http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/ Musings from a trophy wife finally pregnant after 4.5 years of infertility en-US Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:14:20 +0200 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:14:20 +0200 Blog.com http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3747627/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3747627/ We've now entered a fun part of pregnancy. I'm officially irritable. All.the.time. You may call me Grumpy McGrumperson. I'm sure I've earned it. D told me the other day when I was driving (my own car!) that I was muttering at other drivers. And I guess that I'm probably muttering something about something or someone nearly all the time. One of my pregnancy books says that I'm probably oversensitive at this point. Ya think?!

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We finally have a car that's just for baby and me. We've been a one-car household for the entire length of our seven-year marriage. I hardly know what to do with myself now that I can just go somewhere if I choose to. Our "new" (it's an '06) car is significantly safer than our other car, and I feel a lot more comfortable that the baby will be riding in it.

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We have less than two weeks until baby is full term, less than five weeks until the "due date" (what a crock of an idea, that a baby will come on a specific date!), and less than seven weeks until baby is officially late (42 weeks). We've finished most of what needs to be done to welcome our little guy into our lives, though a few things remain on my lists (yes, plural). Overall, though, he can come when ready and in the appropriate position. We can certainly take care of him! All along I've been praying for him to be in the correct position, for my body to function properly for labor & delivery, and for breastfeeding to be successful. I don't suppose I'm asking for too much. lawwife Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:13:34 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3451040/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3451040/ We have anywhere from five to 10 weeks left (in five weeks, I'll be full term; in 10, I'll actually be overdue). It's surreal. For so long, we hoped and dreamed and wished and prayed to be parents, and now it's close to reality. We have so much left to do, so many things we need in place before little J arrives. It's more than a little overwhelming at times. And my emotions are on a constant rollercoaster. I feel bad for D, since he gets to be the shoulder I cry (and cry and cry and cry) on most of the time, but he says it's all part of the deal to get his child and he's on board with that! What a blessing he is!

I got two inches bigger around in the past week or so. That was surprising. Well, we could see that I was bigger, but the number of inches was a surprise. I still feel quite good most of the time, though I'm dealing with fatigue again. Par for the course as the end approaches. My body is telling me to sloooooooow down so I can have a little bit of rest under my belt for the big day (or days). I've decided to drop the strength training DVD I've done through most of the pregnancy. It's a great workout, but it really wears me down. I walk Rambaldi five days a week (one mile per day) and do prenatal yoga three days a week, so I'm still active. I just can't quite handle as much as I used to. My 20-minute mile (it's uphill both ways) is now a 25-minute mile. Not too bad for a 32-week pregnant lady, huh?

We had a baby shower this past weekend. It was a lovely day, hosted by a dear lady at her gorgeous house. We received several things we needed along with a good deal of clothing. Now we have to go through our two registries and determine what we have to have before baby's arrival so we can budget for those things. We still need to purchase a chest to consolidate our two dressers and give my dresser to J. Last night, we decided we'd move the computer from the nursery/study into the living room. That'll take some more rearranging, but I think it will probably be better in the long run, especially when I'm essentially tied to the sofa nursing the baby and D wants to be online! We also have to figure out the whole new (to us) car issue, since with just Rambaldi and the two of us we fill our current car to the brim on trips.

Even now toward the end, with many typical pregnancy-related discomforts, I absolutely love being pregnant and carrying our son. It's a blessing beyond words! lawwife Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:46:52 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3297786/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3297786/ The postman came to the door (ringing twice) this afternoon, bearing packages. As he handed them to me, he said, "It's like Christmas!" Now, some of them are for my friend in the UK who couldn't get them shipped directly to her. But this place has been package central all week. Let me count the ways.

• We got a replacement DVR from Dish Network, since ours bit the dust last week. Yes, we had to watch tv like the common horde all weekend. It was torture. And as soon as I see the UPS guy, I have to give him back the defective DVR. Somehow he got away today w/out knocking or ringing the bell.
  
• We got two packages from D's work incentive program (employees get points that can be redeemed for stuff, like my brand new Cuisinart blender!). One more is coming.
• My friend in the UK is having four packages sent here. Three of them arrived today.
• I got a couple of maternity items from Old Navy. Hooray for exercise shorts that don't cut off circulation.
• I got a package from Sephora, that haven of beauty stuff.
  
• The elusive parts for our crib arrived from Canada yesterday.
• We got some books and a prenatal exercise DVD from Barnes & Noble.
• Last Saturday, we got some diapers that we'll try on little J when he outgrows his newborn ones.

As if that weren't enough, we also had our brand new washer & dryer delivered and installed this morning. What makes this most like Christmas is that I couldn't sleep last night, just like I do on Christmas Eve. I was so excited about them that I was awake for at least an hour, starting around 3. I was awake so long that I had to go get a snack to help me go back to sleep. D was awake, too, but that was because he had a headache. He's just glad the W&D weren't under a tree waiting to be opened, or I probably would've gotten up for the day then!

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We finally have an assembled crib! It's so bizarre seeing it here. Soon we'll pick up a mattress, and then we can order the crib decor we like. It's starting to come together. And we have less than 12 weeks until the due date, though I fully expect that I could go overdue. That's pretty normal with first pregnancies especially, and I know that I won't truly be overdue until I hit 42 weeks. lawwife Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:53:30 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3247381/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3247381/ Today for the first time I've felt actual body parts instead of indeterminate kicks/punches/movement. This morning, I felt what was either J's head or bottom sticking out from the right side of my belly. It stayed out 5-10 seconds, long enough for me to pat & rub it for a bit, before he pulled back. And just within the last few minutes, I've felt what feels more like legs or maybe arms (if he's head-up instead of head-down) in the same general spot. This eclipses the positive pregnancy test as the coolest thing ever. lawwife Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:33:59 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3238726/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3238726/ The other night, I had the craziest dream of my pregnancy so far. Somehow, I was pregnant with sextuplets (or perhaps septuplets...it was hard to tell!). I gave birth to four boys first, and then I had two girls who were in some sort of external uterus that came by mail. One of them wasn't expected to make it b/c her heartbeat was so weak, but before long, I had two little girls, too. And then there was an outlier of a baby boy who looked like D's uncle Irv (not really possible, since Irv married D's aunt and is not a blood relative), including the male pattern baldness. Actually, he had hair that reminded me of Rocco Mediate's (the pic is a little on the old side, as now Rocco has a little patch in front with a bald strip and then more hair behind). I guess that's what I get for watching five straight days of the U.S. Open. I was freaking out in my dream, but one thing that stands out is that I was sad I couldn't decorate the nursery for J since now that we had six (or seven?) babies, we couldn't afford luxuries like crib skirts and valances.

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J has been moving a lot more obviously in the past week or so. The other day we seemed to be playing a version of whack-a-mole. He'd kick (or punch or whatever) one place on my belly, so I'd put my hand there. Then he'd kick a completely different part of my belly, and I'd put my hand there. He did this for a good minute or so. It was so cute and funny!

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I've built up a pretty good diaper stash so far. I have a dozen prefolds (the traditional cloth diaper) and a half-dozen fitted diapers along with six covers (five of this brand and one of this). I also have fasteners for the prefold diapers, doublers for the fitted diapers, and two dozen cloth wipes (one dozen of this brand and one dozen of this brand...the first ones are INCREDIBLY soft!). And I have one all-in-one diaper that also has a pocket so the absorbency can be adjusted (and now I see the brand is rolling out a new version of it...can I ever keep up?!). I plan on purchasing three more pocket diapers to see what works best on J; I can't know in advance what sort of physique he'll have (chunky thighs, skinny waist, etc.), so I'm getting these one size up from newborn to try out and see how they work. Ideally, I'd like to be able to use a combination of a one-size diaper that can be adjusted through various sizes and a sized pocket diaper, just to help the stash last longer. One-size diapers tend to get worn out. They're more expensive than the pocket diapers, so parents may tend to purchase fewer and launder more often, making them wear out more quickly. I have no idea what will work for J, but I'm looking forward to trying them out!

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Gym.boree is having a sale this week, and I got J some clothes in this line. They just arrived today, and now I'm off to open the box and revel in the cuteness. I might melt from the overwhelming adorableness of this stuff! lawwife Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:31:43 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3201903/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3201903/ Not me...baby J! He seems to be reading along in my Sears pregnancy book, and that book said movement really ramps up in the seventh month (so from when I hit six months until just before hitting seven months). J has taken this to heart. He now moves for longer stretches, and his movements are much bigger. D & I watch with amazement (and a good deal of amusement) as my belly moves.

I did figure out over our weekend away that J doesn't wake up and move much in the car. Of course, we drive a seven-year-old Saturn that lets riders feel each and every bump in the road, so he was probably lulled to sleep by all the jiggling. He does seem to be awake more often overall. And I have to say that I'm loving it! I hope to learn more and more about him and perhaps even catch glimpses of his personality.

I've noticed that he likes a nice driving beat. During the American Idol finale, eventual winner David Cook got to perform with ZZ Top. J seemed to really like that. He went crazy with kicking both times I watched it. He also seemed to enjoy "Hero," which the finalists sang together as a duet. So cute!

In other news, I may actually be able to take care of J's diapering needs at this point. We now have a dozen prefolds (the cloth diaper most people think of when "cloth diapering" is mentioned) and a half dozen fitted diapers along with covers for those diapers and wipes to take care of messes. A friend is loaning me even more of the fitted diapers, so we'll have a good stock of those. At least one thing is coming together!

And yesterday we hit 24 weeks, the viability point. Before then, many hospitals won't even attempt to save a prematurely born baby, but we're now in the range that most hospitals will try to save the baby. Yay! It's so nice to hit these milestones. lawwife Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:23:38 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3133605/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3133605/ Last Friday afternoon, I was watching tv (a Firefly marathon, to be specific) with D and my little bro. As I lay there on my left side and partially propped up, I felt a thump on my right side. Huh. I could feel it with my hand, too, so that was interesting. Then it happened again. So I grabbed D's hand and settled it where mine had been, and he got to feel the third kick. This was the first time I'd felt anything so obvious. Before that, I'd felt some movement, like little flutterings, but always on my left side and always right before I went to sleep.

Last night, J decided to bounce off the walls (literally, as far as I can tell) after I went to bed. I'd feel a thump at the top of my right side followed by one at the bottom of my right side and then a little something on the left. Maybe it was the Mountain Dew.... ;)

Anyway, I have an anterior placenta, but J seems to understand he needs to go around it in order to be felt. Good boy!! lawwife Tue, 20 May 2008 10:19:35 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3133599/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3133599/ In 2007, we spent Mother's Day in Kentucky with the in-laws. Sunday morning, I awoke to my period. Oh, joy! It marked the end of our 37th unsuccessful cycle of trying to get pregnant. And then we had to go to church with the in-laws. Their church had a baby dedication* that morning at each service; the service we attended had either five or seven babies dedicated. I sobbed through the whole thing. The family was going to go out to lunch after church, but I just couldn't handle being around any more people and especially mothers or babies, so they left me at the house. I can say without hesitation that it was one of the hardest days of my life.

In 2008, however, I woke up pregnant. Mother's Day marked the 20-week point (some would say the halfway mark) of my pregnancy with J. I had a smile on my face and in my heart that I just couldn't hide. Not to mention the belly poking out happily...can't hide that, either! D & I took another couple from church out to lunch with us for Mexican food. Yum! And I didn't want to find a corner and disappear.

I thought a lot that day about how different these two holidays had been. The Lord was definitely with me on both days. In 2007 D was merciful and always such a comfort. He allowed me to grieve without making me feel guilty. He's definitely an instrument in the Redeemer's hands...what a blessing! And in 2008 He has given me (and us) and invaluable gift in our child. We're so very thankful.


*A baby dedication is a ceremony held by churches as a substitute for infant baptism, because the churches do not believe paedobaptism is Biblical. In it the parents promise to raise the child in a Godly manner, and the church body in turn promises to assist. lawwife Tue, 20 May 2008 10:18:03 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3100992/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3100992/ Isn't he sweet?

lawwife Sat, 10 May 2008 23:30:08 +0200 http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3088217/ http://rebekahsplace.blog.com/3088217/ We had our anatomy ultrasound this morning. Baby seems to be pretty daggone laid back. Evidently, nap time is not to be interrupted (sounds familiar). However, the tech was able to see all the different parts of our apparently perfect baby. We could see both hemispheres of the brain, all four chambers of the heart, the arm & leg bones, adorable little hands and feet, and even the nose and lips. The spine was also quite evident. It's amazing how much has changed since our first ultrasound 10 weeks ago. Then, Baby looked remarkably like a gummy bear. Head, torso, and arms & legs were visible, but there were no fingers and toes. Now? Wow!

We also were able to see that our long-awaited baby is a son. We are so looking forward to meeting our little J this fall and can't wait to see if he's the laid-back little guy he appeared to be this morning! lawwife Tue, 06 May 2008 19:01:03 +0200