Update -- 7 Weeks to Go!!

Hello, disregarded blog. I am here, once again.

My status for the day: Life is good. I have a man who loves me, a fun and loving daughter, a baby on the way, great friends and family, a good dog, a great job, a decent house and car, and pickled cauliflower in the fridge.

Physical update (Don't read if you don't want to know!!):

I have gained 43 lbs. to date. Not bad, considering that 3/4 of that was put on in the first 4 months . . . ! I am catching up to it. Or something.

I haven't measured my girth - let me do that right now. . . . ummmm . . . . 47 1/2 inches. I started at 30.

My hands, legs, and feet are swollen.

I have to pee every 30-45 minutes . . .

I get winded walking from my desk to the bathroom.

My hair is unmanageable.

My skin is crying out for less hormones.

It's hard to even roll over in bed.

I suffer from acid reflux.

My teeth hurt. So do my gums.

My boobs are finally getting bigger! But my belly trumps them still.

My belly button went from 2nd knuckle deep to half a fingernail shallow.

I can't reach my toes or get up easily from the floor (or the couch for that matter).
I get really hot when I am trying to sleep.

Cravings: carbonated mineral water, ice cream, strong flavors (pickle, spicy food, olives, mustard, citrus, etc.).

Emotional Update:

I still worry I will damage Peanut by resting something on my stomach, or bending too much, or sleeping on the "wrong" side, or eating the "wrong" food, or missing my vitamin, or whatever else my pea brain can come up with.

I am giggly over a Laffy Taffy joke one minute, and crying over a Hallmark ad the next.

I no longer have a filter when I speak.

I no longer have patience for stupidity.

Although I was never super careless with myself, I miss not having to worry so much about what I do to myself.

I am nervous about the baby room being done in time, even though she won't even use it right away. I am also nervous that we won't have the furniture in time.

I am starting to get the nesting instinct, which allows for me to overbuy, overcook, and overprepare.

I keep thinking that there really aren't 7 weeks to go, that she'll show up early, and that makes me worry more (see 2 lines above).

I get frustrated easier than ever before.

There is already an anticipation around doing everything perfectly (which I know is not an attainable goal).

Baby Update:

She is still breech.

I am feeling her kick a lot more than before, but I think it's because there is less fluid and more baby.

Natalie talked to her on the phone last night. :)

She likes to kick the dog.

She reacts to music and spicy food.

She is about 4 - 4 1/2 lbs. now.

Other:

My symptoms categorize me about 2 weeks farther along than the doctor estimated.

I got a promotion at work! With a raise! Just in time for babysitting fees. :)

We are starting to interview potential temps for me at work. First one is tomorrow. The goal is to start them next week, which will be nice, because I will have some help for at least a few weeks.

We bought an Envoy from a friend. He took very good care of it, and gave us a very good deal on it. It makes me feel safer and much more comfortable.

The latest check-up showed protein in my urine, a second sign of preeclampsia (the first being my swollen extremities). I was chided for not drinking enough fluid. Otherwise, everything looked good. Now I visit every two weeks, and the next visit may include a physical "look-see" to make sure I'm not dilated yet.

I continue to have strange dreams. Lately, there have been a lot that suggest she is a he.

People are finally speaking up about my pregnancy. When I say people, I mean strangers. When I say speaking up, I mean they are asking when I'm due, or if it's a girl or boy, or giving me a congratulations. I'm sure it was noticeable before, but now it must be so noticeable that they aren't afraid to make a remark.

A baby shower was held for Lorelai at work Friday. I will post some photos. It was spectacular.

My last shower will hopefully happen on May 22nd. I hate waiting until the last moment to plan, but that's how this one is ending up. I am trying not to stress over it, but I can't help myself. My blood pressure is actually really low, considering the frenzies into which I work myself.

Task List as of 4/15/10

I'm getting close to the end of this party -- with 9 weeks left, give or take, by tomorrow, I am really freaking out about being ready. According to thebump.com, I still have these things to complete (Red are past due, Orange are imminent, and Green are coming up):

1. Research and sign up for childbirth classes. I've done the research -- the only classes offered around here are either on weekends (hard to commit to) or on Tuesdays (softball night!). I've talked with Doc, and he said I seem to be bright enough . . . as long as I read up on labor and delivery, and maybe talk to a few moms about the experience, I should be fine. So, I guess I can mark that one done.
2. Start interviewing pediatricians. My OB is a pediatrician. Am I done? Seriously, I think he's pretty cool. I guess I should commit to putting forth a little more effort to finish this task . . .
3. Take a tour of maternity ward. My hospital, along with most others in the nation right now, are not allowing for tours, due to the swine flu. The ban lasts until April 30, but they can't give me an answer as to whether tours will be again in May . . . so I guess I have to wait until May to find out. At least Clint's been in there before.
4. Prepare a birth plan. This doesn't seem to be totally necessary, but I want to consider it . . . I mean, I am not the sanest person right now, and I don't want to have to rely on myself to make crucial decisions in the heat of the moment. Some of the questions are just plain frightening, though! These things I do know:
1. I don't want them to use forceps, and I'm leary of the suction thingy.
2. I want to go natural, but not too natural. (Is there an in-between?)
3. Students/Interns/Unnecessary hospital staff are NOT welcome to view my crotch.
4. I want my husband and my mother in the room with me.
5. I want to do what the doctor recommends (regarding catheters, monitoring,
6. The rest I won't really know until I get there.
5. Baby-proof your home. I have had outlet covers and cabinet locks for several months now, but have yet to install them. And besides those things, there are sharp corners and cords and things that can fall . . . yikes. I have a lot of work to do in that department still.
6. Interview babysitters/daycares. We have had someone in mind from the start, but I don't think we've talked to her about it. As it stands, there will only be a couple of hours each day that we will need someone, and I think I'll be taking 10 weeks off (6 weeks paid in full!!). We just have to confirm that she's available.
7. Get an easy-to-maintain haircut. I've been wearing my hair up nearly every day since I found out I was pregnant. That's pretty easy. But it sucks. It's gonna be hot this summer. I saw this girl with a cute pixie haircut and I loved it, but I'm afraid my chipmunk cheeks make my face too round for it (though my hair-cutting friend disagrees . . . ). I'm still teetering on this one.
8. Cook and freeze meals for after delivery.
1. I don't cook. Much.
2. I don't have space in my freezer.
9. Get any items still needed for the baby.
1. I have 1 (maybe 2) showers still.
2. We still need to paint the baby's room.
10. Install car seat and get it inspected.
11. Pick out a birth announcement.
12. Pack hospital bag.
13. Address birth announcement envelopes.
14. Finalize maternity leave paperwork.
15. Write will.

Today, I'm 30

So, this morning I had to give a presentation to the plant at 6am . . . on my birthday. What does that spell? L-U-C-K-Y.

But, I sucked it up, just as I always do, and even woke up before my 4:30 alarm. I had myself a warm (not hot - it's bad for the baby I hear) shower, brushed my teeth and gagged, tried to do something with my suddenly thick(er) and unmanageable hair, and covered my recently broken-out face with some severe amounts of makeup . . .

I was still tired. Normally, coffee would have been used to mend this ailment, but I've been very good, and have not had caffeine in 6 weeks.

It's my birthday though, and I'm about 12 weeks along, so I went ahead and treated myself.

Bad idea.

I arrived at work early enough to rehearse my slides and walked into the meeting room. The combination of my mild case of stagefright, along with the difficulty in breathing (attributed to a little prune-sized thing in my uterus) and the caffeine, allowed for one shaky-voiced, fast-speaking, and trembling Alyssa.

Needless to say, my 10-minute talk turned into a 3-minute speed talking spree.

I either suprised the hell out of the audience or spoke so succinctly that they had absolutely no questions, but the look of possibly fear or amazement gazed back at me.

I amaze even myself sometimes.

Moral: If you haven't had caffeine in quite a while, don't start up again right before a big meeting. You'll wear yourself out and scare your coworkers.