36 Weeks

I've reached the stage of my pregnancy where I need help getting my pants on every morning. While everyone else talks of their baby dropping, mine has seemingly climbed all the way back up into my ribs. I swear, the ultrasound technician had to practically ultrasound my boobs yesterday to accurately take head measurements of my breech baby. What can I say? He's a non-conformist. As much as I huff-and-puff like an elderly man trying to stand up off of the couch when it's time for a bathroom break, I'm still so relieved that he's continuing to bake in there and I can even make this entry. For that matter, it's my greatest wish that I can continue to express my levels of discomfort and trouble breathing(/moving/sleeping/sitting/resting/laying, etc.) properly for three more weeks to come. It's funny how that works.

I'm still on bedrest, but I'm getting a little bit more used to it these days. I have a set schedule: my husband drops me and my hospital bag off at my parents house every morning on his way to work. My loving mother dotes on me hand and foot throughout the day while I stare mindlessly at HLN's coverage of the Casey Anthony trial (because, really, it's the only guaranteed constant in my day). At the end of my husband's work day, he picks me and my hospital bag back up and we retreat home where I'm undoubtedly in bed (moaning and groaning in misery and discomfort) and asleep by nine. Nine-thirty at the latest. I'm okay with this schedule.

My husband also finished hanging the window treatments in Ethan's nursery which was the last thing that needed to be done before it was officially considered finished and ready for his arrival. I'll definitely be doing a grand nursery reveal post this weekend! I'm pretty thrilled with how everything turned out and pretty thankful for our desk chair on wheels so that my husband can help me turn it into a makeshift wheelchair to ensure I get to wheel myself around and throw out orders on the proper way to do things. I'm not so sure if my husband is thankful for said desk chair, however...but I digress. The nursery looks awesome and that's what counts.

As for little Ethan the rib-climber, the baby websites are estimating him to be almost 6 pounds this week. We know from our 35-week sizing ultrasound at the perinatologist office that he was already six pounds then so I'm not sure how accurate his size comparison to a crenshaw melon really is. I'm kind of okay with that because, really, I haven't the slightest idea what a crenshaw melon is anyway. They do guess him to be about 18 1/2 inches long which is crazy to think about! He's busy shedding the vernix and the fuzzy body hair that previously adorned his little body...and swallowing them. He's busy growing (estimated 1/2 pound per week at this point) and will be 15% fat when he's born!

When Seeing The Perinatologist Isn't Scary

I'll be honest: pregnancy is scary. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I was scared that something unspeakable would happen. It was all downhill from there. Just when I was cruising along perfectly and getting the hang of it (and maybe even gloating that I enjoyed pregnancy), preeclampsia decided it wanted to spoil any of those positive feelings. Suddenly I was at the almost-end of my first pregnancy, being diagnosed with my nemesis pre-e and being referred to a perinatologist. And the perinatologist? It's scary, too. Well, not my doctor herself -- she's extremely kind, gentle and calm -- but the thought of the perinatologist, or namely the thought that we need one.

Yesterday I saw my regular OB, as I do every Tuesday. My blood pressure was surprisingly low (well, normal, but low for me) and Ethan's heartrate was great. I went home with two jugs to do a 24-hour urine catch (is it bad this no longer even remotely phases me?) and nervously anticipated my second perinatologist visit...which was today. Today, we dropped off my jugs of urine (again, is it bad this no longer phases me?), I had my blood drawn to accompany this test and then we made our way to the perinatologist's office...

...where I sat in the world's most comfortable chair, strapped to a monitor and relaxed. The only thing I had to do is hit the little button each time Ethan moved. No big deal. I can do this.

After the relaxing monitoring session, it was onto the ultrasound session. The larger he gets, the harder it is to see him clearly on ultrasound but we were able to see his little face today. He's still frank breech, but we did get to see a cute profile shot of him sucking on his little fingers and looking happy as a clam in there.

Proud grandmas, in case you're wondering, sit in the lobby texting camera phone pictures of their grandson's ultrasound to everyone we possibly know. (Hi, mom!)

Meeting with the perinatologist today wasn't scary. In fact, it was kind of awesome. That's because she gave me great news...better news than I got last week at that! Depending on the results of my urine testing (which we should expect by Friday or Monday at the very latest), she's pretty confident that I'm going to make it to my 37 week check-ups with my OB and her! Not only is this exciting because it'll mean that I'll have made it to 37 weeks, but it's also pretty exciting because the day after I see my perinatologist next week, I'll be 38 weeks! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but when the perinatologist gives you "a 10 out of 10" on your progress, it feels pretty good. And it's hard not to puff yourself up and start thinking all sorts of optimistic thoughts that you had pushed to the back of your mind previously.

I'm trying to keep my feet on the ground and accept that things could change. My urine results could come back atrocious, things could flare up and my pre-e could head into overdrive...but right now I'm enjoying the fact that these things could also not happen. Right now I'm enjoying the fact that my perinatologist feels confident I'll make it to my 37 week check-ups which is initially when I was predicted to have to deliver. I'll soak up the optimism while I can.


The bad news is that it's hot as hell in Florida these days. Maybe I'm a little late to the party, but I'm also on bedrest (and suddenly quite thankful for that). The ridiculous heat paired with my flared up, pre-e swelling-of-doom was not helping along my day of needle pricks, pee jugs and nerve-wracking appointments.

I came home swollen like I've never been swollen before but...it was worth it. Because the good news? WORTH IT. Knowing that I'm kind of kicking preeclampsia's ass with my intense bedresting? SO WORTH IT. Knowing that 37 or even 38 weeks aren't totally unattainable after all? Do I have to say it again? Okay, I will: WORTH IT.



(Yes, those are chicken breasts. We were out of ice packs...they were keeping my urine cool in a cooler. Yes, this is the glamorous side of pregnancy in so many ways.)

EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered our EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm Giveaway (and a special thanks to EOS for hosting)!

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Congratulations, Alexis! I've just sent you an e-mail with instructions on how to claim your prize!

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Ethan Watch 2011 Is Officially On

As you can see from the photo to the left, I'm back to my faithful bed-resting position (or couch-resting, as it is) but I am sporting a nice L&D wristband. I could have taken it off last night when I went home but my mind was too busy sputtering everywhere and having miniature freak-outs that it didn't cross my mind until my aunt asked me about it this morning. I had noticed a very slight amount of spotting after urinating last night and decided to call my doctor to play it safe, as I've been told over and over to not play around with preeclampsia. As I was waiting his call back, I started getting this surge of discomfort in my pelvic area. My doctor called back (from his cell phone on his way into the hospital because he's that awesome) and told me he was on-call at the hospital so to come in and sit on the monitor for a while. The monitor showed that Ethan was awesome...but it also showed that I was having contractions. Remember that surge of discomfort that I mentioned feeling? Halfway to the hospital, it morphed into these super painful contractions. (I should also note that I have no pain tolerance whatsoever and was not in actual labor.) Due to the preeclampsia and the fact I'll be 36 weeks along on Thursday, the doctor doesn't want to do anything to stop my labor. Labor. The word almost knocked me off of my feet as, as silly as this sounds, it's not something I even thought about given the fact I had my c-section scheduled so early on. I never remotely anticipated going into labor or that it would be possible for me to go into labor.

I'm not in actual labor now, but as the nurse said as she hugged me on my way out: "expect this baby any day now!" I had just wrapped my mind around the fact the perinatologist gave me a 37-39 week window for delivery but "any day now" was a whole 'nother shock altogether. Since waking up this morning, I've had no more spotting and no contractions but I'm still so nervous, anxious, impatient-and-yet-still-wouldn't-be-sad-if-this-baby-baked-a-little-bit-longer. Every new bump or thump or flutter in my belly, I find myself going "WHAT WAS THAT?!" and trying to analyze it into oblivion.

Since we can expect Ethan any day now (it still gets me every time!), my hospital bag is officially finished and waiting to go. After hounding my friends with children for suggestions, I finally managed to finish compiling everything thanks to the help of my husband. (Let's just say that yesterday's L&D visit helped me give him that kick to hurry and get everything done!)


1. Boppy pillow and my Emily's Garden cover.
2. Cord blood and cord tissue banking kit from CBR.
3. Nursing bras from Anita.
4. Ethan's super special Peter Rabbit baby book from my friend, Rhiannon, in New Zealand.
5. Always pads, though I suppose these are self-explanatory.
6. Nursing nightgowns (since I'm a c-section, I'm pretty wary about pajama pants and opted to go the nightgown route for the hospital).
7. Granny panties that start nice and high over my incision. Attractive, no?
8. Maternity sundress to wear home from the hospital.
9. Earth Mama & Angel Baby's Nipple Butter.
10. Lansinoh nursing pads.
11. Earth Mama & Angel Baby's Boobie Tubes.
12. Episencial's Body Butter.
13. EOS Lip Balm.
14. Hair ties.
15. Warm, fuzzy socks.
16. Make-up, because I am determined to look fabulous in these post-baby pictures. Yes, be prepared to laugh at my silly pre-baby goals when I note afterward how the eyeliner never came out of the bag.
17. Flip-flops for the shower.
18. Cell phone and charger...with all of our important phone numbers (pediatrician, cord blood registry, etc.) saved into our phones.
19. Travel-sized toiletries.
20. Gluten-free snacks for my Celiac husband because he in no way benefits from the food and snacks the hospital provides.
21. Camera and charger.
22. CD's with my super-relaxing music playlists.
23. Ethan's coming home outfit.
24. Ethan's custom newborn beanie for his hospital stay, which was a gift from our friend Victoria @ Adventures In Mommyhood.

Phew.

So, really, we're...ready? Ready or not, Ethan perhaps is ready to come? Maybe?

So THAT'S Scentsy...

I'm quite sure I'm the last person on Earth to try out Scentsy. I've been seeing the company name pop up around the internet and everyone's Facebook statuses for a while now but I had no idea what it was. We burn a lot of candles in our house and while I love the way my house smells, I'm also way too neurotic to just enjoy the aromas and forget they're burning. I worry about them exploding, fires starting, the cats burning themselves, something happening. We can never leave the house without me interrogating my husband about his level of certainty that the candles have been completely blown out. When I learned more about Scentsy due to a friend of mine who is having a Scentsy party, I think I instantly fell in love with the fact they were flameless and wickless.

I had ordered this mid-sized burner:

And a couple of fragrance bars:

(I also got a Sugar Cookie bar, too. Leave it to me to be stereotypically pregnant and hungry all of the time, right?)

This morning we set up our burner and the Sticky Cinnamon Bun fragrance. It smells like a bakery inside my house. No joke. For a minute, I almost forgot I was banished to bedrest and hadn't spent the day baking delicious baked goods in the kitchen. My nay-saying husband who couldn't believe that Scentsy could possibly be that impressive has also been convinced and converted to the land of the flameless and wickless.

My good friend, Rhian, is hosting a Scentsy party! No, you don't have to live around the block from her to attend as you can do your Scentsy shopping from her online party store (which is what I did). If you're a newbie like me, try this stuff out, seriously. Or if your stash is running low, stock up! Visit her online party store here and start your shopping!

(Did I mention how much my cinnamon-bun scented kitchen is making my belly growl like crazy?!)