Scheduled!

Well, my MFM and OB appointments went pretty well today! First up was the MFM, who was quite pleased with my progress. My cervix has lengthened to 3.8 cm (up from 3.0)! Though there is fluid around it still, and she told me to expect to see some discharge that may be pink. Apparently my amniotic fluid levels are high (due to my sugars being elevated- apparently it makes baby urinate more, thus more amniotic fluid). But she didn't seem too concerned about that, since I'm doing what I can in that department. Baby looked great, and I even got some 4D images, which were SO cool!! She said that I should definitely make it to 37 weeks, which is good. And I"ll be having weekly sonograms now to check on the placenta, fluid levels and my cervix. So that if things look like they're not doing as well, we'll know it as soon as possible.

My OB was also pretty happy. Definitely wants me having weekly sonos (at first the MFM said to come back in 3 weeks, and then she changed her tune after I mentioned my last pregnancy how I was monitored twice a week, and that my placenta started to go early). He actually noticed on the report that it said to come back in 3 weeks, and he asked if that was true because I should be going weekly. ;) We did schedule the C-section/tubal ligation at SG hospital, which is awesome (apparently they do the tubals there?). Nice and close for us. And the date is... March 5th!! At least for now it is. I hope it will be then, but with my first pregnancy, Celia was born at 38 weeks exactly. And March 5th puts me at 38 weeks 4 days. So we'll see if my placenta lasts that long (it didn't last time). At least for now, we have a date! And I'm excited because it gives Celia her very own month. Now I see him in 2 weeks, and we'll go over all of the details for the section/ligation. And get everything finalized! So exciting!

productive

So with working at home, it is so much easier to make phone calls that I've been meaning to make! Last week I called and set up a pick-up from the Salvation Army to come get an old sofa, our old stove, and some old clothes. They came this morning, and in less than 10 minutes, they were gone, and I was feeling great about donating some very useful things, that were in great condition, that we couldn't use anymore. Very productive! And now, our garage is cleared out enough for me to put my car in! Or at least it would be, if our garage door opener didn't hate the cold. It doesn't work in the winter, at all. But come spring time, I'll be able to use it and park in the garage again! Yeah!

This week is OK so far. I worked from home all day yesterday, and will today. I'll go in between my 2 appointments tomorrow for a few hours, and then maybe a bit on Friday morning. My mom arrives Friday afternoon for the weekend, because we're having Celia's 4th birthday party. I can't believe my baby girl is going to be 4 in under a month- it's just so hard to believe! Anyway, we're doing the party a few weeks early so I can be there, and so my mom can come! I took the easy way out this year, and am having it at ChuckECheese, instead of at the house. This way I don't have to clean up my house, before and after. And I don't have to deal with ordering food and stuff. The kids will all be set, and all I have to do is order a few pizzas, and cups for the adults. Some people feel very strongly about CEC...but I actually like it. The kids have fun, the pizza isn't bad, and an hour and a half later, the party is OVER so they can set up the next round. And the look on Celia's face when I tell her that we're going there, is just priceless. She really loves it. However it can be a madhouse, but I'll take it any day over having to clean my house before and after a party. Especially right now, when I really shouldn't be doing any of that.

So far this has been an uneventful baby week. Yesterday was actually pretty good, not too many contractions (which is impressive since it was the first tuesday in weeks when I'm able to say that!). Today, I've already had a few that hurt a bit. So I'm laying down on the sofa and taking it easy. I'm glad I get a sono tomorrow and get to see my OB. I'm very curious to see when the c-section will be scheduled for!

band practice.

Our neighbor seem to have a son who plays drums. Or at least that's what has become painfully clear the last few months. I have no idea how old he is (I think he's out of high school), but he likes to practice every night. Usually starting around 7 or so, and goes until 9 or 10. Now this wouldn't be so bad, if thier house wasn't right next to ours, and only separated by a walking path that goes up to the elementary school. I'm sitting here, watching TV, and I can hear the drumming. And tonight, he's got friends over, and there is at least one or two guitars going with him. It's loud enough for me to hear it over the TV. And unfortunatley it's the side of the house that has Celia's bedroom in it. So it's REALLY loud from her room. I have no idea how, but she doesn't have any trouble sleeping with it. I, however...can't sleep with it. So the nights when they go past 10...are not pretty. I usually try to lay down and start to settle down around 9:30. Not exactly ideal when there's a band practicing next door. I am a huge lover of music. I think it's great to practice! But there's a time and a place for it! I would have thought it was common courtesy to stop playing loud music like that around 9. At least during the week. But apparently, they don't care. I have no idea how the baby is going to handle the music. His room is next to Celia's, so it will also share the lovely joy of drumming and band practice. I wish I had the guts to say something, but what do you say? Really? Could you please not practice so late? I'm sure they only practice at that time because it's the only time they can. I don't want to be the bitchy neighbor who complains about everything. Just makes me want to really start working towards moving the heck out of here!

fun times!

Last night, I had the pleasure of spendign the evening with the DC Stirrup Queens (who will now be known as The Order of the Plastic Uterus). LJ kindly opened her home to us for a great gathering. We had pizza, dips, chips, shrimp, dessert...it was amazing! We had a great time, and also got to see our new "mascot", the plastic ute that Leah managed to get from her OB! Now we have a great item that we can put on a table in any restaurant, so we'll be seen and easy to find for the new members! I love it!

After about 9, I left to head home, where my SIL and her hubby were there for a visit. We stayed up and chatted until about 11, when I was ready to pass out. We get to spend today with them too, so that should be fun! And I have my tea party this afternoon! Yay!

still here!

Things are still the same. Still working from home most of the time. I actually went in Tuesday afternoon for a meeting, and then this morning for another meeting. Which was really good! It's hard to be so isolated from everyone, and only seeing 3 people daily (Nathan, Celia, and Celia's teacher). Plus we have some pretty big deadlines coming up in the next few weeks, which is going to be very crazy! Thankfully, most of what I need to do can be done from my sofa. Thank goodness for Secure.ID!

Still having contractions, but not too many and they aren't too strong. I'm SO glad it's Friday!! I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow is the DC get together, which should be awesome! It seems like forever since I've seen everyone! And then that evening my SIL and her husband are coming for a visit. Plus on Sunday, I'm having a tea party! Some friends are coming, which I can't wait for! Most of them I haven't seen in ages. Plus we get to drink tea from china, and eat scones. What's better than that?! And all of it is easy and relaxing, and I won't be overdoing it.

Tomorrow I hit 33 weeks, so it's getting down to the wire! Lots still needs to be done, but we've also gotten a lot done. I'll see both my MFM and OB on Thursday, which will be really good. I see my MFM first, and will have another scan, and then a few hours later, I see my OB. And we'll schedule my C-section! I'm very curious to see when this will be! I'm getting nervous about that part...having surgery while you're wide awake is a very strange experience. But, I also would rather not attempt a VBAC (even though now that baby is head down, it would be possible to try).

This week, my main challenge has been sleeping through the night. Every night I wake up about 5 or 6 times, which is partially because I don't want to miss a dose of Pro.cardia (I have to take one at around 3). Most of the time, it's either the baby or contractions keeping me up. Or, my mind races with all that I need to finish up! And of course, I end up losing about 2 solid hours of sleep. Could be way worse though! I'm just so glad the combo of working form home more and taking the medication really does seem to be helping. I do notice when I'm up and around too much, that I do contract more, so it's good that I don't have to be up too much.

What is it about Tuesdays??

2 weeks ago on Tuesday I went to the hospital. Last Tuesday, I had an awful afternoon at work, with tons of contractions, and could barely sit through a meeting. This tuesday, has started off not so pleasantly either. Yesterday afternoon I started having a few more contractions, but they weren't too painful. By the time I was relaxing after dinner, watching TV, I was having a few more, but again, they weren't too bad. A few were crampy, but overall they weren't bad. Then last night, I woke up at 2:30 to take my meds, and fell asleep right away. An hour later, I woke up with more contractions, which were definitely stronger than the earlier ones. Thankfully, I was able to fall asleep again around 5. This whole contraction thing is starting to get REALLY old!

I relaxed most of the weekend, which was nice, and helpful, but annoying. I am not good at doing nothing. I did a few little things, I sorted out Celia's baby clothes and got rid of the ones that were really stained, and pulled out anything I can use for the boy, and made a pile for some co-workers who are having girls (there are 3 of them). I also cleaned out the baby dresser, and had Nathan put Celia's good stuff in her new dresser. Now it's empty, and ready for boy clothes! Nathan got the crib and bassinette put together, fixed our shower (we had a leak), did the laundry, did the grocery shopping, and I know there's more that I'm forgetting. We have a list (about a mile long) of things that we need to get done before the baby comes. Now a good part of it is done!

Celia had a rough night last night. She was a crying mess, and it really was the first glimpse of what's to come. Her whole world is going to change when the baby gets here, adn i think she's starting to realize that it's coming soon. She watched and helped Nathan put everything together, and seemed to be having a great time. But after dinner, she was so clingy, and was melting down left and right. I'm pretty sure that it's because of all the baby stuff we did this weekend. Next weekend I'll have to make sure to do some things with her that don't involve anything baby related. She's still wetting her pants constantly. And now it's happening at school daily too. Her teacher suggested getting her some big girl underwear, so yesterday Nathan went to Macy's and got her some cute print underwear, and matching undershirts. Her old ones all have princesses, Dora and Elmo on them. So maybe having "big girl" underwear will help. Her teacher had suggested frilly pretty underwear, but I couldnt' find anything like it (and if you google girls panties, you get some not so nice websites). We keep stressing that she's a big girl now that she's almost 4, and we even switched to giving her whole vitamins (she used to get a half) to show her how big she's getting. We'll see if it works.

better?

I"m afraid to jinx anything, but yesterday was a pretty good day! I got some good work done from my sofa and my bed, and was able to lay down most of the time. I had a few cramps here and there, but overall, they weren't too bad. We even tried going out for dinner last night at Famous Dave's, which was really good. By the end I was having trouble sitting agian, but it was also getting close to 7 (pill time). So I'm really hoping that this means that the combo of takiong it easy and medication is really working.

Two other things I forgot to mention from my appointments on Thursday- I somehow managed to LOSE 3 pounds since last Friday! This puts my total weight gain up to 7 pounds. At 32 weeks. Just amazing. I'm not surprised though, since I only gained 3 pounds with Celia. Then again, being overweight to begin with, and having GD, makes me completely change the way I eat when pregnant, so I end up eating way healthier, way less sugar, thus dropping some pounds. Hopefully, this time, I can actually keep it off!! The other thing was that the baby weighs approx. 3 pounds, 14 ounces. Just amazing!

I've also been doing some online shopping! We needed a new infant carseat (since we only have 1), a double stroller, and some more clothes. So I had some fun on amazon.com, and picked up this stroller, which will allow Celia to sit or stand while we're going somewhere with a lot of walking. And this carseat, which I was pleased to see still gets great reviews! We got a very similar one when we had Celia, and were really happy with it. Then, last night, I remembered that I have "gym.bucks" from Gymboree that I wanted to spend. So, I went online, and did it! It saved me a trip to the mall, which I shouldn't do this weekend anyways, and they had the sizes I wanted for most of the items I picked out. I got the boy 3 cute outfits, and Celia a shirt to match some pants I got her a while back, and a really cute cotton dress. I have no idea where this kid came from- she LOVES to wear dresses. Me- I hate them, and would live in jeans if possible. Another new dress, and she'll be thrilled!! She has lots of long sleeve ones, and sleeveless ones, but now she'll have 2 that have short sleeves, so her shoulders are covered in the spring and fall. She's not exactly great at wearing sweaters (which is sad since I've made her a few cute ones, one of which she hasn't even worn yet!).

Nothing but relaxing for me this weekend! Hope you all have a good one!

And I'm done!

Saw Dr. H, and waited what felt like forever! I got back, and they first checked my cervix, which is 3 cm, so nice and long. There is a channel of fluid around it though, which apparently is a sign that I've been having lots of contractions. Which I still am! She said to head home after the appointment (which I planned to do anyways), lay on my left side, and stay there for the rest of the week and through the entire weekend. That should give the increased medication enough time to really start working, and I should be much more comfortable. I asked her if I could still work from home this afternoon and tomorrow, and she was fine with that, as long as I'm laying down. And she was pleased that I'm working from home most of the time from now on. She said between that and the meds, I should be feeling much less discomfort. I can't wait for that to happen!! And if the meds don' thelp, to call my OB and switch to something else. But I'm almost 32 weeks, and she said that after 34 weeks, they usually don't do too much to prevent labor.

Oh, and the other surprise?? Apparently the baby is head down!! He's not breech anymore! Yeah!

one down, one to go

I saw my OB this morning, and he told me to up my dose to 20mg with how I've been feeling. Now I have been doing this about half the time, so maybe it will help.

He also wanted me to move up my appointment with Dr H (my MFM) and his office called over and got me in TODAY at 10:30!! I guess you throw the words "possible preterm labor" around, and slots magically appear. Thank goodness. I'm curious to see what's going on in there. My fingers are crossed for a nice long, closed cervix.

And the good news- he said that next appointment in 2 weeks, we'll schedule my C-section/tubal at Shady Grove! He said it's so much closer for me, so why not? I loved that! Apparently the new rooms are really nice too- they just opened up a new wing. And this way, Dr. H can also be involved if necessary.

Bad, bad idea.

Apparently I can't sit up straight for 8 hours without having consequences. Yesterday I worked from home in the morning, and went in around 1 for a meeting at 3. I got into work fine, but within about an hour of sititng upright, I was extremely uncomfortable. I look at the clock, and realize that I had forgotten to take my dose at 1, so I was only an hour late. But man was that bad idea! A half hour later, it was a bit worse, so I took a second dose. Then I went to my meeting. Where I sat upright for just under 2 hours. I could not get comfortable, and had to get up in the middle and go to the restroom (mainly because i needed to not sit for a minute). I got back and the time just dragged. I kept shifting, and leaning back, and sitting up, and moving around because I was just cramping like crazy. But they weren't any worse than they were last week, so I didn't worry about it. That, and I see my OB tomorrow, which I really am looking forward to. After the meeting, they were a little better, I guess the meds finally kicked in and did their job. I went straight home and layed down, which really helped a lot.

Today I'm still sore, and definitley cramping/contracting a bit. I'm glad I'm working from home all day today! And at 4:30, I have an acupuncture appointment. Maybe that will at least help relax me a bit.

And another thing I heard once I got into work- the co-worker who was in the hospital for contractions over the weekend? She's now on bedrest. Sometime between 2pm monday, and yesterday. She's about 27 weeks, so hopefully they'll be able to stop everything and keep both of them healthy for a while.

8 whole hours!

I made it for a full day at work today! Though I do have to say I got up and walked around a lot. And I am REALLY sore right now. But other than that, it worked! So I know that if I have to do it, I can! Thankfully when I spoke with my boss, she saw no real need for me to be in the office every day, and to make the days I do come in half days, and work the rest from home. I am the luckiest person in the world! So I'll be working form home a few days a week, depending on how I"m feeling either 2 or 3, and 2 or 3 mornings a week I'll come in. Unless there's a later meeting that I need to be at, then I'll come in for that instead of the morning. As long as I don't overdo it.

a late thank you!

With the holidays and the drama of the last few weeks, I completely forgot to post and say a HUGE thank you to my Braces Bunch secret santa! I go the package the week before Xmas, and saved it for the day. The gift was a beautifully knitted hat in a soft charcoal grey yarn! I absolutely love it!! And I've worn it several times already. It fits perfectly and keeps me nice and warm. Thanks so much!!!

learning.

Well, I'm learning quite a bit about what I can and cannot handle right now. Yesterday morning, I spent about an hour and a half on my feet, which I soon realized was a very bad idea. I was sore all day, and contracting a lot, but they weren't strong enough to worry about. The doc said to only worry at this point if they're between 4-7 on the pain scale from 1-10. Most of them were 1 or 2. With only about 10 at level 3. Thankfully there was no real pattern to them. But it's definitley not good. Needless to say, yesterday was a day of 20mg doses instead of 10mg doses. After my morning, I relaxed ALL day. I watched some TV, including 101 Dalmations about 3 times. Celia tends to find a movie she likes, and watches it all weekend, and then by the next weekend she's ready for a new movie. It's kind of cute. Anyway, I did make dinner last night, but other than that, I relaxed a lot. I slept really well, but woke up 3 or 4 times with contractions. At least it was at the right times to take more medicine, and hit the bathroom.

I'm trying today with 10mg doses and we'll see how that goes. I made breakfast this morning- pancakes. And that was overdoing it. Then sitting and eating at the table started to hurt pretty quickly too, which has been the case the last few meals I've eaten. Now I'm relaxing again, and plan on it for the rest of the day. Nathan will go do the grocery shopping shortly, and Celia and I will play some candyland, and probably watch 101 dalmations for the second time today.

Here's what I'm learning so far:
- I think the pro.cardia is helping. Though I'm still having a good number of contractions, they aren't nearly as strong as they were (at least most of them).
- My limit for standing is 30 minutes. If I'm up any longer than that, I really start hurting.
- Sitting is getting harder all the time. After about a half hour or 45 minutes, I start getting crampy. And my back aches. If I get up and walk around, it helps, but that causes more discomfort if I'm up for too long.
- Laying down is good! I am less crampy, achey, and can lay for 2 hours at a time before needing to shift. Unless of course, I have to get up to use the bathroom. Even if it's half-laying down, it's still better than sitting or standing.
- Sleeping is good too. Though when I roll onto my back (at least part way, since my snoogle keeps me from being flat on my back), I feel the tightening and pressure of the contractions a lot more. On my side is best for sure.
- Going up and down stairs is really bad. Every time I do, I cramp up.
- This whole ordeal is making me VERY tired!! I'm not sure if it's the contractions, stress, worry, or combination of it all. But I'm so tired!! I feel like I could sleep from 9pm-8am easily, and take a 3 hour nap in the afternoon without it affecting my night's sleep.

I'm definitely curious to see how tomorrow goes. I'm hoping that laying down most of today, maybe napping, and just overall relaxing will help me get through the whole day. Definitely need to come up with a plan with my supervisor on how to proceed, given that I will likely be on bedrest within a few weeks. I know that whatever I have to do for my son's health and my health is way more important than any job. But it's so hard for me to admit defeat. I always push through. I can handle anything! My last pregnancy, I worked up until the day I got the phone call from my OB saying that my placenta had started to deteriorate, and they needed to move up my C-section. I was home for only one day before that surgery. And probably would have worked had my boss at the time not insisted I pack up and go home immediately after receiving the phone call. Work has been very stressful lately, and we have so much going on! Lots of deadlines. Lots of drama. And I need to be present! If I'm not around, I fear that I will be seen as disposable. And I need my job. I'm just SO glad I don't work in a lab right now!! My last pregnancy I was in a lab, on my feet about 60% of the time, and I was fine. A little uncomfortable the last few weeks, but mainly I was OK. That would be impossible right now! The only reason I am able to work at all for now is because I am at a computer 100% of the time. Otherwise I have a feeling that I wouldn't have a choice right now.

So lots of rest today, and we'll see how tomorrow goes. I'm definitely going to have to chat with my boss when she gets in about how to proceed from now on. She should be in mid-afternoon. So hopefully I can make it that long!!

phew!

I'm really relieved after talking with HR. Apparently the minute my Dr decides I shouldn't be working at the office, or full time, he can decide how much I'm allowed to work from home. And Sho.rt Te.rm Disa.bility will kick in that second. It will either supplement my part time work, or be full time. And as far as FMLA running out goes, as long as my supervisor is OK with me taking extra time, I'll be fine. Whether I do it part time from home for a bit or without pay. It's up to her. So I'll have a chat with her next week and see what we can set up, just in case it comes to that.

I can tell you that I had a few good contractions at dinner, so I did take a second pill. And now that it's coming time for my next dose, they're coming through again. But I did have a few hours of relief, which is really nice. I'm hoping once the drug gets in my system better, that there will be fewer of them.

OB appt.

Just got back to my desk, and I'm pretty happy with what we discussed. I'm going to be taking pro.cardia to keep the contractions stopped. I'll take 10mg every six hours, but if I'm uncomfortable, I can take 20mg. For now, the decision to go on bedrest lies with me. Scary thought! I feel so powerful! She said that if I get really uncomfortable, that they'll pull me out of work at my say so. For now, I do plan to work. I need to work as long as possible! Though if I'm not feeling well, I will take that into account and work from home if I need to. At least for now. This week. On Thurs, I'll see my OB, probably schedule my C-section and ligation for 38 weeks or so, and see how the meds are working. If they're not working as well as they'd like, then the choice to remain at work will no longer be mine.

In preparation for this possibility, I'm meeting with HR in 10 minutes to see what my options are if that happens. I'll probably post again when I get home with that info so I don't forget it!

And I'm home!

Same thing as before- was contracting, though not as much as Tuesday. They started an IV and gave me a shot of Terb, and it worked well and quickly! The nurse mentioned following up with my OB next week...and I asked her if that meant I shoudl cancel my appointment tomorrow, and she said no way! That I should definitley keep it. And bring up going on oral terb.utaline so I don't have to keep running to the hospital every time I end up contracting every 10 minutes or less. We'll see what they say tomorrow. And...I'm off bedrest!! They didn't see the need to keep me on, so I'm free!!

OH- and thanks so much for all the comments! They really help a lot.

and they're back.

For the last 2 hours, they've been coming back. Now they're at about every 7 minutes or so. At first they were at 20 minutes. Off to call the OB. This is not looking good.

day 1

Bedrest. Thankfully today was relatively uneventful. Though I'm pretty sure that was partially due to the whopping headache I've had all day. So I didn't do anything but really rest, and it has been all I've wanted to do. I slept for 2 hours this morning/afternoon. And a friend called to see how I was doing, which was really nice. My mom called to check in too. Apparently one of the women at her office had this happen once with her second pregnancy, and several times with her third, putting her on bedrest for a month and a half of her third pregnancy. I think she reassured my mom a bit, considering both of her kids were born at term, and are all healthy.

I called and ordered dinner a bit ago, so Nathan will pick that up on his way from getting Celia. I have to say that I love having a Red Robin so close by. Nothing like a good cheeseburger when you're having a rough week.

Today, I've had only 4 contractions, and only 2 of them were actually uncomfortable. I'm calling that a successful day. I'll be seeing the OB who I saw at the office yesterday, again on Friday. She was really nice and I liked her, so that's good. Though I am disappointed to have to cancel my appointment with my regular OB. I'll just make sure to see him at the next appointment I have to make.

They're home! Dinner time!

That was a fun day!

NOT!! So I went to my OBs office and saw one of the other docs, who after taking some swabs and doing a cervix check, sent me straigt to the hospital. They gave me my records and a swab for the fetal fibronectin test. So off to H.oly Cr.oss I went! Of course, the beltway traffic sucked getting there, and having a woman who is having contractions in DC traffic is not the best idea. But I knew Nathan had to pick Celia up from school, so I just went it alone. I figured they'd hook me up, tell me it was nothing, and send me on my way. Until after about a half hour of monitoring, the lovely nurse tells me that I'm contracting every 2 minutes!! Of course, now that I'm laying down and have a monitor putting pressure on my belly, I can really feel the contractions. I know they weren't bad in the grand scheme of things (about a 4 on a scale of 1-10), but they were definitely freaking me out. Every 2 minutes! Thankfully they weren't productive at all (cervix is high and closed). So they gave me an IV and hydrated me for an hour (which didn't help with the contractions), and then gave me a shot of Ter.butaline. That finally slowed them down to every 5-6 minutes. Then a second shot got them to stop completely. After they got back my bloodwork/urinalysis results (both fine/negative), they sent me home. I got there at 3:30 and got sent home around 8:15. Not my idea of a fun evening. I get to go to my OB's office again on Friday for another check, and to talk about things, and until then- I'm on bedrest. So not excited about that, but whatever it takes to keep this kiddo inside is what I'm going to do.

So that was my afternoon. I'm SO glad to be home, and am going to drink so much water I'm that I'll be in the bathroom constantly. Now I'm tired and am going to bed.

ouch!

Second blog-entry of the day- wow!

For the record- Brackston-hicks contractions SUCK!! I've been cramping on and off all day (not regularly though). And they hurt!! I'd be more panicked, but there are two other women in my office who are a few weeks behind me, and they're all having them too. I don't remember having these with Celia. Ouch!!

Ok, so they're not stopping and I called my OB. And now I'm going to get checked out. Bah humbug.

blah, blah, blah

I've been in a blah mood the last few days. I know a lot of it has to do with what's going on at work. And some of it has to do with things at home too. For some odd reason, Celia's been as near perfect as an almost 4 year old can be, with one exception. She's decided that peeing her pants is a good thing to do. So at home, she almost never has a dry day, and lately she's wet herself 4-5 times per day. Yesterday she even had an accident at school at naptime. And when I picked her up, she asked me to walk out first, so I knew that she had wet again. I made her go back in her classroom and go potty and change. So her teacher and friends knew what had happened. She didn't like that part, but I wasn't putting her in her carseat wet! Then I'd have to clean that too. No thank you! But at least for me, bedtime has been better. She's been listening a bit better, and been really nice to me. She even shared her pancake with me this morning- I was shocked!

Nathan and I have been getting along fine, but we haven't been communicating very well. He knows there are a few things that I've wanted to really talk about (like possibly moving this year, finding a name for baby). He had said later last week that we'd sit down and talk over the weekend. Which never happened. And of course, I'm trying not to bring it up (don't want to nag him too much), which annoys me even more when he doesn't. And even when we do talk, I'm the one doing 95% of the talking. He doesn't ever open his mouth, and when he does, he just says that he's overwhelmed by the idea of moving. And I get defensive and annoyed, because he's had months to think about it and get used to the idea. Every time I say things like "I hope this is the last Christmas we have to spend away from family", he never says anything, and basically rolls his eyes at me or changes the subject. Like that's not likely to happen.

Anyways, I haven't exactly been my usually cheery self lately, and it's showing. It's showing at work, in my interactions with Nathan and with Celia. I'm trying so hard not to let it show, but it's nearly impossible sometimes. Especially when I'm really tired.

Much better!

I just woke up from an hour and a half long nap, and feel SO much better!!

I even managed to have a pleasant morning! We got upstairs and I decided that I didn't want just eggs again, so I grabbed my copy of the Joy of Cooking and found a pancake recipe. I made them, and some fried eggs, and they were SO much better than the mix I have (the giant bag of Krusteaz from Costco). We all really enjoyed them. After that, we headed over to Target and picked up a few things. Off my list are the changing table, (which wasn't what I initially thought we'd get, but it was on sale for $55 from $79 and it's wood), a pack of diapers, blue socks and onesies. And Celia got a Valentines day outfit and a new pair of PJs. We also picked up a new cordless phone set, since the one we had was over 5 years old, and the volume sucks so badly that you can't even hear the person on the other line. This one came with 2 receivers, and after we got it home and I plugged it in, I was thrilled! I can hear the dial tone!!

We grabbed lunch on the way home from Wendy's, and after that I just crashed. Oh, and I finally took the pics off my camera, so here's a picture of me from last weekend. I've gotten bigger since then, too! See how dark my hair is now? I really love it!

2 months.

Only 2 months to go and we have SO much to take care of!! I'm hoping to head over to Buy Buy Baby or Target or Costco today, to take care of a few things, but we'll see if it happens. I definitely need a nap and need to take it easy- I think I'm coming down with something.
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Now I'm pretty lucky when it comes to my husband. He works regular hours, has a side business project that he works on in the evenings and weekends from home, but just in down time (usually after Celia is in bed and while I'm watching TV). Friday when he came home, he said that he had some work he had to get done over the weekend for his regular job, but it probably wouldn't be more than a few hours. In my opinion- it doesn't matter- a few hours of his side job or regular job. He does it from home, so it doesn't matter. Until he mentioned that night that if he doesn't get enough done, that he'll stay up on Saturday and finish up what he can. I head to bed last night at 10:30, and probably took a bit to fall asleep. I don't sleep well when he's not in bed- he's quiet most of the time, but the light does come in our room (even with doors closed), and I know he'll be in eventually, and then he usually wakes me up. Not on purpose, but it usually happens. So I wake up after midnight and go to the bathroom, and he's still not in bed. Not a big deal, I fall asleep again pretty quickly. Then after 2 I wake up again, and he's STILL not in bed. I go out and yell at him, because now I'm awake and have a head ache. And the light is still coming in. And no matter how hard I beg him if he's going to come in late, he won't sleep elsewhere. he insists on coming in our room and waking me up in the process. So I lay down, try to fall asleep, and by 2:45, I go to the bathroom again and go out to find out what the hell his plans are. Because if he's almost done, I'll just stay up, so he doesn't wake me JUST as I fall asleep again. And he's done, so he comes to bed. At nearly 3. I eventually fall asleep to be awaken by one of our cats, who found a place in the laundry room where she wants to scratch/rub against. Not that she has front claws, but she likes to scratch anyways. And she's LOUD. To the point where I'm not sure if it's even a cat anymore. But after about an hour, she settles down and I'm able to fall asleep again. Though I can still hear her scratching (the wall is shared with our bedroom wall) and making noise. Of course, Nathan hears nothing, until Celia comes downstairs at 6:45 to wake me up. I feel like I haven't slept at all, and I have a horrible headache. So I'm not sure how much will actually get done today, aside from making some Cheddar Corn Chowder in my new pot (it's a Barefoot Contessa recipe, that I've made several times, and it's always good).
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Ok! Back to shopping! With just 2 months left until baby comes, I need to get a few things! Diapers and formula are good to start buying now. I am not at all dillusional in my abilities to breastfeed. I had a horrible experience with Celia, and while I'm going to try with this one, I'm not going to force it too hard if it's not working. And I'm not going to feel guilty about it. Regardless, by the time I go back to work at 3 months, the baby will be weaned to having formula during the day, and I'll nurse when I can at home. I do not want to spend any extra time at work than I have to, which means that several half hour pumping sessions a day are just not going to happen. So I need some formula. Bottles I have still, which is a good thing. Hopefully the baby will take to them without too much of a problem. Then there's diapers, which are never too early to stock up on. Plus we need a changing table for the baby's room. We have the changing table/dresser unit we used for Celia, but since the drawers are broken on it (I do not reccommend Ikea for baby dressers!!), I don't want it in the baby's room. So it's in our room, which is on the lower level of our house. Anyway, a changing station on each floor is a must anyways, considering I won't be able to really do stairs much for a few weeks after C-section. Then there's another stroller. I have a great lightweight "umbrella" stroller for Celia now, and a great infant stroller. But there's only one of me! So I want one of the strollers that's a baby stroller but has a platform on the back for the older kid to sit on. And we need a second infant car seat for Nathan's car. Celia's old seat (pending my checking on recalls) should be fine, but we never had an infant seat for his car. We will this time!! Especially when Nathan will actually be driving with the baby (to drop him off at day care in the morning). Last time I did all the drop-off and pick-up for the first few months. This will NOT be happening this time. I'll pick the kids up, but not drop them off. It's too hard for me. I still need to go through Celia's clothes and find the ones this baby can use. I don't mind him wearing pink and purple and flowers at home, but not in public as much. He's got 5 outfits, but I should grab a few more 0-3s. And some blue sheets. We're reusing Celia's bedding set (which is really just bumpers, a sheet and a blanket), or at least we'll reuse the bumpers. The set is purple and green with white daisies on it. Not exactly gender neutral, but we have it, so why get another one? And it is mostly green, which the room is too, so it will match nicely.

Well, my husband just got up. I'm going to try hard not to be too annoyed with him today, especially since he got less sleep than I did. He does need to understand that if he's going to be up late, that he should lower the lights, and plan on not coming in to our room after midnight. At least for the next 2 months. I really don't remember being this tired when I was expecting Celia. I know that having a toddler makes a difference, but wow!

Congrats!!

And the winner is... Dmarie!! I plugged the number of commenters (14) into a random number generator, and it chose #7! I'll be in touch with her shortly about how she'd like me to get her a check. The grand total is: $46.30!! Thanks for playing everyone!!

stressful week.

Well, at least it was a short week! I'm having quite the week over here, and it just sucks. Things at work have gotten weird, it almost feels like we're treading water and I'm starting to feel like I can't hang on much longer. It's hard when it feels like you're not valued by upper management. I really don't want to go into it, since I"m not sure if anyone at work reads this or not, but it's definitely been a very stressful few days. Nathan and I have some serious talking to do this weekend about future planning.

Last night was just the last straw. I made my favorite dinner (hotdogs and sauce, which is basically boiled hotdogs that I get from Buffalo- Wegmans in VA carries them- with a ketchup based sauce that's kind of like a mild bbq sauce. That, and mashed potatoes. So I found a freezer bag of hot dogs in the regular freezer wednesday, and put them in to thaw for last night. I then made dinner, and everything smelled great! Until I took a bite of the hot dog. Not sure what was wrong with it, but they were definitely not right. They didn't taste spoiled exactly, but the flavor was completely wrong, and the gag reflex started up after 1 bite. I pushed my plate away, and almost lost it. It was my favorite dinner. After a long and stressful afternoon meeting, it was the one thing I was really excited about. And we couldn't eat it. I thought about just making more hot dogs, but it would have taken a while considering the rest were frozen (in the garage freezer). So, Nathan suggested just going out, so that was what we did. 5 guys was good, but not what I wanted. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I had thawed the hotdogs, then decided we weren't going to use them so I tossed them in the freezer to save them for later? Not something I would do, but maybe I did. For some reason I seem to be remembering doing just that...though I have no idea why?!

Anyway, dinner was fine. We got home and the UPS truck was at the end of the driveway! I knew exactly what was being delivered, and it helped cheer me up a bit. For Xmas, my mom gave me a gc to Williams Sonoma to buy a pot that I wanted. I've had a Le Creuset dutch oven that's relatively small for years, and I LOVE it. I've wanted a larger one for ever, and decided that it was what I wanted to get myself this year for Xmas. So I asked my mom for the gc, and figured any other money I got would go directly towards that. I meant to take the gc to the mall last weekend, but I forgot. So I decided to just order it online, if shipping wasn't too crazy. Otherwise I'd hit the mall this weekend again. And, there was an online sale. In exactly the color that I wanted (the Sonoma Blue). So, I bought the pot Monday, that in nearly every other color was $235, but in the blue, it was $175! So by the time I added tax and shipping, I still saved $30 off the original price. And it arrived yesterday, and it's beautiful and BIG!! I'm now the proud owner of a 7 1/4 Quart Le Creuset round dutch oven, and I am SO excited about this! This weekend will definitely be a soup-making weekend!!

I'm just really, really, really glad that it's friday already.