Pregnancy Update: 37 weeks

I had my 37 week appointment today. Once again, my doctor was off delivering a baby and I was seen by her nurse. My doctor has been off delivering babies on my last three appointments. So annoying! Her nurse is a former Labor & Delivery nurse so she is perfectly capable, but she isn't the one performing a c-section on me in two weeks. Plus, she is brutal when it comes to the exams. I was sore for a good 24 hours last week after she checked me and she wasn't any gentler today. I am still dilated to a 1, but now 70% effaced. I really just want to stay closed tight til my scheduled date because I have so much to do before this baby arrives!

Ellie's pediatrician told Tom to make sure I told my OB that Ellie had the flu. So, I dutifully let them know today and they gave me a prescription for Tamiflu and told me to start taking it. This kind of surprised me because I am not even sick! I asked the nurse what the dangers were to the baby if I took it and instead of answering, she went on and on about the dangers of getting the flu when pregnant. So, now I am torn...do I start taking it or just wait and see if I get sick? I am so close to delivering this baby and I don't want to take anything that could hurt him.

Ellie is doing much better. She didn't have a fever at all today and her appetite has returned so we are taking her back to school tomorrow. She only has two days left of school and then she is home with me until January! Oh yeah, I am getting totally spoiled after having this baby. My mom is staying with me for two weeks and then my lil' sis is going to come stay with me for almost a week after that. My older sister also mentioned she might come stay with me in November. And when I woke up from my nap today, I had a message from Sabrina asking if she could bring me by dinner tomorrow! Which is completely insane because she is the one who is in her first trimester (congrats!!!) and is super sick. I need to be bringing HER dinner! If I cooked, that is. At the very least, I should be taking her crackers and ginger ale and offering to babysit her kids. I feel like everyone around me is so much more thoughtful than I am. Seriously, my family is awesome. I just need to add them all to my grateful list.

Grateful

My wise cousin Marvelle did a great blog post today about happiness as a choice and she listed a few things she is grateful for and then asked for a response. Lately, I have been most grateful for my mom. I have called her the past 4 days in a row, each day with a new "problem" to complain about. My mom is my sounding board, she is always able to help me put things into perspective in a very nonjudgmental manner. Plus, she is just such a calming personality...one can't help but feel better just talking to her. What is one thing you are grateful for today?

Update on the whole house falling apart/daughter sick thing

Wow, what a day. I am glad Tom stayed home with Ellie today. He had to meet the plumber this morning and pay a ridiculous amount to get the lines cleaned. Then, he took Ellie to the doctor and had to wait in the germ infested waiting room for 1.5 hours. Ellie tested positive for the flu so we got a prescription for Tamiflu. Then, he had to rush home and meet the AC guy only to receive more bad news that the entire system in the attic needs to be replaced. Yikes. In one day we managed to spend a good chunk of our baby savings. A little scary for someone about to be on unpaid maternity leave for 3 months.. Oh well, I know it will work out and I am glad we are getting it all fixed now. I would hate to be dealing with all of this on top of a new baby!

Despite not feeling well, Ellie is being adorable. I have to admit, I enjoyed staying home with her yesterday and cuddling on the couch all day. I didn't even mind that much when she woke up at 1:00 this morning with a fever of 102.8 and she was insisting on watching more Dora the Explorer. She was just so cute about it! She isn't whining or fussing at all...just wanting extra loves. Tom is staying home with her tomorrow again and I am a little jealous!

When it rains, it pours...

and sometimes it pours when it isn't even raining.

I have water leaking through my ceiling onto my wood floor. The same ceiling we had replaced after Hurricane Ike came through. Seeing the water drip down brought back all the stresses from that time period. So, I haul my giant butt up into our attic to see what is going on. Looks like it is dripping out of our AC unit? The unit we just had to get fixed like 2 months ago. So, I call the AC people and the only time they can come out is between 10-2 tomorrow. Which, would be quite convenient since Tom is staying home with Ellie tomorrow. Of course, the only time I could get Ellie a doctor's appointment is tomorrow at 11:00. Oh, didn't I mention that? I think Ellie has the flu. Probably the swine flu with my luck. She was coughing yesterday, running a fever last night, woke up with 102 this morning and saying her legs hurt. And I haven't been able to get her to eat or drink all day. Not even popsicles. So, I have been all stressed about Ellie being sick and missing days during my last week of work before maternity leave when suddenly...water through the ceiling. Now I have to keep the air conditioning turned off (NOOOO!!!!) and watch as chips of my lovely new ceiling fall down. Oh, and I haven't been able to get a hold of Tom so good thing I am not in labor. Grrrr.

Sunday Best: Getting our groove on edition

And for those of you who think I am exaggerating about my ENORMOUS size...

Baby Shower

My super awesome sister-in-laws threw me a baby shower today. At the last minute, we received a whole lot of cancellations. Everyone had totally understandable reasons...sick, out of town, etc...but I started to get nervous that NO ONE would show. I would be like the kid who has a birthday party with no guests. You know, like on TV, and everyone feels so sorry for the poor, friendless child? But mostly I was worried that Rosie would go through all that trouble for nothing. I mean, just look at this spread of yummy food she prepared!
She also made me this decoration for the baby's nursery. How awesome is that?
So, yeah, attendance was sparse, but I am so grateful for the few who were able to attend. We had fun playing the games Sabrina prepared. One of which involved everyone guessing how big around my belly is. Apparently a few people think I am having a 19 pound baby!

Hiding out

I am at that final stage in my pregnancy where I have outgrown almost all of my maternity clothes and have taken to sitting around the house in nothing but a big t-shirt of Tom's. And, you know, my under things. But pantless because it is just more comfortable that way. And cooler. Back in the day, this is something Tom would probably have found to be very sexy, but now I am sure it is all he can do not to recoil in horror when he walks through that front door and sees me. A few minutes ago? The door bell rang. Ellie went running to the front door yelling, "Who is it?" And I frantically stage whispered, "Ellie! Come here. Now. Those are strangers out there!" So now I have made her terrified of strangers coming to the door, but the truth is that I can't answer the door in just a big t-shirt.

Random bits

The power was out at my school for over 3 hours this morning. I was trapped in a dark classroom with my little gangsters. And with no AC. Luckily, the heat and the comfort of my reading couches lulled them to sleep before any fights broke out.

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My house is a HUGE disaster right now. I am waiting til I go on maternity leave to really clean it, but now I am paranoid about going into labor early. How embarrassing to have anyone see it in this condition. And by anyone, I mean my mom. It is that bad.

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Ellie had school pictures today. Three separate people at her school commented on what a poser she is and how the photographer loved her. Yeah, my child is just a little bit used to the camera.

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I didn't get stretch marks on my stomach with Ellie, but this time around I look like a watermelon. A watermelon that smells like cocoa butter.

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The English major in me feels like I should wrap this up with a nice, tidy conclusion or at least a witty remark, but I am blank...completely blank. It's like the bigger my belly gets, the smaller my brain gets.

Ellie, Ellie, Ellie

I am sitting here listening to Ellie sing and talk as she plays with her Little People. She is so into imaginary play lately. I love it. When we are at the store, she insists on giving the cashiers an imaginary ticket or token. And she acts like it is something completely real. Some will play along and take it from her while others just look at her completely confused. She also has an imaginary friend...Swiper. But unlike Dora's Swiper, this Swiper is good. He comes with us everywhere and even requires his own seatbelt in the car.

I am going on maternity leave in 2 weeks. I really have 3 1/2 weeks til I deliver, but I don't think I can teach for that long. I get more and more irritable by the day. Plus, by the end of the day I am having all sorts of contractions. I feel a little guilty pulling Ellie out of school. She is going to be stuck in the house all day with her beached whale momma and I know she is going to really miss her friends and teacher. I can't get over how different Ellie is from just this summer. This summer she was clingy, required a lot of attention, and freaked out when we tried to leave her. Now she can entertain herself for hours, has no problem being left with people, and is loving school. She is just so sweet and fun. I love going places with her or hanging out at home together. Tom asked me a couple of days ago, "How are we going to love this new baby as much as we love Ellie?" I told him that I have been asking myself that since I first found out I was pregnant. I know we will, but it just doesn't seem possible.

Tour de Cure

This morning, Ellie and I went to go cheer on my dad, brothers, and Rosie as they rode in the Tour de Cure. Now my family is all about any sort of race, whether it be biking, swimming, or running (or all three combined), but today's ride was especially significant because they were raising money for diabetes, a disease that many in my extended family suffer from, including my dad.

It was pretty hot out, but the heat didn't dampen Ellie and Caleb's enthusiasm for cheering on the bikers.

I am so proud of David and Rosie for completing the 64 mile ride and of my dad and Mark for completing the 100 mile ride. Way to go y'all!

Sleeping Tink

I put her to bed wearing her Dora pajamas. When I went to check on her, she was dressed as Tinkerbell.

Overreacting on a Daily Basis or Why I Love My Husband

I got a pedicure this weekend. This is something that is very similar to my last pregnancy...the more pregnant I am, the more pedicures I get. But this pedicure was very disappointing. The girl kept getting paint on my toes and having to wipe it off with polish remover. When it came time to do the little flowers on the big toes, she did these big, messy dots. Then, when she tried to put the jewel in the center, she missed and had to slide it over, totally messing up the paint. I was quite disturbed. When it came time to pay, the price was $10 more than normal! Either their prices went up or they mischarged, but I was too timid to say anything (I just save it for my blog) so I just left with my sloppy pedicure and much lighter pocketbook.

When I arrived home Ellie was doing her normal jumping all over me, so happy to see me, just like a puppy behavior. She ended up jumping right on my big toe, completely obliterating my sloppy flower. That was the final straw. I found Tom in the computer room and showed him my toe, all the while going on and on about how awful my life is. He told me it didn't look that bad and that no one would notice. "But," I wailed, "I am ugly from head to toe! I just wanted something about me to look nice!" And then I burst into tears. He gathered me on his lap, straining to fit his arms around my massive bulk, and reassured me that I am still beautiful even though I am completely insane.

Weekend recap: Space themed edition

Things have been so hectic since school started that Ellie and I have not been able to go hang out with anyone. She has been going through serious withdrawals and every night would ask to go play with her cousins. Well, Friday night was Kolby's birthday party and she spent all of last week talking about it. She went with me to buy his present, insisting that he wanted a "blue truck." She kept telling me that he was turning 4, but she was still 3. Which is true, but funny that she was so obsessed with the numbers. She also wants to know how old I am, but won't accept 30 for an answer since she can only count to 20. So, according to Ellie, I am 5.

Anyway, Kolby's party finally arrived. Sabrina, uber-creative as always, did an out-of-this-world space themed party complete with alien cupcakes. It was a huge success. Ellie played long and hard and was completely wiped out by the end of the night. I, of course, forgot my camera, but there are some great shots on Sabrina's blog.

Saturday, we were able to play some more, but by Saturday night, both Ellie and I were coming down with colds. Today we are just resting and drinking lots of fluids because I am determined not to use ANY sick days until I go on maternity leave.

I had a little scare last night. I realized in the evening that I hadn't felt the baby move all day. He is always fairly quiet in the mornings, but by afternoon and evening he is doing full on acrobatics in my stomach. I kept nudging him, trying to get a response, but nothing. So, I "forced" myself to eat a bowl of ice cream in the hopes that the sugar would get him rolling. Still nothing. So, I call Nurse Mom to discuss the situation. As I am talking to her, I start feeling faint movement. By the time I am off the phone, Baby Jack is back in full force. Such a relief, but for like 2 hours there I was in full freakout mode.

School daze

Every night I take a melatonin to help me sleep (don't worry, approved by my OB). And every morning I take my thyroid medicine. Guess who switched them up and took the melatonin in the morning instead of at night? Yeah, as if I'm not tired enough during the day.

This week has been peaceful so far because 2 of my students have been out. They were suspended for fighting in my class on Friday, a fight where I physically restrained one of them. Afterwards I realized that I am too pregnant to be trying to stop fights. Next time, I am just going to push the little black button and sit back and enjoy the show.

Really I am not too concerned about fights, but about the flu. So many of my students have been out sick and they are out for around a week. Two of them had visits to the emergency room. I am so nervous about getting sick this late in the game that I am practically spraying them down with Lysol when they walk in the door. 5 bottles of hand sanitizer in my classroom isn't excessive, right?

I have some really wonderful students this year. The kids I teach often get a bad rap because they are labeled at-risk and tend to do poorly in school. But I have enjoyed getting to know this new batch and truthfully I will miss (most of) them when I go on maternity leave in a few weeks.

Sunday Best: Party Dress edition

Today we went to an Open House held by the mother of one of Tom's best friends so we could meet his new baby boy. It was fun to hold Austin and Mandy's little baby boy and realize that in just over a month I will be holding my own (not so little) boy in my arms. Ellie was excited because it meant that she got to wear her new "party dress" that Aunt Patty sent her. We love Aunt Patty...she is forever surprising us with cute little outfits. Ellie is turning into such a girly-girl. She wants to wear dresses, necklaces, dress shoes, etc. I love it, but it is a little foreign to me because I was always such a tomboy.

I have so much to do this long weekend, mostly in terms of cleaning the house and getting ready for baby. I am determined not to let Ellie watch more than 2 shows (1 hour) of TV a day so I have been pulling out the activities that she doesn't get to do very often because of the mess factor. She has been painting, playing with playdoh, blowing bubbles, making mudpies in the backyard, etc. She has also been taking lots of baths.

Boring bullets

• I finally caved and stopped by the store today to buy fudgesicles. And Tums.


• Ellie is obsessed with her "jewels." I dug out my old jewelry box from when I was little so she could store her necklaces and rings in it. The concept of passing along my childhood treasures to my own daughter makes me so very happy.


• Insurance stuff...all worked out.


• School completely wipes me out. I come home exhausted and in pain. Too frequently, I turn on Noggin for Ellie and then go take a nap. I feel guilty for not spending more time with her.


• I also feel guilty for letting her watch so much TV. Her invisible friends? Characters from her favorite television shows.


• Ellie is insisting on growing her hair long "like a princess." We are also trying to grow out her bangs so her hair is at this really awkward stage that drives me nuts. I wish I were more talented in the ways of hair styling like my sister in laws.


• My parents have been on an Alaskan cruise all week. I am in complete "mom withdrawal." I am so used to calling her everyday on my way home from work. It has been killing me not to be able to tell her about stuff like the insurance crisis, or my dumb dog cutting her tongue and making me think she was bleeding to death, or even sharing the joy of passing down my jewelry box to Ellie. I want my mom back!
  

Why people should only eat healthy things in front of me

I just woke up from a post hysterical meltdown nap. My head is throbbing and all cottony feeling. Before that I was dealing with my insurance company. I was on the phone for over an hour. And after that I was sending emails to them saying things like "It is completely unacceptable to be told that I am not approved and I have to find a new doctor that I have never met to perform a C-Section on me in 6 weeks." The story is long and boring, but basically involves my employer switching insurance companies and me initially being told not to worry, just fill out this pretty little transition of care form, and ta-da! you can stick with that OB you so carefully picked on your old plan. And then suddenly being told that "Oh that form we gave you? Yeah, that was for California residents only. Sorry. You aren't approved. Better not go to your doctor or it won't be covered by us." That isn't something that goes over well with an already exhausted, stressed out pregnant woman who keeps getting asked if she is having twins. Whatever, I am sure it will all get straightened out (hopefully before my 3:00 appointment tomorrow).

So...I really was planning on blogging about my cravings, not whining about insurance issues. I haven't had really consistent cravings this pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Ellie, I just wanted apples all the time. I would eat several a day, a whole variety of them. And later, I started adding apple juice to the mix. It was nuts. This time around, I just see someone eating something (in real life or on TV) and suddenly that is all I can think of until I get it. Last Friday, I saw a teacher eating a yummy looking slice of cake from some teacher party that I wasn't invited to. All I could think about was chocolate cake all weekend. Finally, after school yesterday, I took Ellie to the bakery at HEB and bought us a small cake. It was rich, decadent, and delicious. Craving solved. But then today? I spotted a student eating a fudgesicle. Now all I can think of is how great a nice, cold, chocolaty fudgesicle would taste right about now.