Third Trimester!

Well, today, April 10th, marks the three-month point from Baby Michael's due date. While we are all a little suspicious as to whether he'll actually wait until July 10th, I am at least relieved that we are one week closer than when those worries started last Thursday.

This week has been pretty good, and I've been doing my best to take it easy and get some rest. Michael has been taking really good care of me (us) and helping to relieve some of the back pain I've been having with some nice back rubs before bed.

We've also been working overtime to prepare for labor and delivery, which, hopefully not, but may come sooner than later. We picked up some books on a particular method of childbirth and have signed up for classes at the hospital. These books have us do mental exercises to learn to relax and mentally prepare for childbirth. There are also some stretches and exercises I have been doing to prepare my body, and ease some of the aches that come along with the third trimester.

Some of the exercises are kind of weird, but it is something that we are doing together to get ready for the baby and increase our chances of having a natural childbirth, so I don't mind them.

Baby Michael seems to be doing very well. He's is continuing to be very active and is squirming around a lot. A LOT. He seems like such an active baby that sometimes I forget that he is still so little and fragile and needs a lot more time to grow in there. But he already seems to have so much personality, it seems like he is more ready to come out than he actually is.

He hates it when I take medicine if I have contractions. He goes insane...it's like a little cyclone in there. I don't even know what he could possibly be up to that creates the type of feeling I get...but he just goes nuts on that medicine. I can tell it speeds up my heartrate, and so it must do the same for him, but imagining that he is stuck in there with no way to burn off his increased energy...he goes so crazy. I feel so bad when I have to take that medicine, but it's better than letting my contractions continue. It just seems like he is so uncomfortable when I do that to him.

Normally, though, the baby is happy and moving around like the busy little boy that he will probably be. This morning, Michael was talking to me while he was getting ready for work, and as soon as Baby Michael heard Daddy's voice, he woke up and started kicking and moving around. I bet he can't wait to meet that funny man who is always making mommy laugh.

Baby Michael also seems to prefer me to sleep on my right side these days, because he frequently will kick and squirm incessantly if I am on my left side. Maybe that is a day by day thing, but he just would not settle down last night until I rolled over to the other side, then he quieted down right away.

Thank you for your continued prayers! We are on the last leg of the race, and are grateful for another healthy week!

A Crazy Week

Well, a week that started out as normal sure ended up wacky. I'm hoping last night/early this morning was the end of the wackiness for a while.

Monday began with a great doctor's visit and nothing to worry about. I had experienced some mild cramping the week before which the doctor told me to keep an eye on, but nothing too bad.

On Tuesday and Wednesday night, and Thursday during the day, I experienced more cramping, but wasn't too alarmed, so I dutifully called the doctor and let him know.

I thought he was going to have me just take it easy and "see how I feel." But I was shocked at his instructions to go to the hospital and have it checked out. So, I left my meeting and went to the hospital, thinking they would just strap me to a contraction monitoring machine and I would be on my way in about an hour.

Not so.

I arrived there and they had put me in a labor room, they had me get into a hospital gown and they strapped me up to the machine. I was having contractions.

They performed a series of....well..I just say "invasive" tests. One which determined that I was beginning to dilate slightly (as my birthing book described it: the door was starting to open so the baby could come out). Fortunately, it wasn't open too much, but at this early stage in pregnancy, it shouldn't be open at all or even "unlocked." That caused some concern.

They also performed a test which is supposed to be able to anticipate if the baby is going to be coming in the next two weeks. Basically, if there are any fetal cells where they shouldn't be, then this kid is coming early.

After 2.5 hours of waiting for the results of that test, I am happy to say that it came back negative, but still had the contractions and the dilation as a concern in the forefront of my mind. They gave me a shot for the contractions and just told me to go to my doctor in the morning for him to check.

Now, this medicine for the contractions relaxes my muscle, but makes my heart and the baby's heart feel like we drank about 5 cups of coffee. It's a very uncomfortable feeling. The poor baby just does summersaults inside me. My stomach at one time looks like someone was shaking it with a massager because it was going back and forth so fast. The poor kid didn't know what to make of it.

So, the next day I went to the doctor and he checked me out and didn't seem to concerned. But he did recommend one solution that might help with the dilation: my old friend, progesterone. After sending me down to the labs, to test me levels, I went back up to the doctor for a shot. Apparently, shots at the beginning, and then we might see about getting pills.

I relaxed all day, drank plenty of water, and relaxed all night. Michael came home, we watched a movie until late, but everything seemed to be fine.

I got up and used the restroom, washed my hands, and while I was washing my hands, I got another scare, but this one was a doozy.

I felt water leaking all over me. It started as a drip and increased to a trickle until I ended up calling Michael in a panic because, for a person who never had her water break, I swear my water broke. I mean, what else could it be? I just went to the bathroom...and this didn't feel like anything I've ever felt before.

So we are rushing around the apartment, hurrying to get out, call the doctor, call family, and make it to the hospital. We were trying not to freak out, and praying definitely helped us stay calm, but needless to say, it was pretty worrisome.

After a few hours in the hospital, more tests, and inspecting what that liquid might possibly have been, it was determined....and I'm embarrassed to say, that it was probably nothing other than having had too much water to drink, and the baby probably gave me a kick in a spot where it was impossible to control what was coming out.

This is what the nurses said...and I trust them, but cannot reconcile how I would have mistaken a normal body function that I've gotten quite good at mastering (going to the bathroom) with something as unusual as what I experienced. I mean, I'm glad it wasn't my water breaking, but I still can't possibly remember at any point thinking to myself that this was a familiar sensation. It was not. But, I'll take being wrong, and, dare I say, being dubbed "incontinent" any day over an early delivery.

I actually like Michael's mom's explanation much better: it was just a miracle....something did go wrong, but with all the prayers everyone was praying, He made it ok. I will definitely take that because I know Michael's parents and sisters and my parents (I didn't call the Campbells because I didn't want to send them into a panic with their little ones...especially if it turned out to be nothing) were praying and we were praying intensely.

That explanation is a little easier on my ego too. :)

They kept me in the hospital for a while because I was having more contractions, but gave me another shot, and sent Michael and I home for the night.

I feel relieved, but I also feel bad. My parents had gotten up, showered, packed and were ready to head out the door, and Michael's parents had driven down. We were released and walked into the lobby in just enough time to see them come in. Of course, everyone was just relieved it was ok, but I feel bad throwing everyone into a panic for that.

So, today I am resting and hoping next week is a little less eventful. Thank you for your prayers!!

Love,
Kim, Michael, and Baby Michael (who we want to meet, but not right now!)

Turkey Dinner, Take 2

Since baby Michael had kept me from enjoying Thanksgiving dinner last year, I kept promising myself that I would give it another go, just to make up for it.

Tonight, Michael took me out to dinner at Mimi's and I ordered their turkey dinner and it was SO delicious! Probably not as good as what I would have eaten at the Campbells or the Barbers (well, I did get a little bit at each place but I was just in a better place this time around to eat it).

Everything is going well for us down here. I am feeling good, but just feeling a bit heavier, and Michael is working away diligently as ever. Baby Michael is spending more of the day active and busy and seems to take a liking to pushing up against my abdomen wall so there is a constant hard spot for a few minutes at a time. I don't know what body part he is using to do that. Sometimes I envision it is his feet pushing, or...to be honest, I don't really know what he is doing in there. But when he does it, I try to push back a little and talk to him, just to get some interaction. Sometimes he responds by moving away, sometimes he'll give me a few jabs in that spot.

I have noticed he spends a lot of his time during the day with some body part or another, again, I'm assuming a foot, up in my rib cage area. It feels like he is wedging his foot underneath the last two ribs on my right side. Whether that's what he is really doing, I'm not sure. But I'm not a huge fan of that little habit. I try and press my hand up there and get him to move whatever he's got up there away. He usually does pretty promptly, but not without giving me a few jabs in protest immediately afterward.

All in all, he seems to be a very good baby...he doesn't give mom too much trouble at night and he hasn't been causing too many aches or pains for me either.

Michael and I are agreed for sure on one thing: we cannot wait to meet this little man!!

Our Budding Academic

It seems that Baby Michael is already taking after his daddy: staying up late to work on papers!

Michael, the baby and I had an all-night vigil on Thursday-Friday for Michael's paper. Michael took care of the hard stuff of writing the paper, while I tweaked the Bibliography and made us nachos.

I was expecting the baby to fall asleep while I typed. I wasn't moving around, I was sitting in the chair, but I guess he wanted it to be a family affair and stay up with the rest of us because that baby did not sleep at all!!

He had been awake much of the day, and he usually sleeps at night when I sleep (thankfully!) but last Thursday, was not the case. He was up the whole time!

Finally, when I got around to getting to bed, after many hours of the poor kid being sleep deprived, he went to sleep. What I perceive to be his sleep schedule has been a little off since then. He still sleeps at night but it takes him a bit longer to settle down, and he seems to be much more quiet during the day than before. Normally, I could count on him to be doing something every hour, but now it seems more common that I could go multiple hours without him moving, and then, usually after I eat, he'll stir around.

It was both fun to have him up with us in one sense (he was in solidarity) but after a while, it got kind of distracting. He wasn't just moving in there, he was doing all sorts of acrobatics. It almost seemed like he was bugged with me and was trying to get me to get out of the sitting position so he could sleep. I actually started feeling sorry for the poor kid and that was a primary motivation for leaving when I did. It wasn't just that I was tired, but I felt like i needed to let this poor baby sleep!

Our silly little boy!

The Registry

So, just as I am done organizing and putting stuff away from the wedding registry, it's time to make a new one...where am I going to fit all this stuff?

I went to Babies 'R' Us to set up a registry and found it even more overwhelming than Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It was so hard for me to figure out what to put on there. Partly because there is so much stuff, partly because most of it is not just about our tastes, but finding stuff for this other person who I have spent 6 months with but don't know what he'll like or dislike, and partly because it's not just about cost, taste or style, but also about safety for this little guy, it's hard to know what to choose.

I definitely walked away from Babies 'R' Us with a desire to subscribe to Consumer Reports and dig up some safety facts on Car Seats, Play Pens, Strollers, High Chairs, etc.

And once the safety issue is addressed, what about convenience and Mom and Dad approval rating? In high chairs alone, there is such a wide variety of people rating these chairs anywhere from love it to hate it...who do I believe? I want a chair that is nice and not junky, but also one that is easy to clean and comfortable...I want a stroller that is light enough to easily collapse into a car, but durable enough to provide a safe, comfortable ride for the baby, and last for whatever other children God may bless us with.

This is much harder than just choosing what lamp I like best, or china patterns we like!!

On top of it all, many things to register for I know can be found much cheaper at other stores like Costco or Target. Why register for Baby Wipes or diapers at Babies R Us when more could be bought for much much less?

I guess the parenting stuff starts now in putting in the leg work to find the safest stuff for Baby Michael!

One thing I must say being around all that baby stuff is...I can't wait for him to come!!!!

Disneyland and a Roly-Poly Baby

Friday marked baby Michael's first trip to Disneyland! Our friend Hannah came out to visit, so we took her up there and met up with Marita, Noree' and Beau. We had a great time. I was able to go on many of the rides, since they are slow-paced enough, but a few of them I had to sit out under the category of "Expectant mothers should not ride." It's funny how many times I've seen that sign and it never applied to me....and now it does!

I don't think the teacups had that sign, but I was worried that if we went on those, baby Michael would come out cross-eyed, so I stayed off those as well.

It was a fun trip, and I wasn't too tired, but did need to take many sit-down breaks. Standing wasn't nearly as comfortable as walking, and of course sitting was the best. But I don't think I slowed the group down too much.


Baby Michael finally let someone else (other than Daddy) feel him kick! He had been busy much of the day moving and kicking, but finally Noree' and Marita were able to feel him squirming around. He gave Noree' a good-sized punt while Marita got a few little ones. He was slowing down by that point, so they weren't too obvious, unfortunately. I knew he was moving because I could feel him, but they were small enough that it wasn't like "Oh, that's definitely a kick" but rather, "I think I felt him moving." Hopefully next time he'll be even more active.

I can tell you since then, he has been very active, and now I can feel not only kicks and pokes, but he is getting big enough where I can feel him rolling around too. I don't know what body parts, but I'm assuming there is probably some head, knee and shoulder action going on. That's taking some getting used to. I'm feeling something of what I only guess to be fingers or toes, because they are more like little "swipes" and "flutters" than pokes and jabs (I'm still getting lots of those too) but now he's able to brush against the inside and I can feel those little flicks. It's cute, but weird. If my hand is there when he does it, our hands are separated by a very thin wall--which is neat. But it just reminds me that there is a human being swimming around in there, and that is still strange to me.

Double-Date at the Doctors and little Michael's Happy Snack

What's really neat about having the same doctor as my sister is having appointments on the same day, right around the same time!

Without planning it, our appointments were scheduled the same day, 15 minutes from each other, so Kathy, the kids, and I piled into her car and we made a fun day of it. We saved some $$ on parking since we only took one car, and then got to go to lunch together, it was really fun.

I wanted to be of more assistance to her, and watch the boys while she was in her appointment, but the doctor seemed to move pretty fast today, and almost as soon as we got there, I was called in, and shortly thereafter, Kathy was called in for her appointment. I felt bad I couldn't help too much, but we did have a good time at lunch afterwards, and I could do little things, like help get the kids in and out of their carseats (though I feel like a rookie at it!)

I also discovered a delicious snack that is good for me, and makes little Michael jump around like crazy. I can only assume he likes it, but don't really know what he would do if he didn't like it. Anyway, the snack is a helping of cottage cheese and fruit. It is SO tasty!! And since it is lowfat cottage cheese and gets me my dairy and fruit, I feel no guilt upon eating it!

I remember Kathy told me she liked it a lot at the beginning of her pregnancy, and the thought of it just sounded so gross, but I recently went to a coffee shop with someone, and the only thing they had to eat that sounded alright was cottage cheese and fruit. I got it and loved it. I immediately went to the store to get some.

I got a small container, thinking I wouldn't really like too much of it, but in less than a day, have practically finished the whole thing, and now must go get more (plus I have to get more pickles, which satisfies big Michael's sudden onset of craving pickles).

Anyways, within a few minutes of eating it, littl Michael jumps and kicks and does all sorts of crazy movements....it's pretty fun.

So maybe this is craving #2? I hope so! I'm really feeling craving-deprived!!