  I have a special love for those kids.  Maybe it's because of who their mom is and how special she is to me.  Or maybe it's because the twins were born at 27 weeks and I was there two days later (holy terrifying!).  Since we were eleven, Angie and I have shared everything.  She knows all my secrets, and I know hers.  We've shared many tears and even more belly laughs.  It's been a great ten-ish years (I can pretend I am 21 again, right?!?!).

Well,  yesterday I received a text from Angie saying that she had sent a box.  Text is the easiest way for us to communicate in that she's chasing four hooligans (her words, not mine) around the house.  After several text exchanges, the box showed up at the front door.  The first laugh was me saying "I thought you sent the box today, not that it would be delivered today!!"

And then I opened the box.  As I dug through piles of super cute (and very tiny) clothes for Bryan, I sorted them into sizes.  Lots of newborn stuff that Luke wore for a long time and the Miles came out too big to ever wear, and several 0-3 month outfits that are too cute for words!  Then there was the sample of Similac newborn formula that had expired in September (giggle #2), and the sample of Enfamil newborn formula with coupons that have Angie's name on them (giggle #3) but aren't expired.  And then, at the bottom of the box, the most gigantic belly laugh I've had in a really long time.

I should back up.  My closest of friends have shared with me the need for granny panties at the hospital and for a while (read: undetermined amount of time) after I get home.  And all of them have said "and I tried regular bikini panties or maternity panties but had to go buy granny panties anyway."  So, I took the advice, much to my dismay, and bought two packages of the darn things.  I even picked out pretty little patterns in hopes that they wouldn't be quite  so....ummm...so....what's the word I am looking for?...disturbing.  How do those things fit inside of pants? Maybe my pants are all too small, but I am pretty sure there's not enough room for my buttocks AND these panties inside of my pants.  But I digress.

The purpose for these granny panties has been described as dual purpose.  First, if I end up with a C-section, the top will go over the incision.  That sounds like a good enough reason.  Second, it's been said that I'll need the extra real estate to hold the pads that I'll have to wear.  And yes, I bought pads.  That was a little disturbing too.  Furthermore, EVERY single one of my girlfriends who told me about the pads has mentioned that the ones they give you at the hospital are huge.  But nobody has told me exactly what they mean by "huge."

Well, as only Angie would, she saved one for me.  She stole an extra one from the hospital when she had Miles in November.  Knowing that I was pregnant, and knowing that nobody told her about the details of the now  infamous pad, she thought it would be a good idea to fully prepare me for the horror that is "The Pad."

So, my friends, I leave you with this.  The most precious hand-me-down I've received in all the boxes my incredible friends have sent.  I introduce you to THE PAD!

Yes, that is a full 12" ruler.

All I can think now is, "well, at least I won't be shocked when the nurse hands me The  Pad."  It's for my own comfort, right?  But I am pretty sure that I will burst out laughing, and probably text Angie to let her know that  I too have fallen victim to The Pad.  I can think of worse things.

Mommy Preparation

Everyone knows there are parts of pregnancy that prepare you for being a parent.  Or for being a Mom at least.  I can't really see how Chris is benefiting from any of this "preparation" unless you count his new found ability to deal with "tears for no reason," grocery shopping and sleeping deep enough to never hear a peep.

So, as I enter the final weeks of pregnancy (a max of 6 weeks left),I thought I'd share with you some of the things my body is training me to do in preparation for Mommyhood.

1. To function on very little sleep.  I am averaging a total of 4-6 hrs per night, and not all at once.
2. New Found night vision allowing me to move about the house with stealth like capabilities without turning on a light...especially to the bathroom and kitchen and back to bed.
3. The ability to ignore the urge to kick something really hard out of anger.  Not that I would have anyway.  But now I ignore the urge better.
4. Find new and creative ways to reach things when you can't really reach them.  I assume this comes in handy in cars, restaurants, airplanes, and other compromising places that my son will drop his favorite something-or-other.
5. The ability to change sheets and pillow cases in the middle of the night and clean up the corresponding mess that caused the need to do so.  Think reversal and overheating rather than an export of sorts.  
6. The ability to be REALLY annoyed with another human but taking 10 seconds to think about it before responding to it.  
7. A rekindled love for kid-friendly meals like PB&J and cereal.  
8. The ability to feel really terrible, sick, fat and lazy with terrible indigestion, all caused by my son but loving him so much that none of that other stuff really matters.  

I know that every tear shed, toilet seat hugged, Tums eaten, shoe thrown, and blood pressure reading taken, will be a distant memory soon enough.  As soon as Bryan can come out and play, it will be an entirely different ballgame with more love and reward (and I am sure heartache and mistake) than I can even begin to imagine today.  I can't wait to meet this little nugget!  Even if I do have to reverse dinner every-other night for the next six weeks.

Ready...SET...G

Hold your horses!  We aren't quite ready for the "GO" part.  It is both literally and figuratively "premature."  And to be honest, with every passing week, it looks increasingly likely that it won't be a shotgun, surprise, "honey it's time" kind of moment.  My OB is still talking about inducing me after the 37 week mark (which is March 29, in case you are curious).

The beauty of it all is that there is no more fear about the moment, whenever it comes.  After an impromptu overnight stay in the Labor and Delivery unit of our hospital, we've learned a few lessons.  The bags are packed, list is made, nursery complete, necessities purchased, Pediatrician chosen (we have a meet and greet on Tuesday!), No more feelings of "holy you-know-what, we don't even have a car seat yet."  And thoughts of "where on earth are we going to change his diaper."  And I'd be remiss to leave out the, "what the heck are we going to dress him in to come home from the hospital??"  Nope, checklist is complete.  The only thing we are missing is formula, but we want to wait and see what the Pediatrician recommends, and also, many people have recommended that we...ummm..."use" as much as the hospital will "give" us.  Evidently they keep the shelf stocked so if you pretend that you just gave birth to a really good eater, they just keep refilling the stash.  Just bring a bag with lots of extra room in it!!

Chris and I are both very ready for this chapter to be complete.  While we want Bryan to stay put for a few more weeks, we are also very anxious for his appearance on the outside and to begin our journey as more than just The Puckstopper's Wife.  In as few as 33 days, I could be the  Puckstopper's Wife and Baby Mamma.  That's just funny.

Here are some pictures of our finished product.  Please don't judge the model in the car seat.  Her name is Diana Petula and she will be 29 on November 1, 2012.  It's the best I could do.  Enjoy!!

That's the blanket that my Aunt Diane made for me out of Grandma Melanie's old shirts.  It's very comforting  to have it in there, keeping watch of my little nugget. 

Yes, I know the "friends" can't stay in there when we bring Bryan home!  And Aunt Diane made that blanket for Bryan!  Our friends are jealous that they didn't have anything like that for their kids.  How lucky are we, to have such talent in the family?!?!

I don't have a stitch of MSU or CMU garb. My rocking horse (made by my Grandpa Jack) is dressed in Texas A&M  gear. My eyes hurt a little.  We need to fix that.  

Nope. No more worries.

Living for today

2012 is a whopping 50 days old and I've done a lot of living in those 50 days. 

In 50 days, I have traveled to Michigan twice, Chicago for a night and Dallas for four nights.  I have picked up two new clients, had two baby showers, house guests for a long weekend, and celebrated our second annual "let's not watch the Super Bowl together" party with our friends, Christie and Alan and their two kids (we eat, watch commercials, visit and have fun, but don't really pay attention to the game).   I've had shopping time with my sole mate, Lisa, and today went for pedicures and lunch.  And that's only half of the story...the fun half!

Now for the not-so-fun half.  In 50 days, I have failed a glucose screening test and had to take the really awful 3-hour glucose tolerance test.  But I passed that one! I've had swelling in my legs and ankles making my toes look like sausages and my ankles look like knees, and heartburn caused by things like air and water.  Sheesh. Thank goodness for Tums!!  And then came last week. 

A week ago today, I told Chris that I thought I'd call my OB in the morning in that my swelling wasn't getting much better and I generally wasn't feeling well.  After living through my best friend giving birth at 27 weeks, I wasn't about to take any chances.  Well, Monday came and with it came it's typical "holy cow, where did this do-to list come from" workload.  Before I knew it, it was 4:00 pm and I hadn't called yet.  So I picked up the phone and dialed only to learn that the office had closed at 4:30.  I left a message with the answering service for the OB on call who quickly called me back and asked that I go to Sky Ridge (the hospital where I will deliver the baby) just to get checked out.

The good news is that I am NOT leaking amniotic fluid and the magic swab test indicated that I have a 99% chance of NOT delivering the baby in the next two weeks.  The bad news is that I was having contractions every two minutes and didn't know it.  Oh, well, that and my blood pressure was through the roof.  After sitting in the Labor and Deliver triage room for 5 hours, they decided to admit me in that after a dose of medication, my blood pressure was still too high (yours would be too!!) and I was still having contractions.

So, Monday I stayed the night in the hospital.  I saw the OB who admitted me on Tuesday morning, and she discharged me at 9:00 am on Tuesday morning.  The really good news is that we totally chose the right doctor in that practice...we did not love this woman.  On Wednesday I had my regularly scheduled 30-week check up with my OB, so the timing was perfect.  Except that at that appointment, my BP was still really high, and now there was protein of +1 in my urine.  My only medical qualifications come from Gray's Anatomy and several seasons of ER so I don't know exactly what that means, but the words "preeclampsia" and "bed rest" were thrown around.   As was the term "deliver safely at 36 weeks."  No wonder my blood pressure was high!  I was to return for follow up on Friday.

I was instructed to be on bed rest (which my Gray's Anatomy degree altered to "just take it easy") and take my BP several times a day.  So, on Friday afternoon we headed back to the OB.  In the interest of swollen fingers that don't love typing, I'll leave out the part of "she had to go deliver a baby but you can see the nurse practitioner part" and skip ahead to "my OB is so awesome she did a conference call from the Labor and Delivery unit so that she could talk to us and the nurse practitioner."  Whew! 

So, at that appointment, my BP was slightly elevated (again, yours would be too!!) but within the normal-ish range and my pee-in-a-cup had no more protein in it!!!  That's great news.  No more "bed rest" but I still have to take it easy, and now I begin weekly appointments about 4 weeks early.  And that's totally OK.  There still seems to be the consensus that they'd like to deliver me early, but not until after 37 weeks.  And, I "should be prepared for bed rest after any of these appointments."  Which is totally fine.  As of right now, nobody's health is at risk or in jeopardy (except maybe my sanity). 

So today was lunch and a pedicure with Lisa.  Yesterday Chris and I put the finishing touches on the nursery (that's a blog for later this week!!).  And I go back to the OB on Wednesday.  I get one weekend at a time.

And for the next 5-9 weeks, I am going to enjoy every minute of our quiet little life with just the two of us.  It's funny to think that in that short amount of time, everything will change and it won't be just the two of us anymore.  So, between now and when Bryan comes out to play, Chris and I have decided to enjoy every minute of our time together and really appreciate the quietness, and our time together with little responsibility other than two dogs.  How lucky are we?!?!

Painting the Mackinac Bridge

It's truly an endless task.  As soon as the painters finish, it's been so long, they have to turn around and start all over.  We are experiencing that today.  Only with snow.  I went to bed at 10:00 last night and there wasn't even half an inch on the ground.  At 8:30 this morning, this is what we had:

Chris shoveled the driveway and by the time the task was finished, there was just shy of half an inch where he had started.  Thankfully we got the first 10" off the driveway.  Sometime this afternoon he'll have to do it again.  The problem is where to put the next 10" they are forecasting.  Check out this pile!!  

Love

I have the most wonderful family and it extends beyond the McFarlane and Rowland clans.  My gratefulness for for the generosity of our families is more than many people could ever dream of.

My baby shower was last weekend and I can't believe the thought and time that went into all of the gifts that our little nugget received.  From the amazing tote and diaper bags FILLED with homemade perfection from my cousin Allison (read more about that here), Aunt Diane, cousin Leslie and  Aunt Diane's mom, Grandma Betty, to the quiet playtime activity, the socks that stay on babies, perfect bibs, homemade stuffed animal, and the thoughtful "I think you forgot to think about this, and I know because I have 4 kiddos" bag of gifts, and the incredibly generous (and always appreciated Target gift cards) I am overwhelmed by all the love from my family.  

Chris and I will be assembling the baby's room this weekend with a monster blog to follow.  But in the meantime, I'd like to share the few pictures from the baby shower along with one surprise.  If you were there, it's not a surprise.  If you weren't, well, I think you'll pick it up pretty quickly!  

Best friends since 5th grade.  Thanks for being my sister, Angie! I love you.

The clone of my cousin, Allison.  Her daughter (and bundle of perfection), Avery.

Aunt Diane made the crib blanket for us. With the perfect shade of green!!

Avery wanted to be my special helper. And who can resist that face?!?

10-week old Miles. The last addition to Angie's family, and baby #4 for her!