Pregnancy: Then And Now

I'm two days past my due date which means that the side order of Sweet Potato could come any time now. Or in a week. I think she is waiting for grandma to arrive at least. (Grandma arrives tonight.)

I had Kurt take a photo of me over last weekend. Kinda goofy, but it made me want to compare to when my mom was days away from having me:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at us, so cute! Both of us about 9 months pregnant. (And yowza, that was almost 45 years ago!)

Can't wait for the Potato to meet Grandma!

Pregnancy: It's Still Shorts Weather To Me

Kurt claims that it's cold these days. (Cold for LA.) I see him wearing fuzzy slippers, many layers and even occasionally a scarf around the house. There are times when the thermostat gets turned up and I'm looking around wondering why it's suddenly even hotter than it was a few minutes before. I guess I noticed it's gotten colder because I do tend to wear long sleeved shirts over my maternity shorts. But I'm still barefoot in the house and have to put my feet out of the covers when I sleep.

I guess it will be a true shock to return to normal body temperatures after the baby comes. I better get my sweaters out so I won't be taken by surprise in December. Or will breast feeding keep my inner furnace stoked?

Stay tuned!

Pregnancy: Just Waiting

Five more days until my due date. That means baby can come any time now. I SAY -- BABY CAN COME ANY TIME NOW...!

Ahem.

Mostly we're just excited to meet her so the sooner the better. But who knows, she might not decide to come until December. But as most of you who know me (and Kurt) if this baby is late, she is clearly no child of mine!

To pass the time I've been working on a VFX bid over at Sony. They called last week and said, "We know it might be nuts to ask so close to your due date, but could you come in and help us out?" It took me about .5 seconds to say YES!! So instead of waiting around the house I can wait in a nice office, 7 minutes from home, 15 minutes from the hospital (if need be), keeping busy, passing the time faster and making money. Win win win! I'll be there next week if the Sweet Potato remains in the oven.

For Turkey Day we are going to a potluck at a friend's house. We are only staying a short time (just in time to eat!) as I do get quite tired in big social situations. Afterward we will have dessert here with Kurt's mom. (She was also invited to the potluck but chose the quieter dessert-only option instead.) Yesterday Kurt bolted out of the house at 10am to get to the Apple Pan to buy a chocolate cream pie (his favorite) and a pumpkin pie (my favorite). If baby hasn't come this weekend, I anticipate a lot of pumpking pie meals. Heaven!

Really I am just so thankful for all we have and how healthy I've been through this pregnancy. I'm still amazed at how it's been so much easier than I ever imagined. I am lucky and grateful and happy and wouldn't trade with anyone.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day no matter where you are and who you are with.

Pregnancy: Getting Close To The Finish Line

We are now two weeks away from our calendar due date. And aside from a big giant belly, it's funny how I can tell we are close in little ways.

My sense of smell reset to "normal". This happened a little while ago and boy am I glad. Most smells were not a problem, they just were stronger in general: people wearing perfume, (I had to stop wearing any), certain foods, etc. I was only overwhelmed by one smell during these nine months, enough to make a major change. That smell was our previous cat litter brand. I could NOT stand the smell of it! I had no issue with any cat pee or poop smell at all, just the litter itself. I had to hold my breath going into the pantry where the cat box was. Kurt is hero dad-to-be and has been changing the litter this whole time, but I had to ask to change brands. That was a huge help. But now I wonder if that old brand would bug me so much.

Drinking black coffee again most mornings. The taste of coffee was off the table for about seven months. I could have lattes, no problem, as the milk diluted the coffee enough. But just in the last three or four weeks I've started drinking coffee again and it's been okay. I started with creamer and then weaned down to just sugar and have now weaned down to nothing. Amazing. (All of it being decaf, btw, as I switched from regular about two years ago. Funny thing with that switch, I never noticed a difference!)

Red wine tastes good again. Alcohol was another "BLECH!" feeling once I got pregnant. I was surprised at how easy it was not to drink, the idea of the flavor of alcohol was kind of vile for months. But starting at about five months along, I've had a glass of white wine or champagne here and there. Nice in the summer. But red wine or cocktails have still never seemed in any way delicious. I tried a sip of red wine about three months ago. It was a no go -- it just tasted rancid. But more recently I've looked at other people drinking red wine and think, mmmmm, that's going to taste so good! Then this weekend we were at a party and I tasted Kurt's glass of red. YUM! So looking forward to having a glass or two all to myself in the not too distant future.

Lastly, Bunny has a large comfy seat when I'm in bed reading. She'll soon be disappointed, poor kitty.

Pregnancy: Let's Check The Stats!

By the calendar I am at 37 weeks of gestation. My official due date is November 29, though I've had various people tell me I'll be giving birth on the 15th, on the 20th, and on the 24th. Honestly, I don't care when it is, as long as it's the right time for Sweet Potato. If it happens today, great! If not till the 29th, great!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am having a really good pregnancy (knock wood) with very few of the standard side effects that many pregnant women get. Oh I have a few, but they have all been very reasonable and easy to handle.

My side effects have been:

❀Heartburn: I have consumed over 175 Tums (and counting). I have chewed hundreds of pieces of gum (and counting). When I can feel the heartburn coming on, gum really does help. I can usually control the night time heartburn by not eating too late and eating smaller amounts. But some nights this just doesn't happen.

❀Pregnancy sinuses: This has been going on since about month four. They are worse at night, some nights worse than others. Generally lip balm and an occasional breathe right strip helps. However, these last few weeks have been quite bad. For Kurt. Apparently I have started snoring with a vengeance and he's had to go to the living room to sleep. I feel terrible! But at least it is temporary.

❀Swollen joints: About three weeks ago my fingers started getting sore and a bit swollen. My ankles have swelled slightly, but you can still see the anatomy of my feet. I suspect this will not be the case in a couple of weeks. My fingers hurt mostly at night and during the day they get better, but still achy. (I took my wedding rings off quite a while back.)

❀Shoe Size: This is different from swelling as the length of my shoes is an issue! I think my feet have become 1/2 to 1 size bigger. I have two pairs of slippers I can wear and two pairs of shoes that still fit. Some women tell me it was a permanent shift for them, others say the feet will return to their normal size. I am hoping for the latter, but if it is the former then hey! New shoes!

❀Weight gained: as of today I have gained 23 pounds. I've worked hard not to gain a ton or to "eat for two" because I want to be as mobile and agile as I can. I also want to be able to take weight off faster after baby is born. I have continued my 30-45 minute morning walks at least three, if not four times a week and that always feels good. Helps reduce back pain and helps keep my blood pressure nice and healthy.

❀Food cravings: the only really specific thing I crave and try to have in the house at all times, is Trader Joe's unfiltered apple juice. I don't drink it all day long but usually once a day I'll just jump up and have to suck down a big glassful. So refreshing!

❀Dreams: They ("they") say you dream more when you are pregnant. I don't know if that's true. I do know I wake up more at night to flop over from side to side, or to pee (luckily I only have to get up once a night to pee at this juncture). So I interrupt more dreams and remember them more. There haven't been too many strange ones. Mostly I dream about what's going on during the day. When the baseball post season was on, I dreamt about baseball a lot. During birthing class (and now still) I dream about bringing Sweet Potato home. Easy fun stuff.

❀Big Belly: okay, not really a side effect -- really that's the main effect! My belly has seemed to have gotten much bigger in the last 3-4 weeks. I bump into things more often with it, I forget that I need more space when getting in and out of cars, or sitting in a restaurant. I'm super grateful to live in LA because most of my maternity clothes are geared toward warm weather. Even as it cools off I can layer what I have and I don't have to buy all new maternity clothes for the last month. (Living in LA is also helpful for the above shoe issue as I can still wear slippers most of the time!)

I say it over and over. I am sooooooo grateful for the pregnancy I'm having. I'm healthy and happy and excited for the wee one to come!

Happy Happy Joy Joy! Ten Years Later...

Ten years ago today I woke up extra excited! Kurt and I were getting married. Jen and Grace and I went to get our hair done, then had In-N-Out for lunch. We all met up at the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club and got changed into our wedding finery. It was a lovely day and all the flowers and leis were perfect. We took photos before hand, the last few gunshots were fired off at the range next door, we had a sip of champagne, then we got in our positions. Mom walked me up the stairs/aisle, Dorian sang beautifully, Jen and Glenn were waiting for us at the waterfall. Tom had a lovely ceremony and married us.

Joy!

Then a wonderful party with friends from all over, dear loved ones, a few of whom are no longer here. Jen, Jack and my friend Jai and her lovely children. So glad there were there to help us celebrate and get us started on this wonderful path.

I can't believe it's been ten years already. Time truly flies when you are having fun and Kurt has been the most fun person in the world. How did I get so lucky to be married to a man like him? He's handsome and funny and brilliant and determined and dedicated and just so much fun to hang out with.

And soon there will be three of us! Amazing.

No one is more grateful than me for all the wonderful things I have in my life (and are about to have)!

Thank you Kurt for making my life even better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Here's to the next ten!

 

Pregnancy: Updated Visuals

Four weeks to go and Leon's Getting Larger! (If you are new here, that comment references this, which I always think of when I see a picture of my ever growing belly!) (And no, we are not naming our daughter "Leon.")

Here we were seven weeks ago (left) and today (right):

 

 

Pregnancy: New Skills Before Baby Comes

We have been very fortunate to get some pretty great baby gifts. Three of these involve learning new skills.

1) The Ergo Baby (Thanks Shana and Peter!) - this is the baby carrier you wear and it came highly recommended. Bonus: It was invented by a woman on Maui who then sold it for lots of money (good for her!). The company address is still Maui, which we like. Being someone who likes to be prepared, I figured let's get it out and practice with it before baby comes. But what to use for the stand-in baby? Bunny (our cat) would be about the right weight (7-8 pounds) but might be a bit peeved while we squished her into it. We settled on the other bunny - Hopper, the cute stuffed animal I helped Grace make at Build-A-Bear when she came to visit. Kurt was the guinea pig for the first fitting.

Nailed it!

We are going to rule the aisles at Trader Joe's...what?

2) Car Seat - The Graco Snugride 35 in a dark grey arrived last week (thanks Uncle Glenn, Aunt Joanie and Richard!). We have yet to put the base in the car (and have it double checked by experts) but I wanted to get at it with Hopper to adjust straps and generally get a feel for it. It's like a whole new set of muscles you have to learn to use on the buckles and locks. It's a little challenging using a stuffed animal as you can pull the straps pretty dang tight! I'm sure there will be some fiddling in the hospital before we go home. Hard to know how big or small Sweet Potato will be when she arrives. For now, Hopper was an excellent stand in.

I wonder if they have separate straps for the bunny ears?

3) The Bugaboo Cameleon - the awesome stroller (thanks to the German contingent and Kurt's mom!) takes a bit of getting used to. Again, new muscles to learn as you break it down and then snap it back into place. No photos here simply because it would need to be more like an exercise video. But if you click here and then click the link that says "Watch the Demo" you'll see what we were doing. Well, you'll see how we will look in the not too distant future. We were a bit rougher and stumbly than this nice lady, but we got it. (I'd love to see the outtakes on this...)

All in all we are feeling more and more prepared with the gadgets, or at least getting acclimated to the new "tech" we'll be using from now on. For me it will all be easier when I don't have quite so much belly in the way of the gadgets!

 

 

Pregnancy: Of Paint and Strollers and The BELLY

Let's compare.

July at 21 weeks.                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

September at 29 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely more belly there after eight weeks. Imagine what the next eight will bring! I'm now at 30 1/2 weeks, saw the OB yesterday and all is dandy. Grateful grateful grateful! I have gained only 15 pounds in the first 30 weeks and am glad. I'm sure there will be at least another 5-10 to come. I keep walking 3-5 times a week and so my blood pressure (which has always been a healthy low number) is just fabulous.

By the way, you may notice I never use the word "bump" in regard to my belly. It just never appealed to me, not sure why. I guess I like "belly" better as Kurt and I will always make it sound like Fat Bastard in the Austin Powers movie. Kurt will ask, "So how is your BELLY! today?" Or I'll say "ooh she's kicking, come feel my BELLY!!!" We're weird like that. I can picture Sweet Potato's eye rolls even now.

We had my office/the baby room painted this week (along with the bathroom) and it's lovely and fresh and cool and soothing.

We won't be moving the other baby furniture in yet as mom is coming to stay for a week and we are using that space for a borrowed guest bed. Once she's gone we will then set up the chest of drawers (which doubles as changing table) and put the lounge/nursing chair in. That's going to be it for a while as half the room is still my office. Bassinet will go in our room for now. Crib to come later. By then we will have figured out where my office goes. My biggest fantasy is to get one of these (either the K5 or the Kpod) and put it in the yard...

 

We also got our Star Wars art back from the framers!! I'll post pics when they are hung! So excited, they look fabulous.

We've been stroller shopping. Yow. I can honestly say it's harder to find a stroller than a new car. We test drove a variety of strollers from the top-o-the-line to the more main stream. Well, I should clarify, we did not try the absolute top of the line which would be the Silver Cross Balmoral Pram at $4000. (Nanny not included.) I think just having "Balmoral" in the title makes it more expensive. For you stroller shoppers out there, the Balmoral doesn't fold and it weighs 62 pounds. Perfect for an LA mom on the go!

We tried a bunch of different strollers in all price ranges and came down to three. While the Balmoral is the Bentley of strollers, we looked at the Cadillac of strollers, the Bugaboo Cameleon. I have to say, it rolls like a dream! And how could it not with independent suspension and shock absorbers on each wheel?! It looks fab too. We then drove the Acura of strollers, the UppaBaby Vista, also very nice handling and ease of use. (We began to refer to it as the UppityBaby.) Then we drove the Honda of strollers, the Chicco Cortina travel system (as well as the Graco version). All of these strollers are fine, but man you gotta spend hours playing with them, folding them, unfolding them, pushing all the buttons, kicking all the tires and most importantly -- Does it fit in your trunk??

When I told my mom about the stroller shopping and the ones we liked she said, "Oh I'll look up the Bugaboo" and I said, "I'll send you a link to the model." "Model??" "Oh yes, there are more than one Bugaboo/UppaBaby/Graco/Chicco stroller!" It's a wacky baby world out there full of STUFF! And we are going to work hard to keep the stuff under control as A) we really don't need much and B) we really don't have the room (which makes it easy to control the stuff!)

It's a strange new world out there in Baby Land for us!

 

 

Pregnancy: Fruits and Veggies

I don't mean to eat. (Though fruits are still way more palatable to me than veggies these days.) Depending on the books or websites you read when knocked up, fruits and veggies are crucial to describing the size of your growing baby.

A long aside about reading: I found reading too much about pregnancy was not that helpful. When I was pregnant last fall I started to read "What To Expect When You Are Expecting" and found it to be...how should I say...just not at all my style. (Your mileage may vary.) I had a used copy that I promptly gave away when I got pregnant again. With this pregnancy I've only really read the "Pregnancy week by week" on Babble.com. I like the more modern, casual tone. If I have a random question I might search for something online, but most often I find it leads to "OMG THIS HORRIBLE THING HAPPENED TO ME!" and I don't want to read that. Nobody wants to read that. I've avoided most things online and just saved up questions for my OB appointments or have asked my mom friends what they experienced. I'll read the community page on BabyCenter.com for "November Births" to see if anyone is asking advice from the group about things I didn't think of or know of. It is sometimes helpful. Mostly it makes me so very grateful for the calm, happy, loving, supportive homelife I have. The one pregnancy blog I do LOVE LOVE LOVE is Pregnant Chicken. That woman is HI-larious and she swears up a storm. Just my style. (I'm working on curbing the swearing...)

What was this blog post about again? Oh yeah, the fruits and veggie comparisons!

Each pregnancy week's update on Babble would include a visual of some kind of food so that you could easily know how big the wee one is. It starts out with seeds and nuts, then moves to berries and larger fruits. Currently at week 29 Sweet Potato is the size of a Butternut Squash (seen here at left).

Kurt was reading the week by week posts as well and found them somewhat helpful, announcing things like "We are at the blueberry stage!" or "We've now entered the apple stage! But wait, what sized apple???" It could get a bit confusing. Especially when we got to the coconut phase. Having grown up in Hawaii, when Kurt said "Coconut!" I had to ask "with or without the husk?" He was confused. With the husk, that sucker is pretty big! Without it, much smaller. They meant without the husk.

Later we would get to the lesser used fruits or veggies. We were both stumped at "Rutabaga" since we don't generally eat those. Do you automatically know what size a rutabaga is? If so, we cook from different cookbooks. (Though I did make an awesome root veggie casserole last winter that included rutabagas, thanks Debra!)

When we started on the "food comparison" check in each week, we thought that using sports equipment might be a way to get dads more involved (if they aren't already). You could start out with marbles, work your way up to golf balls, tennis balls, baseballs, etc. It makes a lot of sense to us. But we are stuck with the fruits and veggies for now.

I cheated and looked ahead to next week: CABBAGE!