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February 16, 2006

27 Weeks, 4 Days

I am having a love affair.

Now, don't go run and tell Darren, because he already knows. In fact, he just kind of smiles and shakes his head at the whole thing. This is because my love affair is with Coke. Yes, the soft drink. I can't get enough of it. I am delirious with happiness everytime its sweet deliciousness kisses my lips.

Mmmm...Coke! Sweet bubbly cola goodness!

When I am not with Coke, I am sad; incomplete. I get very excited when I see my Coke, and can't wait to dive in and drink it all up.

Mmmm...Coke!

Anyway, I went to the doctor yesterday. He is very happy with the baby. He is not very happy with the 6 pounds I gained since the last time I saw him. I encouraged him by telling him the next time I see him I won't have gained six pounds and he had to burst my bubble by telling me that's good since it will only be in two weeks now.

Yes, I have progressed to going to the doctor every two weeks, which is not all bad. I get to hear the heartbeat now every two weeks. Wheee!

Speaking of which, I got my belly spread with goo yesterday and he pressed the doppler thing into me. He found the heartbeat, flubbing away as usual. Not two seconds in, the octopus inside me gave a mighty kick. Not only did I feel and see this one, but it registered a mighty THUD on the doppler. The doctor smiled and laughed and said, "If that's not a good sign, I don't know what is."

I laughed and answered, "Well, then it's really good, because it never stops."

He replied, "Good. That's what I like to hear."

Yes, doc, because you're not the one with an octopus residing in your belly. (Not said)

Nothing else interesting happened, other than managing to make it on time for my glucose screen. I did drink the glucola - which was surprisingly delicious - 8 minutes late. But I did manage to remember my prescription and get to the doctor at 3:25, with 12 minutes to spare, since I was 8 minutes late drinking the glucola. I should have the results - and know if I'm diabetic - next time I go to the doctor in two weeks.

For the record, glucola is not as delicious as my sweet Coke.

Posted by Terri at 02:07 PM | Comments (1)

February 14, 2006

27 Weeks, 2 Days

I am coming up with new and exciting ways to freak myself out.

Case in point: At the end of last week at around, oh, I don't know, two o'clock in the morning, I woke up in pain. It was intense pain and it was in my abdomen. There was only one thing it could be: I was in labor. Of course, being that there are supposed to be three months between me and labor, naturally, I freaked out. The first thing I did, which made perfect sense at the time, was remove my wedding ring so they wouldn't have to cut it off. Honestly, don't ask me to explain because I don't know.

I put my hands on my stomach and noticed something weird - it was mushy. Now, I've had a few of those Braxton-Hicks things (I think) where your stomach gets all tight, but I was positively fluffy. The baby didn't so much like getting poked at - it is ok for her to wake me up in the middle of the night but apparently it doesn't go both ways - and started kicking me. It was right about then that I realized I was not in labor, but had a really bad gas pain. Feeling incredibly silly - and very thankful I hadn't woken Darren up over a little gas - I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

Then two nights ago I had this horrible dream about my glucose screen. My glucose screen is scheduled for today. I have to not eat anything after 12:30ish and then I have to drink this bottle of orange goo at 2:30 and arrive for my appointment at 3:15 so my blood is drawn at exactly 3:30. I don't know how many times they told me it was VERY IMPORTANT that I get there on time so my blood is drawn EXACTLY an hour after I drink my orange-goo glucola. (Yes, it is really called glucola). So in the dream, first I was eating brownies and it was around 2:00. I didn't worry, I figured, no big deal. Then I didn't drink my glucola on time. But then I realized it was Monday, so no big deal - my appointment was Tuesday. Tuesday rolled around. I drank my glucola at 2:30 and got in the car and got on the highway. (There are no highways between me and the doctor). Darren was driving and there was some weird man in the back seat who had to be dropped off at the mall (I kid you not). Since we were running late, the man said Darren could drop me off at the doctor and then drop him off at the mall. But as I watched the clock in the car tick closer and closer to 3:30, I knew I'd never make it to the doctor on time. It was then I realized I had left my prescription for the blood test at home. I freaked out and told Darren he had to go get it, but he couldn't go get it because they wouldn't take my blood without it. It was 3:48 by the time I got to the doctor and they wouldn't take my blood and I missed my window for the glucose screen and I wouldn't know if I was diabetic or not and my baby could be in danger.

Needless to say, I woke up in a panic. Also needless to say I am keeping a very close eye on the clock today. Ooh, let me go get my prescription out while I'm thinking of it...

Anyway, it hasn't been all insanity here (mostly, just not all). I found out last night that my ugly dancer feet are good for something other than looking ugly. In yoga last night we had to do this exercise where you put your big toe only on the matt, then your little toe only, then your big and little toe only (with the middle three up). No big deal, I thought. However, I was the only one in the class who thought so; nobody else could do it.

The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen your foot muscles because when you are pregnant your ligaments loosen, which is what makes your arches fall. If you have strong foot muscles, they hold your foot "in place" so your arches won't fall. This is good because if your arches fall, they can throw your hips out of whack, giving you lower back problems and even screwing up the birth canal.

So, me with my ugly dancer-feet-of-steel has a better chance of not having my arches fall, not screwing up my hip alignment, and not kinking my birth canal. Plus, I'm less likely to go up a shoe size when this whole ordeal is over with. This is good, because shoe shopping for me is a nightmare. (You want to see Darren go into convulsions? Ask him about shoe shopping for me). So my little piddies are smirking up at me right now, in all their unmanicured glory, as if to say, "See, and YOU called us ugly..." I will have to get them a nice pedicure and massage once the baby is born.

Posted by Terri at 11:11 AM | Comments (3)

February 10, 2006

Reverse Meme

YOU fill in the blanks about ME even if you dont have any idea what they are and send it back to ME. But first post a blank one out to all your friends so they can return the favor to you. Be honest!

My name:

Where did we meet:

Take a stab at my middle name:

How long have you known me:

When is the last time that we saw each other:

Do I smoke:

Do I drink:

When is my birthday:

What was your first impression of upon meeting me:

Do I have any siblings:

What’s one of my favorite things to do:

Am I funny:

What’s my favorite type of music:

What is the best feature about me:

Am I shy or outgoing:

Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:

Do I have any special talents:

Would you consider me a friend/good friend:

Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what):

What is a memory we have once had:

Have you ever hugged me:

Do you miss me…do you think i miss you:

How well do u know me?

What is my favorite food:

Have you ever had a crush on me:

If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:

What’s your favorite memory of me:

Who do I like right now:

What is my worst habit:

If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would I bring?

Who are my favorite sports teams?

What was the last thing I said to you?

Posted by Baby at 03:08 PM | Comments (1)

February 07, 2006

26 Weeks, 2 Days

Everyone loves a pregnant woman.

Seriously, it's like being a mini-celebrity. I'm enjoying it now, because I know once the baby is born, s/he's going to be the center of attention, not me. But for now, people I don't know want to talk to me, asking how I feel, when I'm due, if I know the gender, have I picked out names. It's kind of cool.

Ok, fine. In all honesty women like pregnant women. Men seem to be avoiding me like the plague. Even men that I was friendly with before barely give me a cursory "hi" before running off. I mean, they hold doors and stuff, but nobody makes any eye contact. Am I paranoid? Maybe. Or maybe my big monster club feet scare them.

On another subject, I started my pre-natal yoga class yesterday. I so should have started that as soon as the stick turned blue. It was great! Now, I'm not big on yoga normally - it's way too relaxing for me. I mean, there's nobody yelling at you that if your body is not in the position it is supposed to be, you're obviously not trying hard enough (cough cough ballet cough cough). But when you're already depressed because not only can you not touch your toes anymore, you can't even see them, it's nice to have a relaxing kind of workout. Everyone in the class is pregnant, so all the positions take into account our distended bellies. There is stretching, and breathing, and strength exercises. My body felt so good afterwards and I didn't waddle nearly as much as I have been.

The only thing I didn't like was The Chair.

Let me backtrack. Everything in this yoga class was geared to prepare you for childbirth. The stretches increased the flexibility of your hips, back, and general well-being of your body, which will help labor. The breathing helps keep oxygen flowing to your core. The arm strength is good for holding yourself up, or using arms instead of stomach muscles in case of a caesarian. Leg strength pretty much explains itself. The one part of the class they used to prepare us for contractions: The Chair

Now, The Chair won't prepare you for the pain of contractions - apparently nothing will - but it helps you prepare for the length of contractions and it gets you to practice breathing through discomfort. What you do is put your back against the wall and slide down so you are in a seated position - as if sitting in a chair - but there is nothing under you. You hold this for 60 seconds - because apparently the average contraction is 60 seconds - breathing in for 4, out for 4, 6 or 8 - whatever you can handle. The key is to focus on your breathing and not on how much your legs burn or how uncomfortable it is.

I got one thing out of the chair: I am not possibly making it through labor without drugs.

But all in all, I would totally recommend pre-natal yoga for all my preggo friends. The stretches made my hips and calves feel so much better and I actually woke up this morning not exhausted.

Aah...it's a beautiful thing.

Posted by Terri at 11:17 AM | Comments (2)

February 03, 2006

25 Weeks, 5 Days

I am doing a happy dance. Happy happy happy dance. Kicking legs, swinging arms, la la la la la la la!

100 days left. Which means tomorrow we are in DOUBLE DIGITS! Woo hoo!

OMG wait. That means in 100 days I'm going to be someone's mom.

Posted by Terri at 09:16 AM | Comments (2)

February 01, 2006

25 Weeks, 3 Days

Wasn't last week 25 weeks? Haven't I been at 25 weeks for months now?

Anyway, I went to my first pre-natal yoga class on Monday. Well, I attempted to go to my first pre-natal yoga class. They forgot to mention on the phone that it was in the Dover campus of the hospital. There I was, wandering around the Denville campus... Silly, fat pregnant lady...

We have achieved high chair and furniture. (Thanks Mom!) I dragged her along to help me pick out a high chair and she insisted on buying it (Thanks Mom!) Now that we've almost finished our room (all that's left is the second coat of paint on the smaller walk-in closet and the paint on the doors) we can begin painting the Nursery so we have a place to put all this stuff.

The baby is now strong enough (or big enough) that I can see my stomach move when s/he kicks. It looks like Aliens. I was sitting in a meeting yesterday morning and my stomach was going bezerker. I think all hands, feet, arms, legs, head and elbows were all going at the same time. I'm not carrying a baby; I'm carrying an octopus.

Feet are swollen now. Attractive.

Still no stretch marks. Knock on wood.

Still an inny. Knock on wood.

You know, I think 9 months is entirely too long to be pregnant. Wouldn't a 5 or 6 month gestation period be better? Nine months is soooo long!!!

102 more days til baby.
51 more days at work.

Posted by Terri at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)