PREGOPOTTAMUS!!

That is me, in a word! I had my follow-up to the follow-up growth ultrasound on Tuesday. As indicated in the post below, Baby Charlotte is a chunk! 5 lbs, 6 oz!! The actual weight could be off a lb up or down, either way, she’s huge. The textbook weight at 31 weeks is 3 ½ lbs. So, I’m definitely having an enormous baby!

Last week at my 31 week appointment, it was noticed that my feet were swollen (a lot more than usual, and so were my hands, arms and face), so they checked the protein in my urine and it came back positive for protein. SO, I had the lovely project of a 24 hour catch on Monday to take to the Doctor so they could test it and decide if I had pre-eclampsia. I got lucky after the ultrasound that the midwife was in the lab while I was getting my blood drawn, so we were able to have a conversation. She asked me how often I was seeing the specialist and I told her I wasn’t, I only had to go the one time. She told me I do not have pre-eclampsia, but that I do have gestational hypertension. She wants me to start seeing the specialist weekly so they can monitor me and check BC’s growth. I told her, well, she’s huge! She asked if the ultrasound tech got a weight on her and I told her yes and gave it to her and her jaw hit the ground. She said that it was good though, because with hypertension, the concern is that the baby isn’t big enough. We certainly don’t have that problem! She said she would probably be 10 lbs or more at term! I KNOW! I’M SCARED!!! Lol She said they will either induce early or do a primary c-section, they wouldn’t be that mean! Comforting. I know I have to do one or the other, why can’t the stork myth be true?? Hopefully after our Birth Class on Monday and Tuesday, my anxiety about giving birth will be minimal. You just don’t think about that part of it!

Unfortunately, because BC is so big, she will probably not fit in any of her newborn clothes! I'm so sad!! I have two outfits for her first picture, I think one will work because it ties in the back, so even if she is as large as they say, we can fake it! I also have the cutest going home outfit...the bonnet definitely won't fit her noggin! Grandmama bought her a newborn ladybug Halloween costume...it is so cute, I will stuff her in there like a sausage if I have to!

Due to the hypertension, I will start a reduced work schedule on September 15th. 6 hours a day, this will be nice. It is getting harder and harder to lug myself around.

My first Specialist appointment is Thursday, 9/11 and then my regular prenatal immediately follows. My hope is that I will know a direction they are going with the revelation of how big BC is.

The nursery is finished! We have a few more things to purchase, but it is finally done! Dad put in a lot of hard work! The room is perfect!! He did an incredible job.


http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r227/Sassafrass07/Big%20Mama%20and%20the%20Nursery/?albumview=slideshow

Charley is a CHUNK at 32 Weeks!!

Lookout Kindergarten, Here Comes "The Weasel"!

My precious niece Riley, started kindergarten today, this day seemed so far off and it has finally come. She has been so excited about riding the bus! I cannot believe she is growing up! She is the first baby in our family and time really flies. Seems like yesterday when I flew up to Maryland to help for a week so mom could get some sleep! Here is a small sampling of Riley with her Aunt Heather over the years.

Me & The Weasel

Cheering on the Buffalo Bills with Oscar & Meadow

At Chuck E. Cheese on her 2nd Birthday and Visit to Grandmama's

At the Girl's Bridal Shower

Princess Riley

First Day of Kindergarten!!!

29 Weeks & Braxton Hicks!

Yesterday was my 29 week appointment. I was eagerly anticipating it because I would find out if my due date would be changed or if I would get another ultrasound. At every visit we listen to her heartbeat with a Doppler. This visit, you could hear the heartbeat, but you could also hear her moving around. My midwife (Patti) said, “She sure is active!” I responded, “She sure is, I’m convinced she is going to be an Olympic Gymnast, she keeps me up at night!” We concluded that she didn’t like the Doppler because she KICKED it!!! We had a good chuckle over that.

We measured my belly, I don’t know what it was, but Patti said something about it being bigger, and I said, “oh yeah it is large!” My bubble burst from a few days ago! J

Two very exciting items, one, I start going to my prenatal appointments every 2 weeks now! Home stretch! It’s very exciting and scary at the same time! I am having some anxiety about the labor & delivery; but we are taking a birthing class in September, so that will help to relieve some of it, I hope! Two, we get to see the Ladybug again!!! YAY! The doctor scheduled another growth ultrasound for September 2nd. Because she was measuring big at 27 weeks, they want to check on her again. Patti thinks I’m just going to have a big baby! I hope they are wrong. I have several friends who were told they were going to have 9-10 lbders and they were less than 8 lbs! That gives me hope!

So, Wednesday morning, I had terrible stomach pains that made me nauseous. It is hard to explain the pains, but they were off and on all over my belly. They only lasted 5 minutes, but they hurt like the devil! Being a first time pregnant lady, I asked about them yesterday, knowing full well it was probably normal, but I had to ask! Patti said they sounded like Braxton Hicks contractions. I thought they weren’t supposed to hurt!!! Well, indeed they can and do!!! She said I should be getting more and more of them now that I am in the 3rd Trimester and then told me to pay attention when I have them, that 7-8 an hour is not normal, and told me what to do should that happen. Well, I haven’t had anymore until today. I had lunch with Carrie and Joanna and they started after lunch. They hurt like the dickens! I’m not complaining though, I am blessed and thankful and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

"Was she a large girl? Round through the hips? Roomy?" Hannibal Lector

Aside from feeling like a possible target of Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs, I have had two compliments this week that would make any very pregnant lady smile.

The 1st was from a fellow pregger in the elevator going to the parking deck of my office building. She turned to me and exclaimed that she hated being pregnant. I responded that I didn’t hate it, but that I had grown increasingly uncomfortable the last few weeks. I asked her when she was due and she said, not until December, this was her second child and she just popped early. I laughed and said, well, this is my first and I popped at 10 weeks! I only have 11 weeks to go though! (I LOVE saying that!!! So hard to believe!) Anyway, she said, “11 weeks? You look fantastic!!” I wanted to kiss her!! She made my day!

The 2nd was today. I went for my physical and the medical assistant asked me how far along I was as I was stepping on the scale, and I told her 7 ½ months, and she said, “YOU ARE SO TINY!” I thanked her and told her I really appreciated that, but that the scale is not going to concur! That was certainly music to my ears, I am NOT tiny. The exact opposite, actually, but I don’t mind. It’s not something I can help!

Oh Sweet Ladybugs! Updated Nursery Pictures!

Below is the link to the most recent pictures of the nursery. It still needs work and I am looking for something to put on the wall over the crib. We do have a fabulous new rug that is not shown that Grandmama bought. It looks much better than the pink one pictured! It's very exciting! Well, you will have to copy and paste the link, I cannot figure out how to make it a url! :(

http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r227/Sassafrass07/Baby%20Charlotte%20Nursery%20Pics/?albumview=slideshow

I had to add this picture of Dad, he is just too much! LOL

Only 11 1/2 more weeks!

Baby Charlotte!

Yesterday Matt & I went to our follow-up ultrasound at my OB’s office recommended by the Specialist we saw in June, just so they could measure the growth of “BC”. At the same time, I had to do my one-hour gestational diabetes test. The orange glucola was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It tasted like old school McDonald’s orange drink. I hope I pass, but based on what the ultrasound tech said, I’m a little nervous. (I’ll get to that in a minute!) Even if I fail, I have to go for a 3-hour sugar test and that test will determine if my days of ice cream and fruit are over for the next 12 ½ weeks. (I say that because those are my only “vices”, really, I eat pretty healthy most of the time with the occasional indulgence!)

We had been eagerly anticipating yesterday morning, so we could get a glimpse of our baby girl one last time before she is welcomed into the world. She is so cute, she looks just like me, haha, just kidding, you cannot really tell on an ultrasound, but she definitely has her daddy’s nose! The ultrasound tech said she looks really good and didn’t see anything alarming. They measured all of her parts, looked at her organs and measured the amniotic fluid. I will probably get those results at my regular prenatal appointment on August 14th.

The ultrasound tech asked me, “You don’t have diabetes do you?” I told her no, but that they were doing my sugar test today for gestational diabetes…I was silently freaking because her question could mean one of two things, I am about to embark on a bland diet with needle sticks for the next 13 weeks OR I am going to give birth to an enormous baby. BC is measuring 28 w 5 days (as of yesterday) and is 2 lbs 3 oz. The specialist in June had her measuring ahead only 3 days from the original due date, but nearly 2 weeks is a big deal!! They have not changed my due date yet, but the tech said I am probably just going to have a big baby. God help me! If they do change the due date, there is a great possibility she will be born at the end of September! I am not prepared; I need my 11-13 weeks! So, we shall see what happens.

To give a breakdown of the differences in ultrasounds:

Original due date: October 31st: Makes me 26 w, 4d

Specialist measuring 3 days ahead, June 5th: EDD October 28th: Makes me 27 w, 2d

Yesterday’s US: EDD October 16th: Makes me 28w, 6d

I think I’ll stick with the middle for now, which means I start the 3rd Trimester on MONDAY!! WHOOP! WHOOP!

Here is the last ultrasound of Sweet Baby C!