29 weeks pregnant?

I haven't posted much about my pregnancy here.  Not because I've forgotten I'm pregnant (who could forget in 100 degree heat) but because I'm sort of distracted and don't think about it that much.  But, yes, I am 29 weeks pregnant.  2 1/2 months to go hopefully.  This pregnancy has been different and yet the same as the first.  Different because I'm just SO MUCH MORE tired.  Physically.  Last time I got to sit in an air conditioned office all day and was in a desk chair for like 12 hours a day.  Plus I started off in better shape.  Now I'm chasing after a busy two year old and have to sit in hot parks and run around my backyard.  Last time I read all about pregnancy on the internet and followed it week by week.  I also had far more worries last time about everything and this time I'm probably not worried enough.

But lots of things are the same.  Mainly my two major symptoms - heartburn and insomnia.  At least with heartburn this time I knew exactly what I needed to have on hand...liquid antacid.  The insomnia is a little rough but there's not much I can do about it.

The bummer is that this time everything is more swollen.  I never had to take off my wedding rings with Jack but this time around I put them away weeks ago.  I'm now wearing a $15 sterling silver band that used to fit on my index finger.  And I've noticed my ankles and feet are a bit swollen at the end of the day.  Not the greatest look.

The little guy is kicking like crazy though so that's fun.  And reassuring that everything is going okay, even if I'm too busy to notice.  Poor kid is still nameless though as John and I haven't found a name we both love.  We have 11 or so more weeks so let's hope we can agree on something soon.  :)

This pregnancy? It's not the greatest...

Soo, yeah.  This 2nd pregnancy?  Kind of sucks compared to the first.  (Sorry about the language).  I mean, obviously the first pregnancy is special because it's the first and all the ultrasounds and everything else are just amazing.  But with Jack, I feel like my symptoms were pretty mild.  I had nausea the first trimester but I got to sit in an office all day about 20 feet from a stocked kitchen while kind assistants brought me lunch every day.  Now I'm nauseous or headache-y quite often and Jack doesn't seem to care.  In fact, he insists that I still feed him and play with him and give him a bath and put him to bed.

The entire 9 months with Jack?  Never sick at all.  Not one iota.  Now on week 17 I'm already on my second sinus cold.  If you were wondering, it's really not that fun to have stuffed up sinuses and have to blow your nose every five minutes while it's 90 degrees outside and you're as big as a house.

My first pregnancy? My face and skin totally cleared up.  This lil' bugger?  Making me break out like I'm 14 years old.  Last time my hair got all full and nice...but not this time.

With Jack my fingers never swelled up and I could easily wear my wedding rings the entire 9 months.  This time?  I am shocked and saddened by the fact that my wedding ring is almost unwearable even before I'm halfway through this pregnancy.  Lame.

But I really shouldn't complain too much.  I know people that throw up for three months.  People whose feet and ankles swell so they can't wear their normal shoes.  Luckily I don't have anything quite as bad as that.  I just wish that it was a little bit easier.  :)

Oh, yeah, by the way, I'm pregnant.

 

 I realized somewhere along the way that I've neglected to do a post about baby #2. And obviously after around 13 weeks it wasn't because it was a secret. And now I'm sure everyone reading this already knows. So it was just pure laziness. But here it goes!

We are (or, let's be honest, I am) 16 weeks pregnant with baby #2. I was pretty sure that I was pregnant so the morning that I took the test, I had a shirt for Jack all ready. "Soon to be Big Brother" Jack awoke at his normal ridiculous 5:30am time and I got him up and threw the shirt on him. Then we killed some time on the counter as usual until it was time to wake up daddy.

Jack bounded into the bedroom and climbed up on the bed and asked John to read him a book. John, not wearing his glasses, was completely oblivious to the shirt.

 

Like, seriously, oblivious.  He thought he was just having a nice read with his son.

But I gently nudged him to get his glasses and then he figured it out.  He was pretty darn surprised.  But Jack wouldn't let him stop reading.

I have to say that my immediate reaction to the positive test was quite a spectrum of emotion.  First shock, then happiness, then sadness that Jack's entire existence was gonna change, and then just complete fear about having a newborn and a toddler.  And going back to no sleep.  And spit up.  And bouncing on a ball.  Sigh.  But, I eventually bounced back to being excited.  

So far this pregnancy has been a bit different than with Jack.  I mean, the basic fact is that I have to take care of a toddler during the day so obviously I don't get to sit at a desk all day like last time and have snacks at my disposal and sleep in.  But I did feel like I was more sick.  But maybe that's just because memory fades over time.  The shock of having my belly pop up at like EIGHT weeks hasn't worn off though.  With Jack, I didn't switch to maternity pants until 20 weeks.  Didn't even tell anyone at work until then.  Wow.  It couldn't be more opposite this time.  I had to switch to maternity pants at like 10 weeks and, currently, at 16 weeks I would gather I look the same as I did at 26 weeks last time.  Oh well.  I guess that's how these things work out.  Looking forward to being as big as a whale in the 100 degree Burbank summer.  

And did I mention we're having another boy?  I'm excited for Jack to have a brother even though he told us he wanted a sister.  Sorry Jack, you can't always get what you want.  Let this be a life lesson for you.  It does make it easier since we have all the boy clothes, and boy toys, and sort of know what to do with a boy.  

So, there it is.  We are due November 19th.  Right before Thanksgiving.  Definitely something to be thankful for.  :)

How Google went from my worst enemy to my best friend

When I was pregnant, google was not my friend. I searched every symptom, every possibility, every test result. And guess what happens when you search millions and millions of websites? You're bound to get some negative results. Some sad, sad stories about pregnancies and newborns that were tragic and heartbreaking. When I came across one of these sites, it would depress and upset me for days. So about half way through my pregnancy, John forbid me from googling all that stuff. So a lot of baby sites were off limits but I could still read Go Fug Yourself...because apparently celebrity fashion tragedies weren't as depressing.

But now six months after giving birth, google is my friend. Now, in an odd way, it always makes me feel better, rather than worse. Why? Because of the auto-complete or suggestion feature. When I start typing something in google, it suggests what it thinks I'm looking for. Without exception, every time I've googled something that's worrying me about Jack, there it is on the suggestions. And if it's a suggestion, then I must not be crazy. There must be other people going through the same thing. Jack's poop can't possibly smell like popcorn...or maybe it can! There it is on the google suggestion list! (I don't know about that vinegar suggestion....) Jack hit 4 months and his sleep habits went down the drain. "4 month sleep regression" is a number 1 hit on google suggestions. You name it and google can lead me to a group of people going through the same thing. Jack has cradle cap, he's waking up up every hour, his poop is bright grass green, he's losing weight, he's got a mysterious rash... it's all on there. And it's all so so damn reassuring.

Two Lines

One year ago today we found out that we were expecting little Jack. It was a Saturday and without going into too many details, it was somewhat surprising. Only because a few days prior another test had resulted in a Negative. But apparently early response tests are not really totally accurate. Anyways, those two little lines came up and John and I sat in shock for a good 60 seconds or so as we soaked in the news. The most ridiculous part of the day? Two hours later we hosted a big pool party with 20 of our closest friends. The whole party we had to conceal the news, our emotions, and the fact that I wasn't drinking. I don't think anyone suspected a thing. :)

The good thing about being pregnant...

(Well, one of many good things...)

Your giant pregnant belly makes your butt and thighs look smaller. This leftover stomach pooch thing? Not so much.

About the name...

So a funny thing happened when John and I got pregnant. We started talking about names (of course, the best part of having a baby) and we came to one conclusion. We both only liked one boy name. And, miraculously, we both liked the same one boy name. Boy names tend to be pretty pedestrian unless you're planning on giving birth to the next great NBA or NFL star. Dhani? Plaxico? D'Brickashaw? Seeing as how neither of us are purebred athletes, we thought we'd stay away from those. Although Donovan (a la McNabb) made a big push. So if we weren't going sporty we could go Hollywood. Would be appropriate since both of us live such a glamorous LA lifestyle. Pilot? Zuma? Bronx? No, that just would not do.

But, like I said, it wasn't really an issue because the one name both John and I liked was Jack. It's a strong simple name. A main character's name. A hero's name. That's why they use it for a lot of fictional TV and film characters. Jack Bauer. Jack Ryan. Jack Sparrow. Jack Dawson. Jack Shephard. Jack Kelly. (if you get that last one, you're awesome.) Plus Jack was John's grandfather's name and "Jack Dutch" is also John's nickname. So it was always Jack. From about week 5. Took some of the fun out of playing the name game for 9 months, but oh well. The one thing that gave me pause about Jack was that it was so popular. But I figured we didn't know any kids with that name so we were in the clear.

As for girls' names, we did have an awesome girl's name. One we really liked with a perfect middle name too. But I never thought we'd use it. We'll keep it though, just in case.

And about Jack's middle name... Nunzio. We had a couple more traditional middle names in the mix but, in the end, we decided they all made him sound like a blueblood Kennedy or something. So we wanted something different. On kind of a whim I suggested Nunzio. Now, it's a well known joke in my family that Nunzio is my grandpa's middle name and he HATES it. A lot. Which is of course why his kids call him Nunz. But while Grandpa hates it, we started to say "Jack Nunzio" out loud and thought it sounded kind of cool. I liked the idea of doing an Italian name because our last name is so German. And of course we could pay tribute to one of the greatest grandpas around. Also, loosely translated, Nunzio means God's messenger or the announcer which is pretty damn cool.

So, there it is. Jack Nunzio. We kept it a secret all those months but we told you not to build it up because it wouldn't be something groundbreaking. Hope you like it.

Oh yeah, about this blog...

You may notice that there are a lot of posts on this lil' blog even though you're just hearing about it. Let me explain. First, while the first entry is from June or so, don't worry, I haven't been blogging behind your backs for that long. I just kept track of my pregnancy week by week and then, when I started this blog a few weeks ago, I transferred all that information here. And appropriately dated each post. Second, I didn't want to tell everyone about the blog until after our little arrival. Call me superstitious!

This blog is for friends and family so they can see pictures of the little guy and keep up with our lives. I'm not so arrogant enough to think that I have anything new to add to the "motherhood" experience or story. But this will be a welcome diversion and an easy way to share pictures and stories with everyone.

You'll see the posts go back a while so please check out the earlier posts for hilarious (okay, not really) accounts of my pregnancy week by week. And the real reason to read them? "John's POV" at the end of each post. Adorable and funny at the same time. And don't be shy about commenting!

Today I am...41 weeks pregnant.

Well, I guess I knew I would make it to 41 weeks. Studies show that first time moms usually go a week over their due date. To that I would say, then why don't doctors make the due date at 41 weeks? Or why don't weekly pregnancy email updates go up to 41 weeks? Or why have almost all my friends not gone past their due date? I'm not expecting any answers, just hoping for a baby soon. I certainly have tried to naturally induce labor but, to no avail. But I really did try every thing I had heard. To date, I think I've tried: evening primrose oil, raspberry leaf tea, spicy Chinese food, spicy Indian food, "labor" cookies, pineapple, "the maternity salad" at an LA restaurant, eggplant parmesan, bouncing on a birthing ball, walking miles a day, drinking lots of water, massage, and acupuncture. Also had the doctor "strip the membranes" and that didn't work either. So, yes, apparently babies come when they feel like it. Of course, it's easy to say such a thing but harder to accept when you're sitting around waiting. I had pretty much finished prepping the house and nursery weeks ago, so there wasn't much to do this past week.

There were lots of doctor's appointments and acupuncture appointments though. I must say, acupuncture is fairly amazing. It didn't send me into labor but I do believe it stimulated the uterus and some mild contractions. I could feel the baby and the uterus going crazy while I had the needles in various parts of my body. My doctor said I had made a little progress (not much) but that the baby looked okay and thought it would be okay to go until 41 1/2 weeks. The little guy keeps passing his non-stress test with flying colors. His heartbeat sounds good and, at the same time, the monitor also tracks my contractions. I maintain that I've yet to have a contraction but the monitor seems to think I'm having one. All I have to say is that if contractions are as painless and unobtrusive as these, I'll be completely fine in labor.

We saw the doc again on Wednesday and my amniotic fluid was 'borderline' low. Today we're going back to see her to check fluids again. I'm hoping with as much rest as I've been taking along with the 100 ounces of water a day, we'll be fine to wait until Monday. That's our plan.

***Well, I was wrong. Later that day we saw our doctor who told us the amniotic fluid was too low and that it would be best to check into the hospital and have this baby now. But what? I left the house without emptying the dishwasher and taking out the trash! But into the hospital we went and over 24 hours later, little Jack was born. More on that story later....

Things I could not have lived without

As my days as a pregnant lady start to wane, I find myself looking back at a time that has flown by. I didn't have it as hard as some other people, but I must say that there are some things I could have never done without. I survived only because of these things...

• Body Pillow - Definitely the most important I think. I didn't get one of those crazy pregnancy ones that wrap all around the front and back of your body. Don't think I would have had room for that type unless I kicked John out of bed. But just your normal straight long body pillow. Absolutely a lifesaver.
• Breakfast burritos - I know I've mentioned this tasty breakfast option many times before, but I am very serious. Eggs saved me this pregnancy and there no better way to eat eggs then wrapped in a tortilla with cheese and salsa. Yum!
  
• Activia yogurt - Yeah, it's not glamorous but this was necessary with all the damn iron and vitamins they pump in you. Besides, it's delicious with granola!
• Decaf Vanilla Nonfat Latte - Before pregnancy, my morning routine usually consisted of a Starbucks run. It wasn't totally for the caffeine, more for the ritual. While I held off on decaf coffee the first trimester, I allowed myself to have decaf around week 20. Let me tell you, those lattes are delicious and helped me feel human every morning.
• Gap Maternity v-neck T-shirts - Pretty much all I wore pre-pregnancy were v-neck t-shirts from the Gap. So it makes sense that all I wore during pregnancy were the maternity version.
  
• Yoga Pants - I should probably call these pajama pants though because, while I wear them to bed every night, I have yet to do yoga in them. But the same stretchy pants I wore every night pre-pregnancy, I still wear every night at 9 months. That's some stretchy fabric.
• Bra Extenders - These helped me wear my old bras for a while after they got too tight. Of course, eventually I had to buy new bras but this delayed the purchase for a while.
• Motherhood Maternity store - My mom and I raided the Motherhood store twice during this pregnancy and I came away with the majority of items I've worn every single day. Jeans, work shirts, and the super important, long cardigan sweaters.
  
• Liquid Maalox - Oh Maalox. My good friend. I thought all chewable tablet antacids were gross but this chalky liquid was much easier to swallow. Middle of the night, heartburn going crazy, I just popped up (okay, more like a slow roll), opened the fridge, and took swigs straight from the bottle.
• Babycenter.com emails - When you find out you're pregnant you sign up for a ton of emails and newsletters. But I found the BabyCenter ones to be the best. They always reassured me that all my symptoms were completely normal.
• Moccasin Slippers - Towards the end of my pregnancy, I shuffled around the house in these comfy things. My bare feet couldn't handle all the weight and who wants to put on real shoes?
• Angel Sounds Fetal Heart Doppler - I am definitely a worrier and too many times I was worried that the lil' guy wasn't moving enough. So we bought this super inexpensive device that actually worked really well. The headphones looked like they were from 1980 and the plastic monitor felt cheap, but it worked like a charm. Well worth the $25 for peace of mind.
  
• Awesome husband - I highly recommend this last one. Truly a lifesaver.
  

Today I am...40 weeks pregnant.

Wow, my due date. The long awaited 2/11/11. Unfortunately, it's just another day today and the little guy shows no signs of moving out. Had another doctor's appointment this past week where she informed me that I hadn't made any progress. She is already throwing around the word "induction" which I don't love. Especially since I'm sure, if he had his way, the lil' one would come out at 42 weeks. But modern doctors don't really let moms go to 42 weeks so we'll see what happens. In the mean time, it's time to bring on the natural labor induction techniques! Truthfully, I think all of these are complete b.s. but it makes me feel proactive. So far it's included evening primrose oil tablets, raspberry leaf tea, bouncing on an exercise ball, spicy food, the "maternity" salad from a famous LA restaurant, and a prenatal massage. But today I also tried acupuncture. I went to this place that specializes in pregnancy acupuncture and wow, it was cool. I don't think it'll automatically induce labor, but you can certainly feel those needles doing something. The feeling radiates down your feet and up your arms. At the very least, my acupuncturist said it should make my labor easier if I do have to be induced. We'll see...

That's about all that's happening here. We threw a Superbowl party at our house last weekend and that was our last hoorah. Now we're just playing the waiting game. Not something I'm very good at. Here's a picture of me "waiting" this morning, at a full 40 weeks.

And now, for the weekly stats...

How far along: 40 weeks

Baby Development: Nothing new except he's as big as a small pumpkin. That's giant. Again, I'm worried he'll be huge but I guess there's not much I can do about it now.

Baby Movement: He's got peaks and valleys. Sometimes he moves a lot and at other times he has slow hours/days. But we're doing our kick counts.

Water Intake: My acupuncturist immediately could tell I wasn't drinking enough water. So I got busted. Going to try to do better.

Best Moment this Week: Getting a massage at the spa. Not as good as a "real" massage because they're scared to press too hard on a giant pregnant lady. But still, amazing.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Oh man, where do I start? I guess mostly worried about having to be induced and then having a c-section. Though I'm trying to tell myself that tons of women have inductions and/or c-sections and they are fine and all they care about is that their baby is healthy. So we'll see what happens...

Symptoms: Still have heartburn. This sort of shocks me. I thought at the end the heartburn was supposed to go away but maybe the lil' guy hasn't dropped enough. Doesn't matter what I eat or what time I stop eating before I go to bed. Guaranteed to wake up with heartburn between 12 and 2am.

Sleep Quality: Not bad actually. Sleeping pretty soundly aside from the three trips to the bathroom.

Food Cravings: Not so much cravings...but we've just been trying to eat all these inducing foods. It's not working.

What I Miss: Having a back that doesn't hurt all the time. I used to think it hurt but this is way more achy.

I'm Looking Forward to: Meeting the little guy very very soon!

Trying to Get Done Before Baby: I honestly think I'm done. We did our taxes, completely redecorated the guest room, washed all the baby clothes, cleaned our house top to bottom...we're ready!

John's POV: "The kid missed having a pretty rad b-day. 2/11/11? Come on. And since 2/12/11 passed, and we’re pretty sure Valentine’s Day is going to come and go with us just staring at Lisa’s belly for umpteenth consecutive night, there’s not a lot of cool b-day options left. Though I think he can make it to 2/21/11 or 2/22/11. Though those are more like pathetic luggage codes than anything else. As far as the old wives’ tales regarding the onset of labor, we are truly willing to try anything. Eggplant Parm? OK. Cactus tacos? Sure. Orange soda? How much and how often? I’m looking forward to perpetuating the inductive powers of whatever dish Lisa coincidentally consumes on the day the baby decides to descend. It’ll likely just be the 98th breakfast burrito she’s had during her pregnancy. So yes, eat 98 breakfast burritos and that kid will shoot out like a rocket."

What I'll Miss About Being Pregnant

As crazy as it seems, there are definitely things I'll miss about being pregnant. Granted, my pregnancy seems like it was fairly easy, compared to some. But there are some great things that happened that I'll miss.

1. Thick, long, luxurious hair. Sure, it would have looked a bit more luxurious if I have actually blown dry and brushed my hair every morning. But still... my ponytail looked better than it ever has.

2. Long, fast-growing fingernails. Haven't had those in a long time. Well, maybe I've never had those.

3. No colds, cough, or flu. Now, I don't know why this is. I suspect it's because prenatal vitamins are serious business and packed with billions of milligrams of goodies. But I usually get a cold or two or ten at work and I didn't get a single sniffle.

4. Feeling the little guy inside me. It is such a bizarre, yet amazing feeling. I've gotten to the point where it's just comfy and familiar, rather than something to take notice of.

5. Having an excuse to eat desserts, real eggs rather than egg whites, cheese on everything, and real sugar rather than sugar substitutes.

6. Imagining (and idealizing) our son's life. Sure, he'll be great in person, but while pregnant, you can imagine all of these possibilities and idealize how it'll be. Like 9 hours of sleep a night with a newborn and no temper tantrums...ever.

7. Having an excuse to cut out early of parties and go to bed early. Truthfully, I've never been a night owl but, being pregnant, I finally had an excuse to hit the sack at a ridiculously early hour.

8. My skin has never been clearer. No acne, no blemishes for nine months. Pretty awesome.

9. Elastic band pants.

10. And finally, the most amazing, miraculous part of pregnancy... I am never cold!! Pre-pregnancy I was constantly cold. In 70 degree weather, sitting in an office, anywhere and everywhere. I'd had to have a scarf and a sweater with me. At my desk at work? A portable heater that I used all year long. Yet pregnancy hits and Bam! I am warm. Constantly warm. But like a normal warm. I can wear t-shirts all the time. It's so awesome! I am actually hoping this trend continues post-partum but we'll see.

stretch marks

Remember what I said about being grateful that I don't have any stretch marks yet? Well, I lied. Turns out, I do have a couple of small stretch marks. Just weren't that easy to see with all of this giant belly in the way. Oh well. I wear them with pride!

Today I am...39 weeks pregnant.

39 weeks. Not sure how many of these updates I have left in me. One for sure (I think) and then maybe one more? Either way, it's crazy how close we're getting. Of course, you wouldn't know it because not much has changed. Sure, I'm bigger and slower, but still no contractions. Almost everyone on the pregnancy message boards has experienced early contractions or Braxton-Hicks contractions by now, but not me. And I can only assume I'd know it if I'd had. My doctor assures me that's also normal and some people don't get them until they're really in labor. But, at the same time, I'd like to have a preview of this "worst pain of my entire life". Would make it less of a mystery. At this point, I'm waiting for some unknown hour on some unknown day where my body just revolts in pain. It's pretty awesome!

This week the doctor's appointment was status quo. Head down, heartbeat looked good, and I'm still 1 cm dilated. No signs of the lil' guy going anywhere for the time being. We did make progress at home this week though, as we completely re-did the guest room. And by "we" I mean John did the work and I supervised. Though I got to do the fun part of shopping for new bedding and pillows, etc. More errands meant more strangers asking me if I was expecting a girl but I didn't mind so much this week. I guess my body just likes to distribute the weight more evenly like a girl rather than have a belly that is pointy and sticks straight out like a normal boy baby. I'm sure it's because my body is used to distributing a lot of weight. :)

Today, in honor of being 39 weeks, we hired a housekeeper (maid? is that PC?) to come give our house a deep cleaning in preparation for baby. My parents and grandparents would be aghast at the idea of paying someone to clean my own house. I should get off my lazy butt and do it myself. And I should. But the idea of scrubbing the tub and getting every dust bunny out from under our bed while 9 months pregnant was painful. It's hard enough to pull on my pants and walk to the grocery store, let alone scrubbing floors. So we hired someone. Now I just have to think of an excuse to keep using her because our house looks awesome.

And now, for the weekly stats:

How far along: 39 weeks

Baby Development: Not much new to report on the development front. He's full grown and now just getting bigger and bigger in order to inflict greater pain on me during delivery.

Baby Movement: Great movement this week for the lil' guy, we were very proud of him. Though one night I was afraid he was going to kick through my belly.

Water Intake: I've decided to count coffee, milk, caffeine-free diet coke, and orange juice as water. In that case, I'm doing well.

Best Moment this Week: Probably getting a surprise ultrasound at the doctor's appointment. The lil' guy looked like a real baby in there!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: I'm back to worrying about labor and delivery. This may be from watching too many reality tv shows on pregnancy and birth. None of those moms look like they're having much fun in the hospital.

Symptoms: Same things you've heard about. I'm sure you're bored with it. Waddle walking, heartburn... but actually it hasn't been too bad.

Sleep Quality: Don't quote me, but I think I may be sleeping a TINY bit better than I was a few weeks ago. More pillows definitely help. Though now I am getting up for the bathroom three times a night but I guess that's how it goes.

Food Cravings: Ice Cream. Yum! The perfect way to end a day.

What I Miss: Being able to run errands or spend a few hours out of the house without having to find the nearest restroom. I'm tired of public restrooms.

I'm Looking Forward to: Superbowl this weekend! Probably the last time we'll host all our friends at our house without baby.

Trying to Get Done Before Baby: Return some Babies r' Us stuff, get the car seat checked at the police station, and get our taxes done so we can get a refund and pay for more baby stuff.

John's POV: "It still doesn't seem like this thing is ever going to happen. Even though something has obviously been happening for quite a while now. I don't see his motivation for leaving. It's warm and quiet and dark, he's constantly feeding or sleeping or both, and his mom carries him everywhere he goes. He's not trading up upon exiting."

"You're having a girl." No, no I'm not.

Yesterday marked the tenth time that an absolute stranger has told me that I'm having a girl. I get that a lot. Here's just one example from the supermarket yesterday.

Me - giant pregnant lady waddling down Aisle 7, minding my own business, trying to buy some crushed tomatoes.
Her - old lady, I'd say 70, clearly wants to say something to me and finally does...

"When are you due?"
"In about two weeks."
"Wow, she has really dropped. I mean, really dropped."
"Yes, I know."
"You're having a girl, right?"
"Ha, ha. No, it's a boy. But I hear that a lot." Like, all the time.
"Are you sure it's a boy? It really looks like a girl."
"Well, three doctors have confirmed it's a boy..." ...and they probably have more medical degrees than you.
"Well, if that's a boy, he must be huge. Like really giant."
"Ha, ha. I guess so. That won't be easy!" Keep smiling, she's just an old lady.
"I'm guessing you could have a 10 pounder."
Tight smile. Is there really a response to such a thing? Maybe, 'well, thanks a lot.'
"Are you sure you aren't having twins? My friend's daughter thought she was only having one and then during delivery, out came twins!"
"Wow, that's crazy." Really, I've never heard such a crazy story. Good thing I have competent doctors.
"Well, whatever you do, you have to have more than one. The kid can't be alone. It is very bad for them."
"Oh, I know, isn't that the truth." Really lady? You know nothing about me and now you're telling me that a) I look giant enough to have a 10 pounder, and b) I better get pregnant again or she's going to come after me and call me a terrible mother.

At that point I smiled and told her I hope she has a good day and went off with my crushed tomatoes. And I have to say, the penne pasta with shrimp in creamy vodka sauce was delicious. Maybe I will have a 10 pounder...

Grateful.

I could take this opportunity to give thanks to my husband, family, and friends, for being amazing. But I really just wanted to do a quick post about how grateful I am that my pregnancy has been great. I give thanks to the pregnancy gods that I:

• can still sit Indian-style on the floor
• never got 'linea negra' (or that line down your belly)
• never vomited (we'll see if this holds up during labor and delivery)
  
• can still tie my shoes
• never got turned off by certain food smells or desperately wanted any weird food
• never was super exhausted during the first trimester and had to go to bed at 7:30
• never got the 'pregnancy mask' on my face
• still have no stretch marks (crossing my fingers)
• still haven't had my belly button pop (double crossing my fingers)

Today I am...38 weeks pregnant.

Time marches on... Here I am. 38 weeks pregnant and I remember celebrating week 7 like it was yesterday. Each day brings different aches and pains and pressure on different body parts. This week I had a doctor's appointment and got my cervix checked for the first time. It wasn't too fun...fairly uncomfortable but nothing I couldn't deal with. But I found that I was 1 centimeter dilated. Of course, this means nothing really. But, at the same time, I guess it's encouraging that things are progressing. Not sure that news was worth the spotting I got for the next day, but, I'm not a doctor. (of medicine....just a doctor of hollywood trivia.) We also had our first little scare at the doctor's office as the doc couldn't find the lil' guy's heartbeart very easily. It was the first time it had been a problem and, of course, I didn't react well when I saw the look of concern and puzzlement on her face. She decided to hook me up to a fetal monitor for 20 minutes so she could make sure everything looked okay. So I got to strap on these sensors on my belly and watch a little print-out with every heartbeat of the little guy. Thank goodness that John randomly decided to attend the appointment with me after not going for weeks. Turns out the trickster was fine. I think he was just in a weird position at first. And I think he's big so it's tight in there for him. But he stayed between 140 and 160 bpm and the doc assured us all was good. So home we went with instructions to come back in a week.

The good news is that I got a hair cut this week and we also assembled all the remaining baby stuff. See? Here I am with my new hair and awesome pack n' play. Of course, my hair didn't look like that the day after and won't look like that again, but it was nice while it lasted.

And now, for the weekly stats:

How far along: 38 weeks

Baby Development: My newsletters are getting a bit boring because there's no new fruit and vegetable comparisons. He's big (around 7 lbs and 20 inches) and he is fully prepared to come out at any time. But I give him another 2 weeks at least.

Baby Movement: Well, he's been moving a little less, hence the scare. But he still loves to move around a lot around 4am.

Water Intake: Utter failure. In fact, until 3 seconds ago when I saw this prompt on my blog, I forgot that there was such a beverage as 'water'.

Best Moment this Week: I think all of the 'real' dinners I got to have with John this week. He got off work pretty early every night so I actually had the chance to make proper dinners and eat at the table. Sounds crazy but it's definitely not the norm for Hollywood employees!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Is he moving enough. The doctor really got us scared and now I'm doing kick counts. That and worried about all the billion genetic disorders that don't kick in until a child is 12 months old or so. That just doesn't seem fair.

Symptoms: Just more of the same. Some heartburn. Pressure down there and on my bladder. Lots of waddling. And nowadays John offers to help me up off the couch. Wow, that's pathetic.

Sleep Quality: Okay, so I may have made a slight breakthrough. But it requires THREE non-head pillows. Two between my legs (including my awesome body pillow), one getting hugged at my chest and then two under my head. And if I twist my body just so, I can get a good stretch of sleep in.

Food Cravings: Tostada salads. Weird. But if this kid doesn't like Mexican, I don't know what else I could have done.

What I Miss: Popping up off the couch or jumping out of bed. There is certainly none of that. In fact, I'm lucky if it doesn't take a grunt to get out of bed.

I'm Looking Forward to: Fun weekend with the hubby, Leigh, and the SAG awards. Good times.

Trying to Get Done Before Baby: We may be crazy, but we're trying to redecorate and PAINT the guest room. Yeah. All in the next week before baby. Ridiculous? Yes. But we've been meaning to do it for 3 years. I'll let you know if this actually happens.

John's POV: “It was flat out good luck that I had a lull at work and could sneak out for Lisa's appointment. I hadn't been in a few weeks, and all I was going to do was kill time with a Staples run and some 'Plants vs. Zombies'. (I've already 3-starred 'Angry Birds' to death.) I could see Lisa's worry wheels start to spin as soon as our doctor suggested a run on the fetal monitor 'just to be sure'. I'm surprised we ever hear anything on the heart monitor she usually uses. Looks like something Texas Instruments made in the 80s. But the fetal monitor made the lil' trickster sound like John Bonham. Boom-boom-boom-boom. But even if the little guy had launched into 'Moby Dick', Lisa would have still been a little shaken up. We'd gotten accustomed to 'Everything sounds great' and 'See you in a week'. You'll get these unpleasant splashes of cold water in the face every so often, where you're reminded of the fragility of the situation. Keeps you on your toes at best. Scares the crap out of you at worst.”

Today I am...37 weeks pregnant.

Well, here I am again. Bigger and...better? Well, not better because I've amped up my complaining about aches and pains this week. I thought the lil' guy had dropped and that my heartburn was a thing of the past. He gently reminded me that I was naive and ridiculous and didn't know a thing about pregnancy. So I hit the Maalox bottle again which, as always, helped the situation. Sleeping has gotten pretty dreadful. Gotten to the point where I don't really even look forward to going to bed because I know it'll be achy. Lots of tossing and turning to try to alleviate the pain in my hips. But, it's not all bad. John's always there with every awakening to make sure I'm okay.

With three weeks left, I am torn between thinking the big day is right around the corner and thinking that I really have at least 4 weeks left. A whole month. Which is a long time. So yes, the bag is not packed, and I'm not completely ready. But I haven't had any Braxton-Hicks contractions or any signs of early labor. I think he's pretty much settled in there and I've got a little time. Or at least I'm hoping I do.

This week I met the 3rd and final OB partner at my doctor's practice. She was fantastic so I've decided that if my OB doesn't make it to my delivery, I would be okay with one of the other two doctors. But we'll see how it goes. Maybe the lil' guy will cooperate and want to make his debut during the day on a weekday. We also met a pediatrician this week. Our health insurance referred us to a 4 doctor practice which is, luckily, near our house. We met one of the doctors who we liked. She seems good though we left debating if she was "warm and fuzzy" enough for a pediatrician. But, then again, maybe she didn't whip out that side of her while talking to do 30 year olds. Anyways, I guess we'll see how it goes once we start going to her.

And here's what's going on this week:

How far along: 37 weeks

Baby Development: My newsletter today said he is the size of a watermelon! Holy moly. I just thought that was a figure of speech. Like "I carried a watermelon". But no wonder why it's so awkward to walk around.

Baby Movement: He's still going in there. Sometimes it looks and feels like a movie where a bomb or missile explodes like a foot under the ground and the whole surface makes a big rise and fall move. That's what my belly looks like sometimes.

Water Intake: I'm failing. It was so easy when I sat at a desk all day. Now, at home? Not so much. Must do better this week.

Best Moment this Week: Probably finding out that my good friend Leigh got engaged! So happy for her. Hopefully the little guy doesn't completely get in the way of pre-wedding fun.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Breastfeeding probably. I'm reading so many books with so many ideas and how and when to breastfeed and all the potential problems. Kind of nerve-wracking. And of course there's no way to prepare for it.

Symptoms: Well, no contractions even though most 37-weekers feel Braxton-Hicks contractions. Like I said, I think I'm a late bloomer. Definitely have to go to the bathroom all the time though and I'm getting less mobile.

Sleep Quality: Please. Don't talk to me about sleep. My legs and arms keep falling asleep under the crushing weight of my body. And I get to go the bathroom two or three times a night. And I get to go over my long to-do lists in the middle of the night. So fun!

Food Cravings: Ice Cream milkshakes. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But think of all that dairy!

What I Miss: I miss the energy of work and all my friends there.

I'm Looking Forward to: We've got our annual Maggiano's dinner this weekend with the LA posse. This is like our 8th year in a row!

Trying to Get Done Before Baby: I am finally getting a haircut so I can check that off the list. I installed the car seat yesterday so that's done. I think it's time to assemble that baby swing, bouncer, and stroller though.

John's POV: “We stumbled onto ‘Bill Cosby: Himself’ on the TV the other day. Right at the childbirth part. Right at the part where he jokingly asks the doctor to put his newborn baby back because it’s not done cooking yet. Then the next 30-40 minutes are all about his huge family and how 'brain damaged' his kids are. I used to really, really laugh at this stand-up. I’m laughing less now.”

Today I am...36 weeks pregnant.

I can’t believe I only have a month to go. Though, knowing that I’m likely to be late, I hesitate to say that I only have 4 weeks left. Nonetheless, things are slowly coming together. The baby newsletters all say I should pack my hospital bag this week but I am not mentally or physically at that point. I have plenty of time! Who wants to give up their favorite comfy pants just to pack in a bag? So I’ll put that off. Besides, I haven’t even started Braxton-Hicks contractions so we’re in no danger.

This past week we had an Infant CPR class as well as a Breastfeeding class at The Pump Station. The breastfeeding class was amazing! Finally, an instructor who was still excited and in awe of the process and who inspired excitement in the attendees. We learned a lot and John even got to share a beer with Tom Hanks’ son. I met my OB’s partner at my last doctor’s appointment. Just so I know who she is if my doctor is unavailable. From here on out, I’ll be going to the doctor’s office once a week.

Here’s the rest of my stats:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Baby Development: The little guy is apparently about 6 pounds which means he could fit in most of the Newborn clothes I have hanging in the closet (which I’m sure he’ll never wear). He’s about 18.5 inches long and is starting to shed some of the fine body hair that he’s had this whole time.

Baby Movement: Big turns and pushes, creating large waves across my belly

Water Intake: Oh, leave me alone.

Best Moment this Week: Celebrating John’s 36^th birthday. I made the famous Stromboli all by myself!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: After an educational Infant CPR class, our heads were filled with worst-case scenarios

Symptoms: God help me, I think I’ve started the pregnancy waddle.

Sleep Quality: Sleeping is getting harder and harder. This week I tried to put a second pillow between my knees and that seemed to help.

Food Cravings: Oddly, yogurt, fruit, and granola

What I Miss: a big Diet Coke from a fountain soda with ice

I’m Looking Forward to: The Golden Globes on Sunday. Pregnant or not, I can still enjoy that.

Trying to get done before baby: John and I are trying to eat at some of our favorite restaurants before the little guy ruins all of our fine dining.

John's POV: “I’ve been pressuring Lisa to pack a bag since that line item began popping up on the newsletters. She keeps putting it off. I have no idea why. All of her “comfy pants” look the same to me. She can’t pick one and throw them in a bag?”

desperate times call for desperate measures

today i tried prenatal yoga. that is crazy.