37w5d

I don’t even know where to begin this post! Life has been very interesting these days.

I suppose I’ll start with last Friday’s OB appointment – everything was well. I had my first internal exam and got the great news that my cervix is 100% effaced. So ripe in fact that my Doctor asked if I had my hospital bag packed. He said we’d set an induction date if I haven’t gone into labor by next Friday (OMGGGG).

I had been having contractions already but they have gotten bad since Friday. I spent all weekend with the worst pains. I knew they were irregular but that doesn’t mean labor isn’t rapidly approaching. Yesterday I felt bad enough that I called my Doctor and he sent me L&D for a checkup. I went and had a NST done – Nugget is active and well, and my contractions are real but irregular. I had another internal exam (good GOD it was the most painful internal exam I have ever had), but the good news is that I had dilated 1cm since Friday! So the contractions are working! The L&D nurse said my cervix is VERY ripe and thin and short. She says it’s rare for first time moms but that I am lucky because I will likely be in labor within a week assuming I continue dilating and labor should be quick once it begins due to how ripe my cervix is. Yesterday the baby still hadn’t dropped into my pelvis but she said it’ll happen very soon. Obviously none of this is scientific fact; we all know how it goes. Labor is a crap shoot! But it was good to hear nonetheless.

The nurse said to start having sex. I am honestly not in the mood for sex. I know for a fact poor Norman isn’t either. But she said that besides the sperm bringing on natural contractions and speeding up dilation, that sex stretches the perineum and can avoid unnecessary tearing/cutting. So we’ll give it a go today lol

Last night was a heinous night for me. I KNOW Nugget dropped last night. I was in excruciating pain. My pelvis and lower back were on fire, not to mention the RLP I have been having. It's worse than ever. Anyhow, I knew what was happening but couldn’t believe that just about 12 hours earlier the L&D nurse had predicted this. I could feel the difference right away. My belly is a lot lower and I can no longer use it as a shelf (I used to jokingly set my water bottle on it for shits and giggles). I don’t know just how low she is but I am guessing my Doctor will tell me on Friday.

So this is where we stand!

We are ready for Nugget to arrive. We installed the car seat and I am packed and ready to go.

So now we wait…

36w6d

I was just surprised with a Baby Shower here at work!!! I was in total shock. There was food, friends, cake and a great time was had by all! Honestly, I have the best boss and co-workers a girl could ask for.

My grandmother is out of the hospital and back in the ALF. She is doing SO MUCH BETTER. I can’t believe it. Honestly. I went to the hospital on Sunday and was sad to see she wasn’t doing very well, still disoriented and not able to sleep. Today I had a 15 minute conversation with her over the phone! She was asking me about the baby, about Ace, about work, about everything. I wanted to cry. I am so thankful. I can’t wait to go see her.

Our life-long friends from Spain arrived last Saturday and they have been staying with us. I didn’t realize how much I had missed them! Elena is 28 years old so we have everything in common (except for her not being pregnant and all). I am so glad she is here. Her parents are here too and it is wonderful to see them all! Norman and I were supposed to go to Spain this summer because Elena is getting married on August 2, but obviously with our precious Nugget arriving that didn’t exactly pan out. But we are beginning to plan a trip to Spain for Christmas 2009 with my parents and my brother and his family. Sienna and Ace will be about a year and a half by then. Amazing.

As you can imagine I have been doing non-stop shopping with them and lots of eating out and sightseeing and WALKING. I have been so active this week. It’s great. Hopefully it’s moving things along down there. I’ll know more on Friday; I have my 37 week appointment.

I have been having a ton of contractions lately. They have been getting stronger and stronger, bordering painful. Nothing too painful and nothing regular, but definite contractions. I think they are bordering on false labor. I wonder if my water will beak soon? Will I loose my plug? How will I go into labor? All I do know is that I am ready. All we have left to do is install the car seat and we are golden.

And as far as what people say about babies’ movements slowing down towards the end of pregnancy – well not my Nugget. She is non-stop kicking, punching, elbowing, the works. You name it she does it and she doesn’t care at all that she is out of room. Which make for painful situations! I love it though I have to admit. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

35w1d

I am having trouble uploading Baby Shower pictures so I will upload belly pics instead.

They go back to 16w2d up to today.

16w2d


21w0d


25w0d


30w0d


35w1d



I went to my OB appointment today and all is well. Nugget's heart rate was 146 and she is measuring 1 week ahead based on fundal height. NO WEIGHT GAIN wooooohoooo!

Another development is that due to my pre-existing medical condition and the baby's size, I will be induced at 39 weeks. I will have the exact date two weeks from now. I will also have my internal exam 2 weeks from now.

This means 4 weeks left before Sienna Sofia enters the world.

We are so excited!

31w0d

When I got home from work yesterday I cleaned up a little and waited for the contractor to arrive. When I realized he wouldn’t be showing up, I decided to just relax and watch some TV. I started getting sleepy so I tried napping. Right before drifting off, I started getting the worst pains in my belly and upper thighs. They weren’t contractions – at least I don’t think they were. It was more of a really bad stomach ache mixed in with intense heartburn and sciatica. I felt panicky but decided to try and sleep through it. I woke up not too long after and began feeling nervous because I hadn’t felt the baby move since the pain started. Then I worked myself up into a slightly more intense panic. I called Norman into the room and started to cry. He comforted me and reassured me.

I know I overreacted but if I am honest with myself I can notice that I am in a state these days. Everything makes me nervous. Being pregnant is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I have this life inside me and she needs me to take care of her and I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of keeping her safe. Sometimes all I want to do is just hide in bed under the covers for the remaining 9 weeks. My hormones are raging. I am an emotional wreck. I am crying a lot and know it’s natural so I am trudging through. Don’t get me wrong though – I am happy and tear-free waaaaaaaaaaaay more than I am crying and emotional. I just notice that I have somehow reverted back to my first trimester emotional state which is frustrating.

Anyhow, as I am sure you already deduced, my sweet Nugget started kicking up a storm shortly thereafter and all is well.

Oh, and my acid reflux is going to be the end of me.

30w4d

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Norman and I had Mexican for lunch. Not that we ever need an occasion to do so.

I have good news; the nursery is officially complete – except for the installation of the closet system which we already purchased and the wall mounting of the flat screen TV. It looks beyond beautiful. I love being in there. I LOVE IT. Norman did an amazing job. I helped a lot and it made me exhausted but he did the majority of the work. As soon as the closet is completed I will start washing all of Nugget’s clothes and blankets. Now on to the second room we are renovating. It never ends!

Our Baby Care class was good. We had a great instructor and even though we both knew the majority of what we were taught, it was informative nonetheless. We learned about basic baby care – we even practiced swaddling and diapering a baby. Next Saturday we’re attending the Labor class. It’s an all day class, 9AM-5PM. This is the class I am most looking forward to because I am scared of labor. I think that if I have a better understanding of what’s happening to me, I will be less afraid. Norman will not be a happy camper next weekend since he isn’t fond of watching births and I am sure that we will be shown videos and such.

My contractions can get really bad. I thought I was going in to labor on Saturday night. I laid on my left side and drank lots of water and they eased up. I don’t know if it’s because Nugget is moving around so much and she’s jamming herself into wacky positions or what, but her movements come fast, hard and strong enough to take my breath away. It’s been happening that way for as long as I can remember, actually. I am also soooooo tired. I know I mentioned that already :) It’s just amazing how worn out I feel. I am pooped all the time.

9 weeks left until I deliver (unless I go early), and 8 weeks left until my maternity leave, HA. I’ll be off until November 3 and then the Nugster will start school at a private, fancy-schmancy day care. I am happy about this. I am definitely NOT the stay-at-home-mom type (though I have a lot of respect for women who are) and am really relieved that we found such a great school so close to our offices. We can go visit the babe at lunch and I can breastfeed during the day.

My next OB appointment is this Friday. I am guessing he will want to send me in for an ultrasound. I hope so!

29w3d

It feels like so much has happened since I last posted!

I went to my 7 month appointment with my OB last Thursday and everything was fine. I didn't gain any weight - HOORAY! He thinks I am measuring ahead by 3-4 weeks based on my fundal height. He thought this was the case last time as well. I am now going to begin seeing him every two weeks (I can't believe I am at that stage already). At my next appointment he'll determine if I need an ultrasound to determine just how large the baby is - or if I have a little more amniotic fluid than normal. We shall see.

Speaking of ultrasounds, we had a 4D ultrasound done this past Saturday, here are a few of my favorite shots:

Nugget's Profile



Nugget's Face



Nugget's Foot



Nugget's Face and Hand



Nugget's Face and Hand again



Nugget's Face and Foot



The experience was amazing! I would highly recommend it to anyone who may be considering it and not too sure wether to sped the money or not. My parents come along with us and they loved it as well. I got 60 photos on a CD and a DVD with tons of footage. I am very pleased. Nugget was being a tad uncooperative seeing as how she wanted to show us the back of her head instead of her pretty face. I ended up having to drink a ton of water and eat a chocolate chip cookie to get her to turn around which she eventually did. Funny, I don't think I ever HAD to eat a cookie ever in my life lol

More updates soon.

28w4d

I DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!!!!!!!!!!

I just spoke to my doctor’s office and the nurse confirmed it!!! I am beyond thrilled. I am ecstatic. I am speechless. I am so relieved I feel like crying. I feel like I somehow dodged a bullet. I will work so hard at maintaining low blood sugar numbers anyways – although my stupid One Touch is miserably unreliable!

My nugget is hiccupping as I type. It is such an obvious feeling now – I now realize how many times she has hiccupped in the past and I didn’t put two and two together. It feels like a rhythmic tick…tick…tick…tick… so precious. I am feeling it way low, right on my pubic bone. I was already almost positive she had turned head down already because her kicks are so strong above my belly button, but now I am entirely convinced. I think there is still a chance for her to flip back around but at least for now I don’t think she’s breech.

Ahhhh!! No gestational diabetes!!!!!! Such good news!!! I can’t focus. I feel like I need to go out on the street and scream it as loud as I can to anyone who will listen!!!!!!

28w0d

28 weeks today!

Officially in my 3rd trimester today!

I am going to pick up the prescription for the 3 hour glucose tolerance screen this afternoon. I have an appointment for the screening tomorrow morning at 8:30AM so I need to begin fasting by at least 8:30PM tonight. I honestly don’t know how I’ll do. I have modified my eating and am hoping it’s enough, but the truth of the matter is that if I have gestational diabetes there is nothing I can do because drinking 100mg of glucose will send my sugars sky high. All that matters is that I have already begun making the necessary changes to my diet to ensure that my blood levels are always below 120 two hours after a meal.

I am feeling well, save for a huge pain in my ass – and I mean that literally. I can’t sit anywhere without getting the worst pain in my ass. I think it’s sciatica; it’s painful. I am wondering if one of those hemorrhoid donut pillows will help. I think it’s worth the money to find out.

Our contactor came yesterday and began installing the dry wall in the nursery. He’s coming back today to finish up and hopefully complete the plastering so that we can start priming and painting the room. We are going to be painting in these 2 colors:





The contractor will separate the colors by a molding. I can’t wait to see the finished product. It’s going to be beautiful!

I have my next OB appointment next week Thursday, after which I will need to start seeing him every 2 weeks. I can’t believe I’m at the every 2 weeks stage. Soon it’ll be every week…and before we know it our precious baby girl will be in our arms.

27w5d

I felt Nugget hiccupping late last night! At first I thought she was poking me with her hands – I can definitely tell when she is kicking me versus punching me…her kicks are so much stronger than her punches. But then I realized that there was a rhythm to the movement; a little thump every 3-4 seconds or so.

I am getting a lot of cramping in my lower back and belly and can definitely feel when she’s laying lower than normal. I get a heavy sensation and feel like I have to walk hunched over to relieve the pressure. RLP is at its worst at night, especially if I try to switch positions too quickly (which is close to impossible these days). I literally feel as though I need a crane to get me out of bed sometimes I am feeling soooo heavy in my abdomen.

My leg cramps thankfully haven’t been an issue since I started wearing support hose. My feet and legs get a little swollen sometimes but nothing terrible.

Norman and I are going to meet with Nugget’s soon to be pediatrician this afternoon. She is so highly recommended and I have a feeling that I am going to love her. I am excited to speak with her and look forward to discussing my concerns, etc.

I found out that the contractor will be coming on Wednesday to finish installing the dry wall, moldings and closet doors and shelves. Norman and I will be buying the (non-toxic) paint very soon. I am excited to finally have a space for all of the baby’s things.

No news regarding the new house – we have a lawyer working for us and as soon as I have a resolution I will let you know. It’s sad because we were supposed to be closing April 30. Such is life.

27w4d

Life is good I must say.

I have the occasional sleepless night, lower back pain and acid reflux but honestly I am doing really well. We are so excited!

Our precious Nugget is so active. Her kicks are so hard that Norman can finally actually SEE her kicking through all my clothes. It’s awesome.

Have I mentioned that my dad bought his granddaughter baby’s first bling?? Diamond studs set in platinum. She is the most loved, spoiled little girl in the world. Her clothes are already overflowing out of her dresser. I think I need a new armoire or something!

In nursery news, I will post before pictures and some progress pictures. We hope to have it done by this weekend but this of course depends on the contractor and when he will be able to actually complete the project.

In gestational diabetes news, I am dying to know for sure one way or the other. In the meantime I have been testing after every meal and I have been doing great. Always well below even what an avarage reading would be. I am trying to take it easy, but I am still being very cautious with regards to what I eat and will continue to do so until the very end.

In baby shower news, I can’t even begin to tell you how absolutely fabulous my cousins Karla and Alexandra have been. They have taken this party and spent so much time, effort and love in planning out every detail. It makes me feel so special I just want to cry. Truly. I am just so thankful for everything they have done for me. It’s going to be quite the bash thanks to them! I love you both so much, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

This was just a quick update, I'll be sure to post soon.

26w1d

Norman is officially able to feel Nugget move any time I can, yaaayyyy! Her flutters are now definite kicks all the time. So exciting!

We also got our wooden letters for the nursery yesterday. They are white with a pink ribbon w/brown trim:



Her name is Sienna Sofia

12w6d

Without any further ado, I present you Nugget at 12 weeks and 6 days old:





Our sweet adorable baby!

Norman and I arrived at the perinatologist's office first thing this morning. I wasn't anxious at all about the NT scan, only excited to get to see Nugget again. The baby's big enough so that transvaginal ultrasounds aren't necessary anymore (yay), so they placed the gooey goop on my belly and used the abdominal ultrasound probe - Nugget appeared right away, looking as cute as can be all cozy in my uterus. I was amazed at how big and hyper the baby was. Heartrate was 158 beats per minute. SO ADORABLE, all wriggly and squirmy and giddy. Super active, somersaults and all. I'm talking non-stop headbanging, hand waving and leg kicking! In fact, the tech was having a had time getting the measurements from the back of the baby's neck because the baby wouldn't stay still, and then when the baby would stay still she couldn't get the angle she needed. We were there for about 25 minutes while she begged and coaxed my Nugget. Even though I was being poked and prodded I enjoyed every minute of it.

Finally Nugget caved and rested peacefully the way the tech needed in order to get the measurements. She told us that the measurements were perfectly in range. Afterwards, the doctor spoke to us and we discussed the second part of the diagnostic testing which was the blood work. They drew blood and I need to go back in in 4 weeks to draw some more.

In 6 weeks I go in for the Level 2 ultrasound when they'll (hopefully) tell us Nugget's gender, perform the fetal echocardiogram, check all the major organs, etc., etc.

I am looking forward to February 13 when we'll get to see Nugget again!

Our Little Nugget

Here is our Nugget at 9w0d