11/29 - Overdue 01: We're cleaning and organizing our room still, so maybe it's not so bad to go over a little. We went to Cinema City with the boys to see Moana and it was so cute! The baby was extremely active the entire show -- probably because I hadn't eaten dinner beforehand and the baby does not like when I do that. Glen says it recognized its ancestry which I practically cried over. We almost went to The Hat for chili cheese fries at around 10 PM, but decided to skip spending money and make it with tater tots that need to get out of the freezer anyway (to make room for milk storage -- hey-o).
11/30 - Overdue 02: Still cleaning/organizing and now I'm trying to figure out payments and stuff for maternity leave stipulations, which is probably more boring and stressful than I could have anticipated. But, Doctor Strange at 2:45 in the AMC comfy seats has my afternoon looking quite nice. I started the alphabet book for the baby and feel like everything is finally settling down and I can relax a bit about everything. Nothing is happening still; if you were wondering like me.
12/01 - Overdue 03: Getting used to the whole sleeping in thing at this point and I love it just as much as I remembered. Nothing to report other than the baby's still in there and I've still not felt an inkling of birth.
12/02 - Overdue 04: Doctor's appointments today to get adjusted (chiropractor), see if baby can handle being overdue (Non-Stress Test), and if there's enough liquid in there to keep it cooking (ultrasound). The NST was super fun and I was semi-hoping to wait until this day because I wanted see what it was all about. I sat in a recliner in a small room with Glen sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair across from me. The nurse put two monitors on me and searched around for the heartbeat. I had to push it into my tummy the whole test because it couldn't pick up the beat otherwise -- my hand got so tired by the end of that 20 minutes haha! A little while in, Glen made me laugh and the machine was so loud that I had to take the bottom node (for the heartbeat) off so the machine didn't explode. After chastising him and letting him know that jokes aren't okay, he told another one, but I resisted almost all laughter. About half way through, the baby noticed the top monitor and kicked it the rest of the test. Over and over and over. It was probably the cutest thing it's done in this life so far. It was so fun to hear our baby dancing around in there -- it felt like an awakening to the relationship we will have very soon (so soon! PLEASE!?). The nurse took the read out to our doctor and he said that everything looked fine, so no need to go across the street to labor & delivery. Mostly sweet, a tiny bit bitter news. We were glad to have had the opportunity. The ultrasound! Baby's head is still down and the body was going up my right side with the feet and hands near its face. The little profile is killer. I feel so grateful every time I get to see inside my womb to our posterity. There are so many things to be annoyed about -- stretching skin, needing help to get up, feeling hungry and tired always... -- but I don't mind when I think of the blessing that is in those discomforts. The strength and courage and faith that Glen and I have learned of in these almost ten months. I've broken down and then been built up by my husband and my Creator working as a remarkable team, supporting me. I love my marriage.
12/03 - Overdue 05: We had our Ward Christmas Party and everyone was playing the same round of 21 questions with us, which I didn't mind because obviously I'm still pregnant and that's weird. I expected this. The Meyer's are in town and the children were all asking to play and run around and do anything but sit, so they were mildly disappointed. Get used to it, ya feel? Bronson came in hot with the hello hug and head bonked the baby's butt pretty good. And also started yelling "elf poo" over and over because they had just gone on a walk around the neighborhood and they call the hanging balls elf poop. I was feeling a bit of a headache and my throat was hurting a little, so I just felt like being in a quiet place when we got home.
12/04 - Overdue 06: Church day. Wasn't feeling great in the morning, but decided on going to church anyway because it might be my last time for a little while -- pending recovery needs. We took a long nap after because I was feeling off. Woke up feeling much better and decided on going to choir practice for Stake Conference because baby likes singing and maybe it'd make it want to come out. Nothing happened. Again. I felt some back pains and stomach pains, but I don't think they were labor pains... I don't know. I was pretty excited over the possibility, but it was not to be. We took a shower and went to bed hoping something would happen before my appointment in the morning.
12/05 - Overdue 07: I had my last doctor's appointment pre-birth this morning and we scheduled my induction process for tonight. I still had no cervical dilation and haven't felt contractions (pretty sure anyway). The rest of the day was filled with crying and laundry and trying not to freak out and crying some more. Mostly, we tried to focus on getting our room ready for coming home and me being out of commission in here and not hating it. Bruce is coming over after work to assist Glen in administering a blessing on me before we leave for the hospital. We have had so many people voice their support and love for us in these last hours before the craziness begins and we are very grateful. One last secondary application to get out and then we're off after a lasagna dinner and a pit stop at Yogurtland. Pray for us.
The final mester. See one and two if you want to drown yourself in the full experience.
Week 28: It's busy season, guys. I don't have time for anything and I need sleep. I didn't even have time to take Labor day off -- that's a federal holiday, folks. We still got to the temple for sealings on Saturday while I took a break from work. We went to dinner at Thailandia with the Agrelius' afterward, too. Which felt like the break I needed before getting back on the computer until Sabbath's 12 am (much anticipated) call to stop everything for the next 24 hours of rest. Look at how excited I am to see the sun and not be working!
Week 29: Glen has found the baby moves more when the stomach is tapped -- the little thing prods at the sounding spot; you've just witnessed our new bedtime tradition. Also, Glen is really into the whole babies can see light thing and this is the first week where baby actually responded to the flashes. And the first deadline of busy season has ended, which couldn't have been a better stopping point for me. I'm feeling more tired again and have a bunch of stuff to do to get ready for baby showers and... birth. So, yeah. Also, I bought two maternity/post-maternity dresses because I have had very limited clothing options. This is one of them -- well the top because I'm still trying to recuperate from September 15th and have just been dazed since trying not to think about the next deadline in October. Oh, P.S., this is in my cube at work.
Week 30: I found the wave of the gift registry future in babylist and it's been a huge weight lifted because I hate the idea of just registering at one store when their are so many boutiques and hand-made items so easily accessible now. Anyway, Glen and I still went to Target to register as well for those who don't internet (who?) and got a S.W.A.G. bag, which was an awesome bonus! I came home from work and was feeling annoyed with heart burn, so we grabbed smoothies at this new juice place down the street. Glen needed Nyquil because he's pretty sick right now, so we just decided to go to Target and register while picking up the medicine. I was planning on just doing it online because, because, but I'm so glad we went! It was way more fun than I expected and always a good time with my best friend.
Week 31: I think I've made it through Glen's sickness without contracting a severe case! We had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday -- we talked to him about my lower back pain (which has been since before the whole pregnancy thing, but it's just worsened due to having more weight, I think) and what to do about a pediatrician. Not excited about having to choose one, but we have to. Also, they sprung the whole whooping cough shot on me after taking my blood pressure and, really, that's just unacceptable. I mean, I got the shot or whatever, but I need to prepare for this kind of crap. Don't they understand anything? And now my arm is sore -- double boo. Glen and have I been in the process of changing our room because three in a 10x11 is a bit much with a full bed. So, Glen and Middleton (scout master/friend of Glen's since forever) have been working on our new setup (SO EXCITED). Also, Glen finished his knife this week and it looks like he has a new hobby because wow.
Week 32: I walked outside Monday morning and it was kind of chilly. Great, great timing for the heat to disappear because I am experiencing body warmth more often. I sleep with just Glen's linen blanket instead of my customary flannel + linen blanket setup. Also, with sleep, I tend to fall asleep on my right side for a good portion of the night; around two-three hours before my alarm is ready to beep, I awake to find my right leg feeling like it needs some more blood flow so I turn onto my back... which then causes the bladder-baby situation to appear and I usually go pee. When I get back, I fall asleep on my left side foolishly thinking tonight is the night this will be okay. Every. Night. Not long after this naive body placement, I must switch to my right side again because my left leg can't hang like the other one. Speaking of sleep, I had my first dream where the baby was still part of my life! It must have been moving a ton because my whole dream was just about showing other people my moving stomach. That's it. Temple night, Thursday night. I went to the chiropractor on Friday morning because I have been having extreme lower back pain for all of my pregnancy, which has gotten significantly worse this trimester. I haven't been able to lay on my back without pain in my sacrum for the past 6-7 months. Just recently has it become so bad that when I walk it hurts my back and I feel a pop every time I step with my right leg. The fire that caused me to actually see someone about all of this was the leg cramp I got Thursday night about an hour into sleep. Glen was still awake and I started laughing a little in my sleep, soon turning into painful sobs and a wide-eyed panic over my left leg. It lasted probably a minute, but I thought I could be paralyzed and never walk again. Leg cramps have never been common to me -- I can't think if I've had one in the past at all, but I know I never want one again. But the happiness that has become my new life is unreal! I can sleep on my back again and roll over at night without searing pain shooting up my spine and down my legs; I don't understand how it is possible, but I am so grateful for the relief. Also, I look more pregnant when I wear my guam :)
Week 33: Had an appointment with the doctor and a chiropractic visit afterward on Tuesday. We went into the doctor's office and found there to be no appointment for me because they had switched it and I didn't get the message. But the doctor that was there (Dr. Henderson) had an opening for me and he was so awesome! It didn't feel rushed and he showed us the position of the baby and was just so nice! I've been finding myself more tired this week and waking up from naps that I hadn't realized I started. Also, breathing has become interestingly difficult at times -- mainly when the heartburn is in full swing.
Week 34: Busy season is officially over now and I have started studying to take the AUD portion of the CPA exam on November 15th. But let's not talk about it because I'm still finding every chance to procrastinate, which I will regret. Anyway, the new room situation is coming together! We have most of the main structures built and I started priming on Tuesday as I "studied" and "worked from home" -- I love non-busy season time. Our ward young women and relief society threw a baby shower for me on Wednesday night and it was less awkward than I anticipated! I don't like the whole attention type of situation, but the girls made it easier to handle and they did such an awesome job decorating and making it fun. I'm so grateful for the many gifts our baby received and for the blessing of having a loving ward family. I played in my first 18-hole golf tournament on Friday for work and it was fun/hot! I've played golf once before -- also for work, but that was only nine holes. It was actually at the very beginning of my pregnancy (March), so this baby has been golfing just as much as me. Glen was listening to the baby as it moved on Sunday night and he said it sounded like someone crawling/playing in a cardboard box... interesting.
Week 35: Birthday time!!! On Monday, I got my birthday massage after my chiropractic appointment and it was everything. Glen got his on Tuesday after my doctor's appointment and it was painful because he's stressed and needs to do yoga like me haha! We were going to do a couple's massage, but they're more expensive and we found a Groupon deal for singles. Maybe every holiday will be accompanied by a massage visit (can't wait for Thanksgiving! haha). Bronson's birthday was on Tuesday and we celebrated with them at Chick-Fil-A and their home for dessert! That boy is so good; I'm so happy our birthdays sandwich his. The family baby shower happened on Saturday and it was all I wanted -- a relaxing time to talk and laugh with the people who will become our baby's every day. Kate and Marinda threw me the party and we're so grateful for their hard work and friendship. My sciatica acts up when the baby is in a certain low position and I'm walking around; mainly when I start the action of walking and it only effects my right leg so far.
Week 36: Halloween! My costume was the Kool-Aid Man and Glen was a brick wall -- best costume yet coming from this corner. We went trick-or-treating down Nutwood with Bronson and Jaydyn (plus their parents), dancing to music, and hugging through the scary times. Sciatica was a pretty consistent companion during the whole experience, unfortunately. We saw a friend performing with his barbershop quartet, too! It was so surprising and an awesome idea that should happen every holiday. Wednesday night, my left foot swelled a bit for the first time -- it was so quick I actually felt the change. It's because the baby really likes my right side; it likes stretching out into my right ribs and my right leg is the sciatica recipient because of the pressure it puts toward that side. So, I usually sit somewhat leaned over on my left side to not feel the gauges in my right ribs, which then causes my left leg to have more pressure on it. Pros and cons, people. Marinda took some photos of us and we're excited to see how they turn out -- Bronson is in a few, but he wasn't feeling particularly photo-happy that evening. Sunday was our anniversary (seventh) of being married; we spent the day cuddling in bed because Glen's sick and can't really do anything else at the moment (momentary lapses in cuddles while I went to church and choir practices). Oh yes, and we went to the doctor on Friday for our last scheduled ultrasound! The baby roughly measured at 6.4 pounds and still no word on the skull measurement... The technician said she could see lots of hair, which was met with extreme skepticism because I'm sure our baby's head will be bald until two.
Week 37: This is crunch week to study for my second CPA exam -- on auditing. I will be taking it next Tuesday and then my life will be completely different haha. But we did manage to steal away to the grounds of the temple on Monday night for FHE for a tiny, tiny anniversary celebration. I've been asked several times now whether we're ready or what we have left to do and all I can think about is studying and taking this stupid exam right now. So, after Tuesday, I'm sure there will be a flood of emotions and thoughts and to-do's and freak outs about having a baby in two weeks, but, for now, it's study or die. Friday night was the second time my tummy was growling too much to go back to sleep; while I didn't actually have the urge in my brain to eat at 4 AM, Glen went to the kitchen and got me some Special K with strawberries and we had a little feast in bed. Also, this is the same night that Glen mistakenly chose to use the restroom before me when I woke up for my mid-night-ritual-pee-break. I almost died in the hallway scratching at the door. Ash and Rich's baby was born and their shower was on Saturday -- it was so beautiful and delicious! Bronson gave me two unprompted hugs, so it was a really great night. Plus, it gave me an excuse to stop studying for an hour... so that was nerve-racking and awesome at the same time.
Week 38: Monday, I had a sore throat and an ear ache that wouldn't leave me alone -- it ruined my studying which should have already been accomplished, but whatever. Glen kept warming up a damp cloth for me to put over my ear/neck area and that helped a lot. Tuesday, we took the exam and baby was a little jitterbug the entire time; probably because it was just as excited as me to get this stupid test out of the way finally. Glen and I went out for pizza after at Tony's Little Italy and ate too much, then I went over to Vi's to celebrate Joanna's birthday. I was tired, but I needed to go out and have normal life things happen without the stress of a test in the back of my mind. I still feel like there's no way I'm going to have this baby in two weeks; like maybe I'll just be pregnant forever (or at least until January). It just doesn't feel real yet, I guess. My officemate and a few other coworkers prettied my desk on my supposed last day :) We had a doctor's appointment and the doc said I'm 70-80% effaced, which is extremely average. We took our second batch of maternity photos on Friday evening and we're so excited to see them! My feet and lower legs have been swelling more frequently, which is never fun, but yeah. I have to think about where I'll sit beforehand making sure there's a way for my feet to be elevated - it's not convenient, that's for sure. Glen still thinks I look good though, so no real complaints from me so far. Also, Ian got home from his mission :) I started "feeling the pregnancy" that day -- probably because we had a busy day on Friday after not getting enough sleep, so Saturday got the lame sticker. I was just extra tired and felt like everything we did was burdensome.
Week 39: I went into work on Monday and quickly got sent home by one of my bosses because I "should be resting" and he can finish the project we were working on by himself. I felt relieved because I wasn't feeling particularly normal that morning and the right side of my face was numb. The numb type of feeling after the dentist shoots you up and it's wearing off a little later -- like tingly and feels like your face is waking up from being dead. I looked it up online and after a short scare of Bells Palsy, remembered that I hadn't taken my pill the night before because we got home late from Nana's and there was evidence suggesting that numbness can come from vitamin deficiencies (it specified B12, but I don't know anything about that). I took my pill right then and by the next day everything was back to not being numb. Glen finally got his TDAP booster from one Dr. Kim on Tuesday morning. All we need to do now is pack our hospital bag, get the furniture built/painted/situated, and decorate for Christmas... Oh wait, already did decorate for Christmas! **high fives all around** At least in our room anyway. Well, nothing's happening down there it seems to me and I haven't had Braxton Hicks or milk leakage... the baby's content and I'm becoming uncomfortable. At the doctor on Wednesday, he said I'm 70-80% effaced and the baby could come any time. Glen and I have packed the hospital bag completely now and have the crib up in our room officially -- this all happened on Saturday. So, just waiting around for go time. I don't want to be induced or have to end the pregnancy via C-section. It will all happen as it will, but there are more ideal situations to be in than those.
Monday, November 28, 2016 - Due Date: Went to the doctor -- got checked and just as I suspected, nothing of note is going on down there still. He said I'm still at 80% effacement and completely closed. I think I'm too hospitable and need to start making it uncomfortable for the baby somehow. Is there a Pinterest for that? I'm officially on maternity leave this week, so I really want this baby to come so we can spend as much time as a family together before I have to go back to work. If only the thing would cooperate. I've noticed a few stretch marks on my tummy thus far -- one on my lower left side becomes inflamed often and hurts. There's another one above my bellybutton and possibly more around there because wow is that whole area something else haha. Lots of change both inside and out of me, but I'm so grateful to be carrying Glen's baby. He offers my life more love than I have strength to bear -- often overflowing through my tear ducts. We are very much built for each other. Okay, coming back to this later in the day (7:17 PM) because I've been feeling very slight pains in my lower left abdomen. It feels much like menstrual cramps except only on my left side. Just thought I'd mention it in case my dreams are coming true. But off we go to AMC to see Fantastic Beasts for FHE because I still don't think this is meaningful birth-wise.
So, whether this baby comes now or later, we're not ready and never will be, but excited about it anyway.
If you got to the very end of trimester one's post (here), you'll already know that my baby making body is being pretty good to me. Starting off this trimester with a positive attitude will hopefully take me good places. [[[Photos to come because it's busy season and all I can do is sleep or taxes.]]]
Week 14: To start things off with some great news, my bacne has been slowly dissipating and it is feeling much better! On Tuesday morning, Glen took me to the doctor's office for my first blood test. Why haven't we figured out a way to test blood from my body without having the foreign objects shoved inside? That would really be the best. Glen has been prepping me since my first doctor's appointment where I found out about this blood work during pregnancy thing. I felt anxious, but knew it had to be done, so I showed up to the stupid lab. Urine-d like a champ -- no qualms there. Then, we get into the blood taking room and the lady starts pulling all of these tubes out of these baskets next to my chair. And I'm like, "Wait a second, how much blood are you taking?!?" And she confirmed that it was, indeed, SIX vials to be extracted. Now, I was diligently prepared for one; six seemed like a bad joke that will never be laughed at for as long as it lives. It was happening and I looked at Glen as the needle pierced and the 18 terrifying hours of extractions. My blood slowed because of how nervous I was and I didn't want to breathe for fear of moving any part of my body. I started crying as the nurse tried to calm me down so the blood would flow again because I thought this might never end. So, my first blood work experience went much as I was expecting -- terrible and largely tearful. We rounded out the week with the trek though -- so good things do come. Trek post: coming soon.
Week 15: So, about the UH situation, we've decided to stay because we can't go anymore haha. Long story that maybe Glen can tell sometime because it's just too much for me. Glen and I went on a dinner date on Tuesday because I was working from home (the best). We have a gift card for Lucille's and before 4 PM is considered lunch menu pricing -- late lunch/early dinner we go! I love going on dates with Glen; he's my best friend because (not only do I love him, but) he's easy to be best friends with. He's the best. I'm not sure what has happened (to completely change the conversation), but nausea and fatigue has hit me with a vengeance the latter part of this work week. On Saturday, I went to a park with Bruce and Bronson to hang out for a weird/cool community thing that Bronson was less than wow-ed by. Glen and I gave talks on Sunday about trek and the youth spanned most of the meeting time, so I said about a minute's worth of testimony and gave the rest of the five minutes to Glen. I was grateful.
Week 16: Started off with a dinner pho date with the fetus father :) My nausea has gone down significantly and I'm feeling a bit better all around; starting to see the bump, I think. For most of my pregnancy, the abhorrent bloating/full bladder has been my "baby" people comment on. Bruce said I should name it Reginald. I'm glad Reginald takes vacations most days now. Our friends from BYUH, the Zimmerman's (pictured), came for a quick visit as they moved from Portland to Houston. I'll probably post about that soon, too. Ugh, so much stufffffff. Maternity leave can't come soon enough.For Father's Day, we went to my family's barbecue at La Mirada Regional Park because my family's crazy and likes suffering in the immense heat together (it was over 100 F that day). I made a card for Glen in church while the YW wrote cards to their dads for part of the lesson -- I also got him tools.
Week 17: This week has been a bit stressful at work because of a project I was assigned to that I really have no idea what I'm doing. The guy I'm working for is in the San Diego office and phone calls are not significant for my learning -- I need someone face-to-face and going through it with me, not just talking about what to do. Anyway, there are deadlines coming up, so there are lots of loose ends on other projects that needed to be dealt with on top of the unknowable project. By Thursday, I felt there was an end to the stupidity in sight. On Wednesday, we played Where's Waldo at the mall with the YW/YM for mutual; it was awesome. We have these cute little beehives who just joined our group and they add so much life and excitement where it was lacking in abundance before. I'm really grateful for them because I just don't do that -- I don't "cheer up the sad and make someone feel glad", if you know what I mean. If someone wants to be a grouch, by all means have a sad life in the corner because you can't get over yourself. I know, it's terrible -- especially for a youth leader, but I'm trying. And God blessed me with silly, fun girls I can actually relate to now, so everything works out. Saturday, we went to our ward's hoedown and brought Bronson along for some culturing haha. It was awesome and so fun! We also announced on FB and Instagram this week. We've had the video for a while just hadn't used it for anything.
Week 18: Guys! This year is half over, which seems impossible to us. Man, am I grateful it's going by quick though, you know? I mean, being pregnant and working full time is super and all, but maternity leave cannot come soon enough haha. It was way worse in the first trimester when the fatigue and nausea were insatiable companions (I'm so happy those days are mainly in the past right now). I've finally received the other gracious gift of eating anything I want and not feeling full. I went to Souplantation and ate all of my plates clean without the too-full feeling. So worth the money now. We had an ultrasound appointment on Thursday (June 30) to find out the gender. We decided to have the gender written down and then be surprised in a more exciting way -- which we kinda just didn't do and maybe we'll take the ultimate surprise of birth? We're indecisive about it, what's new? Glen and I both felt baby moving around for the first time this week (I felt it on the inside before, but never with my hands). Most of the time when I try to get Glen to feel the movements, the thing stops doing it! We think it's probably because of my voice, but it'll get used to that soon. Oh, P.S., baby belly is in full swing now :)
Week 19: Fourth of July happened and baby moves were very present during the fireworks shows. We had a doctor's appointment that was about 15 seconds with the doctor, 20 minutes of waiting haha. I'm not bothered by it, just thought it would be a bit different. We don't have any questions because we don't remember I'm pregnant most of the time, so our meetings are very short. We hear the heartbeat for a second and a half, a quick bye-bye-now, and then it's breakfast time. We have another ultrasound in a month because the doctor said he needs some more information. Whatever that means. The little thing moves around more when eating or hunger is going on, just after I've relieved myself (haha), and when I sit up/lay down after laying down/sitting up. It's fun and reminds me there's a wee human in there that I need to be good to my body for.
Week 20: HALF WAY! Whaaatt?! We've been scheming and threatening a camping trip to Big Sur for a little while now and decided to just do it already. I saw a deal on a car rental early on in the week and and then it was just happening all of a sudden on Wednesday. I apologetically asked for days off on late notice and everyone was cool about it at work. See about the trip to Big Sur, Monterey, and SF soon(it's busy season and I need sleep, like a lot).
Week 21: The movements in there are more and more significant; Wednesday night, while Glen and I read scriptures together, the babe was getting crazy every time it was Glen's turn to read. It was adorable. Also, Wednesday night was slack-lining night at mutual for the YW. It's been quite a while since Glen and I have set it up because of stupid stuff with park rangers, but I got across on my first go! I felt pretty good about that especially since I've only just been able to start working out regularly again. This week was the first time people commented on my tummy size at church :)
Week 22: Glen's on a (work)week long camping trip with the scouts on Catalina. Neither of us have been, so we were both pretty excited about that part. Less stoked on the 4:30 AM meeting time at the stake center. I always miss Glen when we're apart, more especially when he's on camp outs and we can't even text. The first day he left though, man I could not focus on work or sleep or anything! I ended up doing yoga in the conference room during my lunch because I just couldn't handle the rigor of the day. Anyway, it was a long work week for me, but I saw my stomach move for the first time on Wednesday because of baby's movements! It was weird and extremely involuntary -- cool! I was sitting at work and the thing was just going crazy, I looked down and a big one hit right then -- which manifested almost like those beetles that kill you on the inside from The Mummy except way less morbid. When Glen got home (thank goodness), he saw the baby kick, too. It was a good moment.
Week 23: Went in for a checkup and an ultrasound -- baby's still not great to the technician, but better than last time for sure. I had some questions for the doctor this time, the most important on the list being: Can I sleep on my back? Yes, as long as it remains a normal pregnancy and that's what's comfortable. Win! I've been doing yoga and feeling a lot better about my health than I have since getting pregnant. We also went to the baby blessing for Cassidy Mayans on Sunday, which was beautiful.
Week 24: Tuesday night, the 9th of August, was the first time I fell asleep forgetting to take my prenatal vitamin. I might die; we'll see. I had my second and final blood test (hopefully) for this pregnancy. It was the glucose test, so I had to drink a little water bottle filled with a too-rich-Kool-Aid liquid and sit there for an hour -- it's a good thing HGTV was on repeat. Although it would've been cool if they had the Olympics on, oh well. This blood thing went better than the last; I was a little more composed and ready to expect a record number of vials to be extracted. It ended up being two and the extractor person was a little better at making me feel okay. When Glen told her that I was nervous and it was only my second time getting my blood drawn the nurse commented that she remembered me from the first time.... She wasn't even the same nurse; so, I'm pretty famous. For crying and making my blood stop with anxiety, but whatevs. I made sure to hold my tears in until we were back in the car. Temple night, Friday night. I can't fit in my dress anymore :D haha.
Week 25: We went to an Angel's baseball game on Tuesday night with Bruce, Marinda, and Bronson. It was fun and Bronson was hilarious as always. There was a clapping sequence going on and I asked him if he was going to clap with me -- he had his water cup in his hands so he couldn't. He tried putting it in the cup holder directly in front of him, but failed. He tried putting it in the cup holder to his left, but there was trash in it so he failed (the clapping has completely ended at this point). He went back to the first cup holder and finally succeeded. He stands tall and starts to clap, realizes everyone has stopped, and so stops himself. It was the best. In other news, that night also happened to be the first time I woke up from my tummy growling and had to eat a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios before being able to sleep again. Man, was that the lamest. Wednesday night, Glen was playing/singing me songs on his ukulele before bed and the baby was going crazy! I've never experienced so much movement in there before. He also heard the baby move on Sunday night when I was too tired to do anything but lay down. He said it sounds like something swimming in a bag of liquid... which makes sense.
Week 26: This marks the first time I have ever enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate. I had a dream where I was drinking hot chocolate and woke up with the distinct impression that I would actually enjoy it if I drank it instead of getting a headache two sips in. And it happened! I mean, I got the tiniest headache from drinking the whole cup -- so, that's a record for sure. Glen's pretty excited about it. We went laser-tagging with the youth for mutual this week. Glen got fourth and I was fifth (out of 13). We went to Carlsbad Thursday night after a meeting for work in SD and didn't get VG's :(
Week 27: Had a check up with the doctor this week -- baby's heart rate was around 160 bpm and my blood type is A positive :) So stoked to know my blood type; I feel like I'm on a greater level of self-awareness. Been feeling a little more tired lately, but that's probably due to working longer hours in busy season now instead of new pregnancy symptoms appearing. We went swimming at Grandma's with Bruce and Bronson (Marinda wasn't aware of the swimming before she arrived, so she couldn't swim with us) during my long lunch break on Saturday. It was a much needed break for me and made me feel like I actually kind of had a weekend. Which is always necessary.
The movement in there has increased substantially at the latter end of this trimester. Sometimes it's lots of small, what-are-you-doing-in-there-? feelings and other times it's huge, WHAT-ARE-YOU-DOING-IN-THERE-!? feelings. The small movements feel like maybe it's just gas bubbles moving around or knuckles gently rubbing against my skin on the inside. The big ones sometimes don't feel so good at this point -- like maybe the thing has teeth already and is ready for a chunk of meat. Mostly though, they just feel like someone's prodding me from the inside to eat or go pee (finally) or go to sleep (finally).
The only significant symptom I've noticed in this second trimester other than sleepiness is that I need time with Glen. Not just normal time either; I need time where we are just quiet and not doing anything but being together. Maybe it's because I know that it will be less possible to do that soon and so I want all of it now. I just really need him to know that my love for him will not lessen because we have another member in our family. I'm not quite sure how that's done -- pregnancy emotions making everything more difficult and huge-feeling. Bleh.
There is a human growing inside of me. Now that it is a for sure thing, let's back track for a little bit and start from week one.
Week 1: I noticed a major change in my body what I think was close to straight away -- my breasts were extremely sore and I gained about 5 pounds out of nowhere and haven't gone up or down since (besides normal fluctuations throughout the day). I feel the weight gain is a huge blessing because I have been on the borderline of healthy/unhealthy according to simple BMI metrics; on the healthy side of that borderline, but close. All I want is to be healthy and this has helped me and the baby. Still did not think I was pregnant though.
Week 2: I love meat. I haven't been into eating meat for a while; not because of any disdain for meat-eating, but there just hasn't been a big desire to do it. We've been through some weeks where our meals were meatless (maybe not completely bacon-grease-less though) especially in Hawai'i. Anyway, my body has come to the realization of the tastiness of meat again. I don't eat an exorbitant amount because I can't eat much at any one meal, but I do want it more. We went to Knott's Berry Farm with the youth in our ward this week; I remember not knowing at this point that I was for sure pregnant. I remember thinking that it's possible because of the weirdness in bodily feelings, but didn't believe it to be due to an embryo.
Week 3: I started noticing that I have more pimples on my face than normal. Yay. Pregnancy becoming more of a reality.
Week 4: I have a case of bacne, which I've never experienced before. It's very uncomfortable and, obviously, super lame. We'll see how this all works out; hopefully my body gets used to all of the weirdness in hormones soon. Pregnancy obvious to me, not even a possibility for Glen.
Week 5: Glen and I are really blessed -- I really am very similar to my old self besides all-day nausea and tiredness. These things we can get through just fine; I mean, I love sleep anyway. We were both afraid of what could possibly happen to my personality during these trying months and I really haven't changed much. I've always been in love with sleep and the nausea sucks, but it's livable. Glen is realizing that the mean monster hasn't been around for a while...
Week 6: I took a pregnancy test this week because Glen wanted more evidence. I didn't want to spend the money because it's pretty set by now. I peed on it anyway and the little plus sign arrived as expected. So gross.
Week 7: I took the first portion of the CPA exam (BEC) this week and I passed!!! [I actually found out I passed in Week 9 (May 5), but timelines are boring to stick to sometimes.] Right before, I ate a banana to calm my stomach and drank water. I had to take a break once to go to the restroom and drink more water, but it wasn't as terrible as I had previously imagined it going (being pregnant and all). I got out with two minutes to spare for time and I watched YouTube videos of Jimmy Fallon playing stupid games on his show to make sure I stopped thinking completely. My mind was in distress. Glen picked me up and we headed off to Dave & Buster's for our end of tax season party for work! I was actually pretty stoked because Hayley and Jaydyn would be there. Glen and I found our spot at the "Down the Clown" game (popular carnival-type game to really waste your money on, but we found the groove); our arms were so sore by the end of it and we didn't want to stop. We ended up with close to 3,500 tickets! We got a selfie-stick to make it easier to make videos for our baby because we are those people. Two head-massager things that look like a cartoon's hair when they're upside-down because why not? A large bank tube full of warheads, which ended up being stupid because they were better in our memories. And three bags of sour chews, which are really shocktarts with a new name. It was awesome and we were the last ones to leave (as usual); people in our group were giving us their leftover game tokens when they hit the road, it was the best. We had several tickets left on our account, but not enough to get anything with so we found a cute kid and gave it to him. He was with what I assumed to be his mother and they told us it was his birthday! They were grateful and so were we. We saw the OCMCO perform (referring to the picture) because a few people from our stake are in it and the concert was beautiful. Music is so uplifting. And I also went to my friend Vi's baby shower for her cute little Cassidy babe.
Week 8: I researched some doctors that are in our health network for my OB-GYN care and found one that I feel good about. When I was researching, I felt really good about a Dr. Buchanan, but his online profile said that he specialized in abnormal births (like twins and stuff) so I looked down the list and found a different one in the same office and felt fine. When I called to make an appointment, they asked if I had any desires to be with a certain doctor and I said no because this is my first time being pregnant and I haven't a clue about anything haha. I guess I said that for good reason because she said that Dr. Buchanan was going to be in the office at the time I had previously agreed to! I was happy and relieved that the internet isn't right a lot of the time. Also, first "pregnant picture" taken.
Week 9: We went to the doctor for the first time this week! The first appointment was for an ultrasound with a nurse at the Yorba Linda location of the St. Jude Women's Center practice (where we're doing all our baby stuff). We were late because we went to the wrong building and then couldn't find where to go when we arrived at the correct building. On top of that, I forgot the paperwork that had been emailed to me to fill out and bring with us; many small mistakes being wrapped up into a large annoyance for others. After we got into the room and the nurse warmed up a little, we saw our wee embryo being all baby-like. We heard the heartbeat and the little thing was squirming around like it had somewhere to go. It doesn't. We could see legs and arms and my worst fear -- a huge head haha. Glen's family has huge craniums; not very excited about the birthing part of that situation. We got some pictures and hid them tightly away in my bag before filling out an hour's worth of paperwork. Our second appointment was with Dr. Buchanan at the Fullerton office across the street from St. Jude Hospital. We got to this one early because we weren't keen on paying for parking and we had no idea where to go again. Surprisingly, we managed to arrive at the right office without much frustration. We waited in a room for about an hour before doc came in because a patient had crashed right before he was about to leave the hospital. We were just watching YouTube and trying to calm my nerves, so it went by fast and we had a good time just laying around in my hospital gown. Very breathable. He arrived and I was sweating profusely from then on; I haven't been naked at a doctor's appointment for probably 10 years. Mostly though, I just wanted everything to be okay and it turned up fine. We left and I was late for work :)
Week 10: We video-chatted with Elder Ian on Mother's Day and told everyone we were pregnant. Later that night, we went over to Grandma's and told everyone there, too. I was nervous because I don't mind being a wallflower and being pregnant kind of makes that hard. All went well. This was the immediate aftermath of telling my family (those who were present) -- Jay's so stoked to have two new babies coming this year.
Week 11: Prenatal vitamins to the freaking rescue -- and then not so much. I was feeling so terrible at the beginning of this week/end of last week. I honestly felt like I might pass out at any moment. Mid-week, Glen shopped around for some prenatal vitamins and got me these crazy huge pills that have everything I need in them (so they say). I took one that night and felt like myself in the morning, which hasn't happened in several weeks. I usually wake with a mild to moderate headache and terrible stomach-aches. It felt amazing. A couple nights later and I had a very hard time getting that stupid pill down my throat for the last time. It freaked me out and so I've had trouble with it since because my mind is strong-willed. Glen and I looked up some techniques for getting that thing down and we're going to try them out in week twelve (tomorrow -- crossing our fingers for no throw up). Oh, and we took a picture with a key lime at Sprouts because that's what size the little thing is according to the internet. Pictured: key lime.
Week 12: Vitamin throw up issues are history (hopefully) -- the tips that worked for me are putting the pill in my mouth first and drinking it down with juice. It's so simple. **DJ break dance war; throws computer** On Wednesday, Glen received an acceptance email to the University of Hawai'i's medical school -- with a week to tell them whether we are going or not and two months until his first semester would begin. Deliberation meetings have been set for every day until we can't deliberate any longer. We went to the temple Wednesday night and met with our stake president Thursday night. We've been trying to figure out the best course of action for both of our careers knowing that (ultimately) Glen's is our main focus. We've had lots of counsel from others, which we completely appreciate and welcome. It's times like these where I have a good job, Glen's working on remodeling his parent's second home for selling, and we're having a baby that things just seem to want to shake it up. There are so many huge, huge parts to this decision that make it terribly hard and frustrating. Well, we don't know what to do with our lives. To procrastinate thinking about that longer, while driving across town trying to find a plum to take a picture with, Glen informed me that (for the first time) he feels excited to hold our baby! I might tear up again just thinking about it. Also, Glen took a google survey and answered yes to a question about his fatherhood status and got pretty happy. So did I :) On a side note, this was a rather telling week for me, which I'll probably go into later when I feel less tender about the subject and more resolved. Pictured: nectarine because plums aren't in season yet (pretty sure this is larger than the fetus; like pretty dang sure).
Week 13: We still haven't made it social media public, so maybe I'm not pregnant yet? I think that's right. It's not like we have a wish to keep the news private from the Facebook kings, but we just haven't done it. I like telling people to their faces, but also understand that the kid will be a grown up before we'd be able to manage that for some of our loved ones who live far, far away. It'll probably happen soon. Sometime. About me though (haha), I've been feeling better -- some nausea remains, but it isn't all day anymore. I've been finding it a little hard to sleep this week due to the UH decision, I think. We have been weighed down with the responsibility of choosing something so life-altering; there are so many advantages to our family (both immediate and extended) to stay here and just hope we get into a closer, less expensive school next year. We sent in a request for deferral on the due date of our decision -- Wednesday. It gives us a little more time to think about it even if they deny it or offer us a deferral we aren't willing to accept. Also, we played disc golf and went to a family barbecue and the cemeteries (for Memorial day visits to Glen's family) on Saturday. It was a good day! Pictured: that is a tiny peach growing on our tiny peach tree :)
So, the first trimester is over for this wee peach. I've mostly felt (physically) bloated, tired, and nauseous. Emotionally, all over the place haha -- mostly normal though. Crossing fingers for that "superwoman" second trimester phase people rave about enjoying.
