32 weeks... 56 more days.... OMFG

I can't believe that I'm in the last stretch of this pregnancy. Seriously, where does the time go?? I'm feeling much better this week than last week and I think the hemmerhoids shrinking have a lot to do with that. :P I can walk normal again (yay) and my hips don't feel as tired... probably because I can walk normal. LOL... that doesn't go without saying that I am walking with a strong waddle nowadays... My nice coworkers always remind me that I really look pregnant now because of my walk. Gee, thanks.

So we caught the younger cat sleeping in the crib this weekend. Grrr... so the crib is now lined with tin foil. So far there is no evidence of her jumping back in there since but who knows. She's sneaky. :) I'm still pretty confident that both cats will stay away from the baby once she's here - they cannot tolerate loud, sudden movements and noise and are scared of my 6 y.o. niece so I'm sure a newborn will scare the bejeezus out of them.

John bought me a glider/ottoman this past week. Yayness!! I think the nursery is now complete minus the small odds and sods.

So my MW appointment on Thursday went well. My placenta has moved (insert happy dance here) so everything is go for a "normal" delivery... The babe was head down at the appointment and HB was strong at 133 bpm. From my 30 wk u/s, everything is measuring normal and on schedule. Yay! The MW drew some blood to do a final CBC and iron count just to make sure I'm doing okay and I got my letter to confirm my EDD to take to my HR department which I handed in that day.

So it seems like everything is progressing... I haven't packed our hospital bags yet even though I've thought about it. I guess I should but I'm still too lazy. Is that bad?

Stupid laptop is broken....

So we went to the 30 week ultrasound on Monday (16th). Found out that the hospital has a new policy which was implemented in the last 10 weeks since our 20 wk ultrasound. No one is allowed to go into the u/s room except the mom while the tech is doing the measurements and shite. Dad's / support people are invited in for only the last five minutes of the u/s. Seriously, this blows. I'm sure I can figure out why this policy was implemented. I can just imagine that there are some people out there who are completely inconsiderate and brought in a whole slew of family and friends to their ultrasounds... or dragged three or four screaming children in with them and I'm sure this bothered the technicians to the point where they couldn't accurately do their jobs. But seriously. I wish they could do this on a case-by-case basis. John loved seeing the measurements being taken at the 20 wk u/s and he was quite disappointed that he could only see five minutes of the u/s this time. GRRrrr... very annoying. And to top it off, the tech we had was a bit of a grumpy b!tch so that didn't make anything any better. At least we got a cool shot of the baby's face. :)

So there's something wrong with my laptop and the connection port for the power is shot so I can't use it right now - the battery is down to 6% - probably even less by now. We're supposed to get it fixed, hopefully soon....

And we got our travel system yesterday!! It's the Evenflo Aura Elite - we got it at Sears and while it was more than I had wanted to spend, it rocks! Even John loves it which is a bonus! :) The baby seat fits into the stroller quite easily and the stroller folds and opens easily (it's a bit stiff now but it's new). I can't wait to try this out with the babe! I'm a bit disappointed because my older brother had given us a Peg Perego travel system that my niece used but it was manufactured in 2001 so the carseat was a no-go right from the start even though it's in great condition. The stroller we may still use as it looks very comfy for baby... But it's nice to have our own, brand-new travel system too!

* * * TMI Alert * * *

And somehow this week I have managed to develop hemmorhoids. Evil evil things they are. It seems to me like they materialized almost overnight and now they're not working hard enough at going away. I think Tuesday and Wednesday were my worst days and they're slowly letting up now but I'm still no where near comfortable that's for sure. I hope to gawd they go away but I have a sneaky suspicion that I'm blessed with them for the remainder of this pregnancy. Sadness. I have a whole arsenal of OTC treatments on hand now too... extra strength anusol, the preparation h cooling gel, epsom salts, tucks pads... the list goes on. LOL

* * * TMI Alert * * *

And the countdown to mat leave has started... August 1 is my last day!! I'm going to have to get a ticker or something to countdown the days for me as I suck at remembering stuff like this. :)

30 weeks... 30 weeks!!!!!!!

OMG... I cannot believe I'm at 30 weeks now. That's 75% done. Wow!!! Time does fly when you're having fun. :) LOL, ok that's a bit extreme. But seriously. I can't believe I'm already at 30 weeks. Today was a good weight day... I'm still the same weight I was on Wednesday when I went to the MW... so hopefully the whole weight gain thing is slowing down. That would be a relief.

I forgot to mention in my last post that my GD test results came back a big fat negative so I'm quite pleased with that. And so's the MW I think. Tomorrow I'm going for another u/s to see if my placenta has moved - hopefully it has and we can keep on planning for a normal birth. I really don't want to consider a c-section at all but I guess we'll see.

Other than that, feeling pretty good today except for the round ligament pain that is excruciating if I move too quickly. I had another massage this past Friday which was a godsend and I'm going to be booking in much more regularly for more...

Stuff and Such...

So my June 9 MW appointment was cancelled yet again (thank goodness they called me at 8:30am at work this time) and was rebooked for today. And it didn't get cancelled this time around. Yay!!! :) John came to this appointment with me - it was his first prenatal appointment. He says he enjoyed it and has confidence in the MW so that's good. My next one is in two weeks on the 26th and he'll get to meet the secondary MW then.

So today's big topic of conversation was home birth and I have to admit that I'm really starting to lean towards having a home birth. I'm not a big fan of the epidural and the more I read about it and learn, the less inclined I am to ask for one unless I absolutely need it. The MW talked about this too and how she would recommend an epidural if I needed it for 'therapeutic rest' but if that's the case, there are other thing going wrong too (e.g., I'm not dilating on schedule). So she sent us home with some books to read and we're going to go to a home birthing info session next month. I can't believe I'm even saying that I'm thinking of a home birth but it's so true... Just weighing the pros and cons... I would honestly just love to be able to go to sleep in my own bed and wake up in my own bed with the little one already home. It would be so peaceful.

The appointment went well though - the baby is still breech and she's facing to my right which explains all the kicks to my right side. I'm not worried yet but I do hope she flips soon.

I guess having a home birth depends on a lot of factors including the results of my ultrasound on Monday (to see if my placenta has moved). So far everythings been good - the MW got my gestational diabetes testing bloodwork back and I'm completely normal. Whoo hoo! So all this weight gain is just pregnancy stuff and now water retention. :P Oh yes, my kankles are quite swollen. LOL

I think I've decided on my final work day - August 1st. I have 5 days left of vacation time so if I take four of those after the August long weekend, I'll have a fully paid week off before I start my mat leave. I think August 1st is a good day to finish up at work. So I have to let my manager know soon I guess - probably tomorrow. I hope I can make it through July anyways - just the way I've been feeling lately with sore hips, definite round ligament pain and just doing the whole preggo waddle - I honestly don't know if I can survive another six weeks at work. Boo... six whole weeks. :( I would love to go off earlier if $$ wasn't a factor.

John and I went out for dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately yesterday was consumed by him having to work and me running around getting my car emissions tested and getting new stickers (yes, I am the greatest procrastinator that lives). So we decided to go out tonight. We went to Philthy's and it was yummy. But I can tell that the little one is starting to squish my tummy as my appetite seems to be decreasing.

29 weeks... 11 more to go!

I swear it's been hot this weekend - actually since Thursday or Friday. So for a few days this week. Not that I'm complaining too much since I hate the cold. But seriously, the humidity can tone it down a bit IMO and the heat could drop a couple of degrees and I wouldn't complain that much. :P Since the humid weather, I've noticed a bit of swelling in my hands and my feet by the end of the day - nothing major yet though. I'm still wearing my rings but I think it's getting to that point where I need to take my engagement ring off. I really don't want to but I don't want it to get stuck either. :) I'm going to have to find a necklace so I can wear the rings still. I think I'm going to feel naked without them on.

So I went up to the Regiment yesterday to get my casing. Nice and engraved - one more change jar. LOL. It was nice seeing the people who were there - I sure don't miss the bullsh!t though.

And our patio table broke yesterday so John and I bought a new one today. It's bigger and feels more sturdier so hopefully this one lasts more than a year. Gah. Stupid unseen expenses.

I'm excited though because it looks like I'm going to have a Baby Buddha Sling soon!! One of the nice ladies on BB is selling me hers. I'm so excited!! I've been looking for a sling type carrier for a while and just could not settle on one that I would like.

I don't want to go to work tomorrow. I'm finding Mondays harder and harder. I just want to sit at home and veg. Luckily I have a MW appointment tomorrow so I get to leave work early. The crappy thing is that John has his own doctor's appt so he won't be able to come to this one afterall. :( Maybe the next one. Oh well.

A Sigh of Relief...

And I totally forgot to post about this. For anyone who has been following this blog, you might recall that I was having mini meltdowns about my mother's offer to 'help' once the baby arrives (and even before!). Well, I had a chance to talk to her on Tuesday evening and she brought up the topic yet again and I was able to direct the conversation in a kind, nice, happy way to where I wanted it to go!! So I was able to get my thoughts across on how it would be so much more beneficial for John and I to have her down a few weeks after the baby was born (not before I went into labour and while in the hospital as she had originally wanted to). She was open to my request and I think things are going to work out. So YIPPEE! I was so not looking forward to trying to have this conversation and lay down the whole "we don't want you here at the birth" thing even though it's the truth. :( John and I want this to be our time to start our family and while I know it's important for everyone else too - it is our thing. So now it seems like feelings won't be hurt and people won't be upset and we'll get to do it the way we want to. So tell me how much of a relief THAT is to me!

Oh my... stupid people really irk me

Soooo... I was supposed to have a midwife appointment yesterday. Yup, keyword is supposed.

This was going to be the first appointment John came to as well so he could start getting to know the MWs and getting comfortable with them as well. So we planned to meet at home at 3pm and then drive into town for 4pm. I left work at 2:30pm (2 hrs before my normal end of day so I am losing a bit of pay here) and get home at 3pm. We're just about to head out and I decide on a whim to check if there are any messages. There sure is!! >.< There's a message from my midwife group (specifically from the student who is currently doing a placement there) cancelling my appointment. This would normally not bother me because it has happened before.

But they had the courtesy to call me at work in the morning so I wouldn't miss any work!!!

So of course I'm livid because I've now taken time off work, I'm losing pay and I'm sitting at home with no appointment to go to. So I call back and talk to the receptionist who transfers me to the student who's doing the rescheduling. Keep in mind she's a MW student so she is in university and I'm guessing isn't that dumb. Or so I assume. So I'm a bit peeved but try to be nice and explain to her that I just got the message since I was at work and am now home early from work. She doesn't get it and asks, oh great, can you come in tomorrow morning instead?? So I explain to her as patiently as I can that no, I too have clients that I schedule and it takes me at least a few days to juggle my schedule around so that I can attend my own appointments. She doesn't seem to get this. So I asked if she had my work telephone number on file as it seems odd that the MW group could call me at work before to reschedule and that she didn't this time. First she says no... we just have your home phone number and this other number that doesn't seem right. I ask her really? So I ask her to recite the number and sure enough, it's my work number. (So now I'm getting angry). I asked her why she didn't call and she said that the number didn't seem right as it's a different area code. I live in freakin Southern Ontario... of course it's a different area code as where I work and where I live are in different area codes. It happens. So being the dear dimwit, she asks if I can come in over a lunchtime if the morning appointment doesn't work for me. So I once again remind her that I work in one city and live in another and the commute is about 30-45 minutes most days so it would be mathematically impossible for me to take my 60min lunch hour and drive the 30-45min, have a 30 min appointment and drive back to work in time. She didn't seem to get it. At the end of this painful conversation, I ended up rescheduling for next Wednesday (the 11th) but I've since gotten it changed to Monday (9th). In retrospect, all I was looking for was even a small, sincere apology or even acknowledgement of her oversight in not calling me at work. But I didn't get it. So I think that's what put me over the edge. So yes, hormonal, preggo Mary kicked in for a bit and I had a bit of a crying jag - more out of anger than anything else. It's all a matter of principle for me I guess. I'm still angry today because really, it's just poor customer service... so I think I'll let my MW know on Monday that I'm disappointed on how this was handled. It's obviously not her fault but she should know what her administrative support staff are doing (or rather not doing). Gah.

On a good note, we did have our hospital tour yesterday evening... It took longer than I had thought it would. We were there for almost two hours. Got a nice tour of Labour & Delivery and of the Maternity Ward. Got a Reader's Digest version of prenatal classes (why did we bother spending money on those, I'll never remember) and I got a warm fuzzy about the L&D nurses. If most of them are as nice as the RN who gave us the tour, I'll be happy. So apparently the average length of stay in hospital for a normal birth is 48 hours and for c-section is twice that long. What a change eh from even 30 years ago? My mother was saying that she was in the hospital with me for 10 days and I know with my younger brother she was in for about 5. Weird.

After the tour, John and I went out for dinner to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary (it was on the 3rd but he had to work that evening). I had yummy escargots (mmmm I could go for some more right now) and a roastbeef & mushrooms stuffed yorkshire pudding thingy. It was pretty good too.

28 weeks... 12 more to go (or 84 days but who's counting?)

I think this is the beginning of me saying I want this to be over soon. My back hurts, my pelvis hurts, my hips hurt, I feel like a house and then some and I can't sleep more than 6 hours at night and even that's interrupted by one or two pee breaks. Seriously. And I get breathless walking up stairs and I swear I have the preggo waddle now. :( Oh and no matter what size bra I wear, it's very uncomfortable by the end of the day. And I would love to not have to wear the ginormous 40D bra... it would be nice to be back in my 36B thank you very much.

So yeah... I'm feeling preggo. :P

And I had a meltdown on Saturday because of my weight yet again. My maternity clothes are starting to get tight and some don't even fit now (Old Navy jeans) and I'm getting sad. I've gained 8lb so far since my last MW visit so I'll probably be up to 9lb by Wednesday when I see her again. I am just floored at the rate I'm gaining weight. I'm up to 188lb as of yesterday which is ridonkulous... that's 38lb since this pregnancy has started. WTF... where's the "standard 25-35lb" weight gain that I'm supposed to get???? I surpassed that a few weeks ago that's for sure. So yeah... had a minor meltdown on Saturday. I just feel huge. And I'm uber worried that I won't be able to lose the weight afterwards. I think that's the even bigger fear. I don't care if I gain weight now - I know it's for a good cause - but I sure don't want to be stuck at this weight or even in the 160-170lb range afterwards. And I can't imagine the struggle it'll be to lose the preggo weight. Ugh. See.... hence the meltdown.

So I think I'm in need of some retail therapy to make myself feel better and to get some clothes that fit a bit more comfy. John's working on Tuesday evening so I'm probably going to head to the mall then. Of course Tuesday is also our second anniversary so I definitely have to pick something up for him. :) We've decided to actually celebrate on Wednesday as he's working Tues. night and it'll just fit our schedules better. I have my MW appointment Wednesday and John's going to come to this one (his first one!!) to start getting to know the MW. We then have the hospital tour afterwards and then we'll go out for dinner somewhere... Our last anniversary without the little one. Crazy.

We went out today looking for a rocker/glider for the nursery. Yeah, no luck. First we went to Zellers which had only one that looked pretty cheap but was $299. And then we went to Babies R Us which had nothing under $350. So no luck today. I did get a diaper bag though. It's like the picture only in red. It's made by Columbia and looks pretty functional so I'm satisfied. :) And it was on sale for $40 which makes it even better!!! We also stopped at Starbucks for some nice expensive coffees and at the comic book store to feed our nerd urge. :)

John also put together the change table on Saturday after having gone to Ikea on Friday to pick up some things. He's such a dear... he got a mobile for the babe as well as some bedding, a quilt and the Spoka night light I've been dying to get:
Too cute!!! So the nursery is almost done I think. Oh, John also picked up a rug for the babe's room - it's blue with two dragons on it. I love it - it fits nicely!!

So yes... I guess I do have an awesome husband. :)

Other than that... the babe's been kind of quiet this weekend. Has her kicking bouts and then just hangs out for a while. Almost all her kicks have been to the inside of me though and not the outside... So I haven't seen any kicks lately. But I have sure felt them!! I think she found my cervix earlier this weekend (not fun) and now she's kicking somewhere around my bladder or something. Crazy. But it's nice to know she's happy and active in there.

I'm not feeling like going to work tomorrow... I would love to just take some time off and relax around the house. I think I'm going to start thinking of when I'm finishing up before my mat leave... I wanted to work as close to the date as possible but now I'm thinking of going off 2-3 weeks beforehand. Maybe early August.... I'm taking June 23rd off - it's a Monday. I have the maternity pre-registration at the hospital that day and I just don't feel like going to work for 1/2 a day. So I figured I'd just book the whole day off.

It's now past 10:30pm so I think I'm going to have to stop sitting online here and finish up some chores (dishes... grrr) before bed.