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.”

John's dream come true

This past weekend we took an infant care class at the local hospital. Truthfully, I'm not sure I learned that much because I've clearly read too many websites and books already. But it was helpful for John and he also got to finally live out his dream.

He's always thought that black babies were absolutely adorable (they are) and our doll happened to be of the African-American persuasion. My husband looks pretty good though, right? Supporting the head, doesn't look too awkward. I give him an A+.

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.

Today I am...35 weeks pregnant.

Five weeks away from D-day. We had a good week. We got a tour of the Good Samaritan hospital where I’ll be delivering. Not the nicest hospital in LA, that’s for sure. But I do love my doctor and this is the place she’s affiliated with so I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just hope the nurses on duty that day are nice and helpful. The postpartum/recovery room is tiny but I guess that means less visitors. We also had the doctor’s appointment we’d been waiting for – the one where we go to a special perinatologist for a measuring ultrasound. These weight estimates can be so far off but our doctor told her that she estimated our little guy would be around 8 to 8.25 pounds at delivery. 63^rd percentile. That’s all well and good, unless he’s over a week late and we’re talking a 9 pounder. No one wants that.

We also had my mom and sister up which was great. Finally got some nursing bras, which I hear are helpful while breastfeeding. I had the distinction of the saleswoman telling me I was the hardest woman to fit for a bra that she’d ever had. Yeah, I know. I get that a lot. I also finally had to bite the bullet and get diapers, wipes, etc. for the baby. It just still seems so far away for me but mom was right…time to get prepared.

And now for the stats:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Baby Development: Pretty sure he’s over 5.5 pounds. The emails tell me his physical development is pretty much done and now he’s just going to put on some weight. Sounds like a pretty sweet life.

Baby Movement: Still moving around in there. Sometimes it’s a giant jolt like an earthquake.

Water Intake: Definitely lacking now that I’ve been home a while. I need to get on that.

Best Moment of the Week: Hearing at our special ultrasound appointment that I was one of those “extremely normal” women where everything looked average and great with the baby.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: I really don’t want my belly button to pop. It hasn’t yet but…

Symptoms: I think the little guy has finally dropped because my heartburn has lessened (yay!) but my trips to the bathroom have become more frequent. Thank god I’m not working so no one else has to see me get up and go to the bathroom every 30 minutes.

Sleep Quality: Terrible. Why don’t they tell you that you won’t be able to sleep? The books force you to sleep on your side but, guess what? All of that weight (and it’s A LOT) practically kills your hip so you have to rotate sides all the time. With a body pillow in tow and a giant belly, that’s not that easy. And I’m pretty sure John never sleeps through my grunts and hard work every time I do it.

Food Cravings: Pancakes. Which is so weird because I haven’t made pancakes myself in probably 10 years.

What I miss: Sleeping like a rock

What I’m looking forward to: One day being able to run errands without using so many public restrooms

Trying to get done before baby: Cleaning out our filing cabinet and reorganizing that whole closet.

John's POV: “I’m back to the studio for a couple weeks and the commute isn’t quite as enjoyable. Now it just feels like a long friggin’ drive and a long friggin’ walk. I still check on Lisa via IM, but it’s not the same. See? I got spoiled. Of course, it’s a cush couple of weeks with late INs and early OUTs. What am I going to do when I get a real movie job again when I’m working 60+ hours a week bare minimum? A bridge to road rage across as I slowly crawl towards its entrance ramp.”

Today I am...34 weeks pregnant.

Getting closer and closer but, with the holidays here, it’s been a welcome distraction. We spent Christmas in LA for the first time and it was nice to celebrate, just the two of us. I suppose it’s probably our first and last quiet Christmas. I’m told by the powers-that-be that fill my email inbox every week that I should be doing my birth plan. Now, I’m generally a type A, organized nut, but writing out a birth plan just seems silly. No one has any idea how their body is going to react or what it’s going to be like so how am I qualified to write out a birth plan? It’s like saying that I’m going snorkeling in South Africa and, while I’ve never been snorkeling or to South Africa, I’d like to tell you all how it’s going to be. Of course not. I leave it up to the professionals. My tour guides. My nurses and doctor. Sure, I don’t want a c-section but, as my doctor said when I told her that, yes, of course. No one wants a c-section. I suppose I could type that out but it would be a short birth plan.

And now for the stats:

How far along: 34 weeks

Baby Development: Baby is apparently filling out and getting rounder. He weighs as much as a cantaloupe which explains my tiredness.

Baby Movement: Very pronounced and big kicks.

Water Intake: Hey, it’s the holidays. Aren’t we on a break?

Best Moment of the Week: Having John home all week and watching “Christmas Vacation” with him in honor of the holiday.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Starting to seriously worry about actually delivering this baby. I hear it’s kind of painful.

Symptoms: My hands and finger joints are starting to ache and become all mushy. I feel like I couldn’t grab onto something really tightly. My wedding ring is getting very tight.

Sleep Quality: I’ve had better. But I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse.

Food Cravings: Everything

What I miss: Working out. Ha! Just kidding.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Being able to one day turn over in bed like a normal person.

Trying to get done before baby: Hanging some wall décor in our house that we’re been procrastinating on for 2 years.

John's POV: “LA at Christmas time is about relaxing as it can get for a city that routinely gets my bile boiling and turns my knuckles white. Definitely a holiday we’ll always remember, since we had never truly spent one alone with just each other, and probably won’t again for a long, long time.”

Today I am...33 weeks pregnant.

This week was my first week not working and it was glorious. I didn’t realize how hard it had been getting to work all those hours. But it was nice to take it easy and be able to put my feet up for part of the day. Being off work means that my house projects begin and there are many of them. Right now it feels like there is a lot of time before baby comes but I’m not so sure.

We had our childbirth class at Cedars Sinai this week. About 12 couples with pillows and mats watching childbirth videos and hearing in detail all the things that will go on during labor. I think I knew most of the info presented but it was helpful to John. There were a lot of breathing exercises where the instructor would say “okay, a contraction is starting, now breathe through the pain.” Guess what my reaction was in the 2 minutes of silence that followed? Yeah, giggling and stifling laughter. I felt pretty bad but, come on. Of course I can breathe calmly while sitting in a warm room, fully clothed, in zero pain. How do I know how I’m going to react when I’m in the worst pain of my life? Oh well. That’s why yoga and meditation is not for me.

But the highlight of this past week was welcoming our new niece Sophia! John’s sister may have been around the globe in Berlin, but we were certainly thinking of her as we got word that her water had broken. Sounds like Joelle handled her natural childbirth like a champ and her baby girl is beautiful. Can’t wait for the cousins to be so close in age and play together.

And now for the stats:

How far along: 33 weeks

Baby Development: As big as a pineapple and losing that wrinkly alien look. (So they say).

Baby Movement: Pretty sure the little guy is doing somersaults and acrobatics.

Water Intake: Does eggnog count?

Best Moment of the Week: Meeting our new little niece Sophia over Skype!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: the latest terrible website I saw was about SIDS so that’s on my mind.

Symptoms: Heartburn. No, seriously. The worst heartburn of all time. So bad that I woke up practically choking on my own acidic vomit-type stuff. It is by far the worst pregnancy symptom I’ve had all these months.

Sleep Quality: Pretty crappy. I wish I could sleep on my back!

Food Cravings: Prime Rib

What I miss: Not having to chug Maalox once a night.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Christmas day and exchanging presents with John!!

Trying to get done before baby: Hanging the alphabet cards in the baby’s nursery.

John's POV: “Joelle was always the looker of the family. I mean, I wasn’t voted Prom King. I wasn’t even nominated. But you can already see even at 2 days that Sophia’s going to get the Prom Queen’s good looks. She is adorable.”

Today I am...32 weeks pregnant.

This past week was huge! Probably my busiest week yet. It started off with a birthday party for my one-year-old nephew, Johnny. He is easily the cutest baby I have ever seen (and I say when I think a baby is ugly so this is no lie). Unfortunately, that means our little guy is in for a rough ride when taking pictures side by side with Johnny, but he’ll have to learn to cope. He certainly won’t be a blonde haired, blue eyed, Gerber baby. Then that same night we had Christmas party to attend. I managed to stay up until 11:30 or so but when I got home I was in for a rude awakening. I took off my high-heeled boots which had felt tight all day (after 14 hours in them) and found someone else’s legs attached to my waist. I mean, they must have been my legs but my calves were as big as my torso and my ankles were non-existent. I have never seen such a thing. As I stood in the bathroom and freaked out, John assured me that it was only because I was on my feet all day and this wasn’t going to last the duration of my pregnancy. I was skeptical. I mean, what in the hell did he know? How many times had he been pregnant? But, following his advice, I got into bed, and hoped to find a different pair of legs in the morning. And what do you know? Voila. In the morning my legs were back. Granted, they were nothing to write home about in the first place but I was happy to have them. The next day was my San Diego baby shower and it was a ton of fun. Friends, family, and presents galore!

Today was my last day at work and it happy and a little bittersweet. I am happy to not have to get up at 5am, not get home at 9:30pm, not get out of breath every time I trek to set. But the goodbyes were hard because it’s hard to leave a movie before it’s finished. Hard to go home knowing they’ll be there for the next 5 months, finishing the movie. But I did get a lot of nice things said to me and a few gifts which were appreciated.

Enough about that, on to the stats:

How far along: 32 weeks

Baby Development: Baby is a large jicama (?) and starting to gain weight fast.

Baby Movement: Bigger movements rather than small kicks and jabs.

Water Intake: Decent. But going to work in 40 degree weather is putting a damper on my iced water intake.

Best Moment of the Week: Saying goodbye to my long work commute.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: post-partum recovery and the terrible things your body goes through.

Symptoms: More of the same. Achiness, heartburn, uncomfortable.

Sleep Quality: Ahh, I remember when sleep was quality.

Food Cravings: Breakfast burritos

What I miss: Being able to walk at a normal adult pace, rather than a mosey.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Sleeping in next week!

Trying to get done before baby: Putting up the pretty wall decals in the nursery.

John's POV: “The mosey is the standard pace of my dad. It is a slow-down-and-take-it-all-in pace. And it’s the only pace that Lisa can do in the morning. At night, she operates at roughly a double-mosey. The reward of getting home, getting into PJs, and getting off her feet is what helps her take it to the next gear. We did a lot of moseying at the studio since it’s a long-ass walk from the parking garage, and part of me will miss it. We got really lucky with our jobs for this pregnancy. Surrounded by lovely people, able to steal away for a mid-day visit, commuting through unbearable traffic together, moseying together. Hopefully we haven’t been spoiled by it.”