Happy 2009!!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this. I got caught up with the holiday season and neglected certain things.

First, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and best wishes this year!

It's hard to believe that we will have our baby boy this year, let alone this MONTH! Matt kept reminding me of this yesterday. He said "we're going to have a baby this month". Seems it is becoming much more real for Matt lately. At my OB appt last week the doctor said that the baby could come any day now or it could be weeks before his arrival. I'm officially 37 weeks pregnant today!

What has happened over the past month?
-I've developed acid reflux and Zantac has been a friend of mine. Most days it helps. I truly feel for those who suffer from non pg-induced acid reflux and have to deal with it on a regular basis. What a pain!

-My slow and steady weight gain is a thing of the past. At 32 weeks I had gained 15 pounds. 4 weeks later, A LOT of holiday eating (I seriously couldn't resist the cookies!), and hopefully added weight to the baby, has helped me gain 10 more. Still not terrible but not comfortable either.

-The added weight and looser joints have taken a toll on my knees. Both of my kneecaps dislocated in a 2 week timespan. I usually only have one dislocation a year (since the age of 13). It occurs out of no where, no warning, it pops out, and I immediately fall over. I fell down a few stairs but everything was fine. Just a bruise on my belly. I'm seeing an orthopedic next week in hopes that he'll have some suggestions to get me through this. I'm more concerned about it contining to happen after the baby is born. He is protected inside of me right now but I'm worried about falling while holding him after he's born. I'll still be carrying extra weight and the OB said that joints can stay loose for more than 6 weeks post partum. I hope the orthopedic can give me knee braces to help keep my kneecaps in place. Those will be something else oh so attractive to wear.

-Speaking of attractive, I'm sporting compression hosiery due to varicose veins. Getting those things on takes quite a bit of effort and must be a comical site. Thank goodness they are only thight highs or else I'd have to deal with them on each trip to the bathroom.

-I'm moving a lot slower these days. Christmas shopping was a whole new experience. I ventured out on Black Friday and laughed at myself several times. I had to stop for breaks, ask employees to reach items on very low or high shelves for me, and pack even more snacks & water than usual. It was great though. I got a lot of good deals on clothes for Matt and the baby.

-I'm not swelling very much. Just this past week my rings felt tight for the first time.

-I'm still walking fairly normal. Well, most days. The days following my last dislocation I took some funny looking strides. Matt asked me what time the gun show was.... you know, the way the cowboys walked in old western movies before a shootout challenge? I pulled a muscle in my leg when I fell so between the bum knee and pulled muscle I had a bit of a limp/waddle/bow legged walk. Guess he thought it was best to help me laugh at it. He was right :)

-Some days I remind Matt of his grandma! Sweet, huh? We have an awkwardly placed light switch in our kitchen. It's in a corner and my belly makes it difficult to reach. I've resorted to using spatulas to reach it and that is something Matt's grandma used to do (use utensils to reach things). Matt just laughed the first time he saw me do that. I also lean over the grocery cart when I'm getting tired. I guess Grandma used to do that too :)

-I'm starting to get tired more easily and often. Thank goodness for my flexible job. I'm able to go to a home visit, come home and lie down for a bit, then go to the next appt if it works out to schedule my day that way. It depends on when clients can meet too, but this was especially helpful during the week when I was feeling sick with a cold.

-The baby has moved down a little bit. Not enough to make me uncomfortable in my hips/to waddle but enough to give me some more breathing room. I'm not as winded after walking up our stairs. His moving down seemed to cause my belly measurement to change at my last OB appt. At my 34 wk appt I measured 36 wks. At my 36 wk appt I measured 33 wks. The doctor was concerned that I might have been leaking fluid, though I didn't see any signs of that, so she sent me for an ultra sound. I was scared that something was wrong but was excited to see him again. I ended up not seeing very much because he is so squished in there. His head looked rather large and it freaked me out! I kept thinking "I have to push that out?!". Thankfully, the results showed that he is head down (he had been breech for a few weeks) and my doctor wasn't concerned with my fluid levels.

-His movements are less frequent because he doesn't have as much room in there. They are also less like little kicks and more like jabs. The bulges he creates on my belly are funny to see. I still love feeling him move!!

-Each weekened we've spent some time working on getting things ready for his arrival. That includes a few trips to Babies R Us, putting together things like the pack and play, swing, etc, organizing his room & closet, and washing his clothes, bath items, and bedding. We've also been working on lists for our hospital bag and items that might be necesary the first week home. I've also made a few feezer meals to help prepare.

I'll post pics of his room soon.