32 weeks, 5 days: Watch your belly

Most people watch their feet and the ground in front of them to make sure they won't trip and fall. As a pregnant woman I am extra careful with this. Since I can't see my feet or the ground very well, I've found that I look around my belly to see the ground and my feet, or turn a little sideways. I feel funny doing this, but it's the only way to be safe.



Lately I have noticed that I am also watching my belly and looking out for hazards at waist level. I first look on the ground for anything I might trip over, then I look at waist level to see if there is anything my belly might run into. In public, I walk around with my arms about 4 inches from my belly with my purse held in front. People can be very rude and often run into my belly, since it sticks out further than anything else. I have become very protective of my belly!



I had a dream last night that I didn't feed Cooper right away because my milk didn't come in for 5 days. In fact, we didn't feed him anything--not even formula for 5 days!! I was holding him and all of a sudden he says "Mommy, can't I have something to eat?" (a 5 day old baby talking?!?). I stared at him in shock and decided we could 'practice' breastfeeding so that my milk would come in. He hated it, so I gave him a bottle of formula. Then he ended up pooping all over the place. He was covered in head to toe and so was the entire nursery!



The doctor's appointment went well yesterday. I didn't gain any weight in the last 2 weeks, which the doctor says is good. I think it's a little strange because I quit doing pilates and swimming since I just can't keep up anymore. The class was an hour long and was very ab-intensive. The swimming was too much cardio for me. Now I just take short walks and I bought a prenatal pilates DVD so that I can do 15-30 min of pilates that are designed for my limitations. I also have eaten a lot of junk food in the last two weeks (hello, cupcakes!! Thanks Jessica for letting me take the rest from my shower!! ::runs off to grab a cupcake::)



My blood pressure was normal and his heart rate was between 136 and 140. He kept moving around, like always. He was head down and in the right position for birth. My uterus measured at 33 cm, so growth was normal and the doctor doesn't think we'll need to get another ultrasound. I mentioned my leg cramps and she said it was normal. The most important thing is to make sure I stay well hydrated, even during the night. I guess that means I will be getting up every hour to use the bathroom and drink more water. She said increasing my calcium may also help.



The cramps I had a couple weeks ago that made me feel really awful and had me laying on the couch all evening...she said that was normal as long as it goes away. If it continues progressing, then I need to call because it was likely contractions that I was feeling. She said it's about that time for me to be feeling contractions, especially if I get dehydrated or push myself too hard. Basically I need to drink LOTS of water (as if I don't do that already) and take it easy for the next 7 weeks or so.



We are registered for the hospital and I got my doctor's note to start maternity leave on March 31st. Looks like I'll be gone from work until about August 11th--so excited! We also scheduled the remaining doctor appointments - which is only 5 more to go!! We have a 34 week appointment in 2 weeks, then a 36 week appoint, then weekly appointments until my due date! Crazy how time flies.

32 weeks, 2 days: Organization

Have you ever tried to organize teeny, tiny baby things into a regular sized dresser? I haven't. I'm not sure how I want to organize Cooper's stuff. I have tons of things to put away and I've tried to put them into some kind of order, but it all looks so silly to me. Are you supposed to separate pants from shirts, like I do my own clothes? Do hats, socks, and slippers go in a drawer together? Am I supposed to put baskets in the drawers so the tiny things stay a little more organized? Any tips?



Even Chris came in the room and asked why I was folding his clothes. I mean, have you ever folded a newborn onesie?? Those things are tiny! It's like taking a washcloth and folding it a few times into a 3 inch x 3 inch square. It looks quite ridiculous, especially when they are all stacked together. Chris says we should just 'dump' his stuff in a drawer because it's too tiny to fold.



So far Cooper's entire wardrobe, shoe collection, toys, diapers, and blankets can probably fit into one of the drawers in his dresser. I have separated things into several drawers since some of his clothes are different sizes. I put the blankets under his crib, in the drawer attached to the crib. However, he still has so much empty space to fill. I guess it won't be long and the room will be overflowing!



I had another strange dream the other night:

My coworkers, Mike and Max, drove me to New Jersey (huh??) so I could model for a fashion show. I ran into an old friend from college, Elana, who was also in the show as a model. She was really angry with me that I got the finale part but I was just confused.



I get ready and I am very concerned about wearing 3 inch stilletto's and a silk dress that drags on the floor. The dress was really beautiful in a midnight blue silk, but I felt so awkward with my big pregnant belly. I was sure I was going to fall. I didn't fall, but just as I did my sashay at the end of the catwalk, my water broke in a big gush!! The designer was beyond angry with me and I was completely embarrassed. I still ended up having to say thank you and take a bow in my soaking wet, ruined blue silk dress.



The dream just ended right there, so I don't know what happened afterwards. I must be watching too much Project Runway on Bravo!

32 weeks: Baby Shower #2

What's happening with the baby:

The baby measures about 18.9 inches long from head to toe and weighs almost 4 pounds. He fills almost all the space in the mother's uterus now, either lying with the head up or sometimes still with enough room to do somersaults. A layer of fat is forming underneath the thin, wrinkly skin. The baby is practicing opening his eyes and breathing. Half of the weight the mother gains right now goes straight to the baby. He has toenails and fingernails, and real hair (or respectable peach fuzz).



I had my first shower in California yesterday! Jessica threw it for me and it was beautiful! She put so much time and love into the shower and made me feel super special! I had a wonderful time chatting with all my girlfriends. It was amazing because I had so many people from seperate parts of my life - work, school, sorority, Colorado. Here's a picture from the party (the remaining pictures are in a new link on the right--Thanks Caren for taking so many great pictures!):




From left to right: Deena (school), Brandy (work), Ruby (work), Katy (work), Michele (Colorado), Me, Jessica (sorority), Christina (school), Caren (sorority), Kate (work)

We played 3 cute games during the shower. The first one was guessing how big my belly was using yarn. Everyone over-estimated, with Brandy overestimating by almost twice as much!! Even I overestimated the size of my own belly! Christina was the closest by a few inches and won the game.



The next game we played was The Candy Game. Everyone was given clues and had to match the kind of candy to the clues. So 'breastfeeding' was 'Milky Way' and 'night of conception' was 'Skor'. Kate won that game by getting all of them right!



The last game was the challenge to not say 'baby' during the shower and everyone did so good there almost wasn't a winner. Only at the end when Jessica's mom took a picture and she told everyone to say 'Baby Cooper', did anyone lose their little clothes pin. Christina also won this game.



We had lemon cupcakes and fantastic appetizers. I received so many thoughtful gifts and can't thank everyone enough for being so generous! Jessica let the guests know they could bring a book instead of a card and we have some super cute books now for Cooper! My favorite: The Pokey Little Puppy. Chris' favorite: Where the Wild Things Are.



My next baby shower is on March 9th and will be a simple brunch at a restaurant on the beach. My friend Jennifer is throwing it to celebrate with the women in my sorority alumnae group. Work is also helping me celebrate on the 21st with a celebration luncheon. I am so lucky to have so many caring people in my life that want to celebrate with me!



Chris had a dream that Cooper came early. We were out visiting Mikael and Che and he showed up to the hospital just as they were putting Cooper in my arms. He realized he didn't know what day his child was born so he looked at a calendar and it was April 4th! Hmmm....I wonder when Cooper will make his debut.

31 weeks, 5 days: Storm Watch

I don't watch the news in California. It drives me crazy. Every station is like FOX news. I can't stand the young, ditzy women with giant boobs and inappropriately low cut shirts with 20 layers of make-up flirting with the old male news anchors. Car chases go on forever and I think they air the entire thing. The other news-worthy items include: weather, the latest fashion outfits for your dog or cat, and what Paris, Lindsay, Britney, etc are up to.



The latest thing on the news is the weather, because it's raining. Oh boy. In reality it's sprinkling a little bit and isn't that bad. Here are some clips from the news regarding the Storm Watch.



News Anchor in studio: "And now we go to Onsite News Anchor to report on Storm Watch!"

Onsite Anchor: "The sidewalks are damp and there are intermittent windshield wipers."


Interviewing people at their houses:

Reporter: "The rain is really coming down now." [cuts away to interview with woman] "How are you handling the rain?"

Woman: "It's sprinkling a little bit, so it's not that bad."



Interviewing people at the Starbucks 20 yards from an emergency room:

Reporter: "How are you guys staying dry?"

Man with woman: "Oh we're in the waiting room at urgent care because we're really sick, but we just wanted to get some coffee."

Reporter: "Coffee over getting wet, then?"



You have got to be kidding me!! Ugh. Almost as bad as the supposed heat wave that occured at the end of one week when I first moved here. The temperature changed from 72 on Monday to 76 on Thursday. Some heat wave.



I do have to say that rain can be dangerous for a pregnant woman with no balance and an inability to see her feet (i.e. me). I was walking across the parking garage and it was wet from the cars. I was wearing my nice work shoes (loafers with a 2" block heel). I slipped and almost fell down from the wet floor! Luckily there was a rail within hands reach that I grabbed, and a man standing near me grabbed my elbow to steady me. It was pretty scary though. I will now wear flats to work for the remainder of the pregnancy.



Cooper is so funny lately. He gets super active at night when I lay down and his little foot always pushes out of my side. He will play games with me if I start pushing back on him. More than one time my belly has started to look quite deformed because of where he's sitting on me. I can also put the remote control on my belly and it dances all over the place!



I still hate when he gets hiccups. I get so sick from them. Last night I was craving chocolate, so I was eating some dried Cocoa Puffs cereal. He started hiccuping. Without thinking, I looked down and said, "Now Cooper, we need to have a talk. No more hiccups, they make me really sick. I'm giving you Cocoa Puffs, what more do you want?" Christopher overheard me and started laughing...he couldn't get over my last statement.

31 Weeks, 2 days: If you were a turkey...

Male coworker: If you were a turkey, your little plastic thing would start to pop out.



Me: [Smiles politely.] Yeah I think my belly button is starting to pop out.



Male coworker: What are you now, about 8 months?



Me: No, only 7. I still have 2 more months to go.



[What?!?! I think I was just compared to a turkey!!]

31 weeks, 1 day: Sleep deprivation

What's happening to the baby:

The baby measures about 18 inches long from head to toe and weighs about 3.5 pounds. Rather than hearing vibrations, the baby's nerve endings in his ears are connected now so that he can hear distinct sounds, like familiar voices and music. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin.



I am so tired now. It's not only the extra weight and Cooper stealing all of my energy, but I can't sleep either!! I am a stomach sleeper and up until now I've been able to do this crazy half stomach, half side, with a flamingo leg put on my body pillow. Now I just can't lay like that. My shoulders hurt from laying on my side, and I feel like I'm suffocating when I lay on my back. Plus I get heartburn when I lay down.



I also can't roll over very well without feeling like I might pull a muscle somewhere. Then add in my super active son (does he ever sleep?!!?) and having to go to the bathroom every 2 hours at night and I'm just exhausted. Poor Christopher probably isn't sleeping well either. We bought a recliner this weekend, so I might just have to start sleeping in that to see if it helps any!



Chris got his results back from the Sleep Center. Basically he's fine, he just has loud snoring. They said he gets into REM sleep quicker than most people and gets more REM sleep per night than the average person. His oxygen levels were good, so he was getting the air he needed. He didn't have any restless legs or any other problems. They said they didn't know why he feels tired when he gets up, but recommended getting more than 6 hours of sleep a night to see if that helps.



Now he has to go back to the doctor to get a recommendation to a nose/throat doctor to find out why he snores. I think he is sleep deprived because he would rather be awake doing things instead of sleeping like a normal person. I also think I wake him up by nudging (or spanking) him if he snores. I wonder what the results of the sleep center test would have been if they would have put me in the room with him!



Scout is doing really well with training. She knows sit, lay down, stay, leave it, take it, come, watch me, and walk nice. Her lay down alternates from a proper lay down to a lazy play dead lay down. She also thinks leave it and drop it are the same thing. We are teaching her combination of commands now: sit & stay, lay down & stay, walk nice and sit at the corner before crossing the street. It's amazing how smart she is (and how motivating treats are for a dog). She still likes to be a little bandit and 'steal' things from us and run away like it's a game. At least now we can say leave it and she'll let go (most of the time).



I updated belly pictures and posted a poll.

30 weeks, 5 days: Standard Pregnant Woman Size

What's happening with the baby:

The baby measures about 17 inches from head to toe and weighs about 3 pounds. The baby is growing plumper and beginning to control its own body temperature. Eyebrows and eyelashes are fully developed, and hair on the head is getting thicker. Head and body are now proportioned like a newborn's. Hands are now fully formed and fingernails are growing.



Is there a standard pregnant woman size that I don't know about and everyone else does?? Everyone keeps telling me for 7 months along, 'I don't look that big'. Then other women have told me that they were always told they were huge at that stage. They always got comments, like 'Any day now, huh?'. I wonder where people get their idea of normal or standards size for a pregnant woman?



My belly button is really sore. It is almost ready to pop out and I laugh every time I look at it. Of course I can't look down at my belly button any more, I can only see it in the mirror. Cooper kicked my belly button from the inside and I doubled over and winced in pain. Wow, who knew a belly button kick could be so painful??



I continue to have horrible heartburn. I have never had heartburn in my life until pregnancy and I have to say--it sucks!! Thank goodness for Tums! It doesn't matter what I eat or drink, I always get heartburn. Even water gives me heartburn!



We had a doctor appointment yesterday. Everything is going well. My weight gain is good and so is my blood pressure. Nothing in my urine analysis that isn't normal. I will be done with work as of March 31st, so that's crazy to me! Also, she measured my uterus and it measured 31 (cm??), which means a little bigger than it's supposed to be (again standard sizes hold for everyone??). Plus it was a large jump from my last appointment where I measured 28. She said if I continue to measure ahead or show rapid growth instead of even growth, we'll get another ultrasound to make sure my due date doesn't change. Maybe I'll put up a poll on when the baby will show up. I'm thinking a few days early.



I forgot to take a belly picture on Sunday and I've been at work all week from 7 am to 9 pm, so I will take a picture this weekend and post it.

29 weeks, 5 days: Too much blood, not enough heart

Diagnosis: Nocturnal Cramps in the Gastrocnemius

Layman's terms: Charlie horses in your calves while you are sleeping

Cause: Pregnancy. Increased blood volume and the inability of the heart to pump the blood efficiently, allows the blood to pool in legs and feet while laying down.



I wake up in the middle of the night, nearly every night, with horrendous cramps in my calf muscles. I am in so much pain I nearly start to cry. I have come thisclose to waking Chris up to help. I have to sit up and put my foot flat on the floor and voila, the cramp goes away. I then walk around with sore calf muscles the next day.



It started in Denver when I was 5 months pregnant. I sort of blew it off as the change in temperature and altitude, plus the increased chance that I was dehydrated. Then it started happening again a month ago.



I've also heard that lacking minerals can also cause a problem. However my blood work has all come back normal. I did some research and here are the minerals I need and the sources I can get those minerals from (strange enough most of these things I also crave):



Potassium - bananas (allergic to those), orange juice, oranges, artichoke, asparagus, peas, potato with skin, tomatoes



Magnesium - roasted pumpkin seeds, halibut, almonds, artichoke



Calcium - milk, cheese, yogurt, fortified orange juice



Sodium - salami, ham, ketchup, bread, corn flakes, pretzels, potato chips, soup, bacon, hot dog



Also, staying hydrated will help with leg cramps.



Here are the things I eat daily or weekly: yogurt, cheese, fortified orange juice, oranges, tomatoes, almonds, halibut, peas, potato with skin, ketchup, bread. I try to limit excess sodium since it can cause high blood pressure, plus it occurs naturally in a lot of food. I know I drink enough water since I have to go to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes.



Looks like diet is okay, I just have too much blood and not enough heart. Just in case, I'm off to drink some water, eat some yogurt and have an orange. Here's to hoping I don't have Nocturnal Cramps in the Gastrocnemius tonight!

29 weeks, 4 days: The dog has sympathy pregnancy symptoms

I think Scout has sympathy pregnancy symptoms. For the last 2 nights she wakes up every hour and sort of whines like she can't get comfortable and then goes back to bed. That's how I feel. I wake up, realize I can't get comfortable, try to roll over, and then almost whimper or groan before I close my eyes again. I just wish Scout would cry in a whisper so I wouldn't wake up when she does.



I also had a horrible nightmare last night. I had a dream that at 32 weeks I went to the hospital because I was in labor. Chris was there and then the dream jumped foward by a few days and Cooper was already born. I had no memory of getting to the hospital or even the last couple weeks! I started freaking out when we couldn't take Cooper home with us and kept asking why I felt like I hadn't given birth. Chris was being really quiet about it. I freaked out and starting crying because I also couldn't remember anything about my life for the last couple months. Then we get home and he tells me to read the email he sent to the family.



Basically the email said that I had to have a C-section because something went very wrong and I had to be completely knocked out. Then I got really sick and went into a coma for a couple of weeks and now I was experiencing short-term amnesia. I could come home but Cooper had to stay in the NICU. I really freaked out then!! To top it off, someone had replied to me and said all of that happened because I sat hunched over all the time while I was pregnant. I got so angry about that!! (Not sure why...it doesn't make any kind of sense).



When we got to go see Cooper at the hospital, he was tiny and so pale like a ghost. He had white blonde hair and blue eyes (okay so I've dreamt about all the possibilities of hair/eye color I think). I was really uncomfortable holding him and I was heartbroken that I couldn't breastfeed because he was too small and sick.



What a freaky dream! At least Scout brought me out of it by waking me up. I think I had this bad dream because I've been thinking a lot about how I would like labor to go. I think my mind and body are preparing me for the reality that I won't be able to plan for everything. I'm also feeling anxious now that I'm down to about 10 weeks...so maybe it's to help me prepare that it could be shorter than 10 weeks. I'm ready for the wacky dreams to come back.

29 Weeks, 3 days: Pregnancy Causes Memory Loss

I am well aware that I have become a bigger space cadet since becoming pregnant. I am unable to multi-task and Chris has to tell me things a few times before I remember them. I forget mid-sentence what I was talking about and I have absolutely no vocabulary anymore.



Well last week when I went out with some girlfriends to the Melting Pot, I really had a spacey moment. One of the gals was talking about her upcoming wedding in August. My friend Caren says, 'August is a really popular month. My brother is getting married on August 2nd. And my anniversary is August 19th.' So then I chime in and say, 'Yeah my anniversary is on August 8th!' Then I realize, uh, no it's not, it's on August 9th!!! My friend Jennifer's baby is due on August 8th!! I felt like a big goof, but at least I could blame it on the pregnancy. In fact, CNN reported on a study that was recently completed. Click on the link below.



Pregnancy Causes Memory Loss

Besides that spacey moment, I had a really good time at Melting Pot. My favorite was the cheese and meat. The chocolate was too sweet for me. If you can believe it there were three other women there who graduated from Mines. All of them are younger than I am, but I did go to school with two of them.



I also had a really great time getting a back/neck massage at my other event last week. I was a little concerned about the amount of pressure the therapist used, since I bruise really easily now that I'm pregnant. I prefer deep pressure, but I asked him to lighten up a little. Plus it was a chair massage, so navigating the belly and sore breasts was a little more difficult. But, no bruises! Now I want to get a prenatal massage.



We went out to dinner last night to a new restaurant downtown called Silvera's. It's steak and seafood, which is perfect for Chris and I. I love seafood and he is a steak fanatic, plus steak doesn't sit well with me during pregnancy. They went to seat us in a booth, which I really hate now that I'm pregnant. I went to sit down, and couldn't! My belly was too big. I looked up to the hostess and asked if we could be seated at a table with chairs. She looks around, and they don't have tables with chairs, they only have booths!!



So we asked to be sat a larger booth where we can move the table out to make room for my belly. It was still uncomfortable, but doable. Dinner was okay, pricey for the quality of food and the waiter was annoying. Then as we were getting ready to leave, I couldn't get out of the booth! I sort of have to rock to get up and the table was in my way and I couldn't squeeze by the table, so Chris pushed the table out of the way and gave me a hand.



I had asked for our food to be boxed up, since I can't eat an entire meal without horrible heartburn. We got home and the waiter put all the food in one box!! Hello, I had salmon with an orange butter sauce, Chris had pepercorn steak, and we shared a side of lobster mashed potatoes. Those things just don't go well together! I was so irritated. We probably won't go back to that restaurant to eat.



Chris told me a funny story about Scout. One of Scout's favorite things is to smell the groceries when we bring them home. She gets so excited and as soon as we set the bags down, she puts her head in each one of them and smells like crazy. She goes from bag to bag doing this. It's so funny to watch. Well, Chris bought pepper at the store and as soon as she smelled that bag she started sneezing. Then she would walk away and calm down, and then go smell it again! He said she kept doing it over and over, and he thought it was so funny he let her do it for about 20 minutes. She just didn't learn! What a goofy dog.

29 weeks, 2 days: Wacky dreams

What's happening with the baby:

The baby measures about 10.4 inches from crown to rump, or a total length of about 16.7 inches from head to toe, and weighs about 2.7 pounds. At this stage the fetus's eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall. The baby is performing fewer acrobatics as conditions in the womb become more cramped, but he is still doing a lot of kicking and stretching.



Scout did a great job in training last Saturday! She sits perfectly fine even with all the other dogs and people around. She's a model student. The walking good on a leash didn't go as well...her little beagle nose just can't stop. We ended up being put in the dog food aisle--BIG mistake for a beagle!! She was more interested in trying to squeeze under the shelves to get the piece of dog food she could smell, rather than showing she actually knows how to walk on a leash. So we'll have to practice walking her with lots of distractions. I hope she gets it so that we won't have a problem when we walk her with Cooper in the stroller.



Chris went to the sleep center last week. He sees the doctor for a follow up appointment this Friday, where he'll find out the results. Chris said it was really uncomfortable, but that he slept about the same as he does at home. I told him they should have invited me so they could see how his pregnant wife might be preventing him from sleeping...you know the spanking and pushing because he snores might be worth mentioning!



Cooper sometimes gets really quiet in my belly and doesn't really move all the much besides pushing his head straight into my crotch, which is super uncomfortable. I think I can't feel him much because he is facing my back. It's only when he turns to the front that he feels really active. I love his little hands, it feels like he is finger painting my belly from the inside. His kicks and rolls make me laugh because they are so strong! My whole belly moves and it's funny when he kicks my arm off my belly or when I hug Chris and Cooper kicks him in the belly!



I usually have strange dreams, even without being pregnant. But pregnancy has added a whole new level of wackiness! Last night I remember three very distinct dreams, but they all seemed to blend to one. Here goes...



Dream 1: I was breastfeeding Cooper and realized because he was right handed that he would only eat on my left side (what?!?). He would get fussy because he was still hungry, but they he would fuss even more because he couldn't eat from the right. I just kept switching him from one side to the other in hopes he would stop being fussy.



Dream 2: Suddenly I was standing in New Orleans at a walk up bar. I was still pregnant, but bigger than I am now. All I wanted was a hot dog and lemonade, and they wouldn't let me order it without ordering an alcoholic drink. I asked if there was any other way since I couldn't drink. They said that if I wore a french maid outfit that I could have my hotdog, lemonade, and all the alcohol I wanted that night. So I put on a french maid outfit! This outfit clearly wasn't made for a pregnant woman and the front of the dress was way too short since my belly was so big!! It was hilarious! I gave all the alcoholic drinks to my girlfriends (who had magically appeared, but I couldn't really see any of their faces) and I enjoyed my hotdog and lemonade.



Dream 3: I was suddenly standing on Cooper's stroller and riding it like a scooter. Almost like when you were little and you would stand on the grocery cart and push it and peddle with one foot. I was coming home from work (apparently driving a car was not an option) and I had several miles still to go. I think I was in Colorado, well I just know it wasn't California. When I got home, Chris, Cooper and Scout were sitting around--in a hotel room! (We lived in a hotel room?!?!) Cooper was about 2 months old and he was on his tummy attempting to get on all fours and rock like he was going to crawl (same thing Maile was doing at about 6 months old when we went home for Christmas). He had chocolate brown hair with some red in it and big brown eyes (completely different than my last dream of him at this age where he had dark brown almost black hair with dark green/brown eyes). Chris was laying on his back on the floor and told me he felt awful. He looked like he was about to die because he was so pale and very sick looking. Scout was just chilling on the couch watching tv. I was so confused at why Cooper was trying to crawl at 2 months and why my stay at home husband was so sick but still taking care of Cooper. Then I woke up.

So weird....