Monthly Archives: April 2010

IKEA Madness (27w3d)

Posted on by
2

What a weekend! We spent the weekend in Orange County to attend the memorial service and life celebration of Paul’s grandmother (Gigi) who passed away late last year. The services were lovely at the church and the graveside, and in truly Gorman tradition, the family picnic that followed at Doheney State Beach was great. Lots of old pictures on display at the picnic, some of which I’d never seen before. Gigi and her husband Howard were truly special people. I wish I could have met Howard, but I’m so glad I knew Gigi.

We stayed at the Pacific Edge Hotel with Paul’s parents. They’ve been going there for getaways for YEARS – Cassie (ah hem) got her start there. We were *literally* on the beach, with the high tide waves crashing against our building. We left our balcony sliding door open all night just for the novelty of hearing the waves. Paul’s parents were next door, so we enjoyed their company and passed coffee, pastries and hair dryers across balconies. We watched dolphins from our balcony on Saturday morning too!

For Paul and I, this weekend was as close to a “babymoon” as we were gonna get due to financial concerns and my inability to take time off. But honestly, this weekend was just what we needed after this last very stressful month. (Granted… a day or two longer would have been just fabulous, but we’ll take what we can get!) There were plenty of tears at Gigi’s memorial – but they were vastly outnumbered by the laughter and smiles of a Gorman get-together. And everyone is SO HAPPY for us about our little man. I’ve never been happier to have my belly blessed and patted as I was this weekend. (Although the little guy sure picked a crappy time to have a quiet weekend! He hardly kicked at all. But he’s whacking away at me as I type this now on the couch at home.)

I got to see my Dad and Grandma too, as they attended Saturday’s events as well. I am so lucky to have married into such a warm and welcoming family. Paul’s Uncle Howie and Aunt Chris especially have always welcomed my family to gatherings (like their Christmas party) which is where my grandmother spent a fair amount of time with Gigi over the years. Dad and Grandma wanted to attend the memorial to pay their respects anyway, and were gratified to be invited to attend the family picnic as well. It was just fabulous for me to have so much family together. (If only Oin and Cynthia could have been there too!)

So today on our way home (after breakfast at Tom & Jeanne’s fave spot: Snooty Fox) we hit IKEA for a couple of things for the nursery. We’ve discovered a fondness for their Malm dressers, and plan on having two of them in the baby’s room. They’re perfect height for a changing table too – just add pad! But we figured while we were there that it would be a waste if we didn’t look around for a storage option or two for the new office/guest room since we’re losing all our current storage in the office/nursery. And I had to look at the Baby section. The closest IKEA to us is nearly 5 hours away, so we had to make this trip count!

In the end, we got the two dressers we came for, a storage unit for the office, a sturdy pillow for me for breastfeeding in bed, a very-cushioned play mat for the baby, a curtain rod, and some cookies. We found curtains for the nursery, but they were out of the light blue color we want. So we’re hoping Auntie Lisa can pick those up and bring them out when she and Uncle Mikey come out for the shower next month. I was very tempted to pick up another component for the play mat – the baby gym, but I managed to show some restraint.

Paul was amazing as he tetris’d everything into the back of the SUV. After 3 hours I was completely done. My back was killing me, I was having belly pains that I think were braxton hicks contractions, and was dizzy. I’m embarrassed to say I was not a happy camper. A sit-down and a drink helped some, but I wasn’t back to my cheery (ha!) self for a little while.

This trip was a big milestone though. I remember finding out when the memorial was scheduled and thinking that we could fit in an IKEA trip to get dressers – and thinking about HOW FAR away that was, that I’d be SO pregnant by then. Heh. Well, it was very very cool to finally be here. Paul and I are freaking out a tad at everything that has to get done in the next three weeks (and weekends) but we’re excited that concrete progress will be visible by then. (And honestly, with Dr. Scarypant’s predictions at my last appointment, we’re glad to be crossing things off the “getting ready for baby” list now.)

Oh, and Paul took pics this weekend. Here’s me on Friday evening before dinner. I didn’t realize until later that my belly fit just perfectly under the balcony rail. The next morning, I nearly knocked my coffee off the railing with my boobs. I guess I’m not as aware of how big I’m getting as I think I am!

Sarah +1 in Laguna

Looking forward (27w2d)

Posted on by
7

There’s a park that I pass every morning on my way to work – it’s just before I get on the freeway. I’ve passed this park hundreds (probably thousands) of times now, but especially on weekends now I find myself smiling as I pass.

There’s three covered picnic tables with barbecues that are in use just about every weekend for what I presume are birthday parties. Seeing the gazebo covers decorated with streamers and balloons and the table piled high with food and gifts makes me look forward to the future. I remember birthdays in the park when I was very small. It never occurred to me that we might one day have birthday parties there at the park as well.

I can imagine a party with a cake with a dinosaur on it (yes, my kid is gonna love dinosaurs – Mama has spoken) and hot dogs on the barbecue, with my little guy running around in shorts, glossy curls bouncing as he chases a friend with a fluorescent-colored squirt gun. I can hear his laughter drifting to me on the warm summer breeze.

I never, ever thought about stuff like this before. Well, not in many years. It was just torture to think about what would never be ours. But now I smile every time I pass the park and wonder what color the dinosaur should be.

Speaking of the shower…. (27w1d)

Posted on by
Reply

My shower is Saturday May 15th, just less than a month away. My best friend Lisa and in-laws are hosting it.

So um… if you received an invitation and haven’t RSVP’d directly to Lisa yet – could ya take a minute and do that? You can e-mail her directly from the link at the top of the Baby Shower page or her phone number is listed on the invite.

Even if you’ve mentioned something in a Facebook comment or whatnot, RSVPing directly to Lisa would be greatly appreciated. :)

Thanks!!

Dr. Happy’s reality check (27w1d)

Posted on by
1

I had my regularly scheduled appointment on Wednesday morning, the last of my 3 week appointments. It was a simple appointment, no bloodwork, no ultrasound to speak of, nothing major – just checking in.

First the good news: I gained 3 pounds since my last appointment. I was TOTALLY expecting more, because I feel so much bigger. But Paul concurs with his mom that apparently I’m shrinking in other places. As he (ever so lovingly) put it, I’m “less flabby” than before. I get what he meant though – places that were flabbier are – well…. full of baby now, so they’re filled out. (I’ve got stretch marks to prove it!) I was THRILLED to hear that I’d only gained 3 pounds. I like to think that I’m making good choices with what I eat and portion control – but it’s so hard to tell when I’m SO farking hungry, and when I keep gaining weight, regardless of what I eat. So yay me. I’m up a total of 12 pounds so far. Everyone is happy about that. The little guy should start putting on an average of a half pound a week here soon – so steady continued weight gain is expected.

My blood pressure was a little on the high side when I first got into the exam room, but when taken again at the end of the appointment was down to a happy-making 128/83. So the meds are still working as they should, which is awesome.

We didn’t really get a look at the little guy. The nurse this time was all business and only even remembered to turn on the speakers so we could hear the heartbeat after she’d already found it. The stallions were galloping at 142 bpm.

Dr. Schwartz was pleased to see that my blood sugars were already coming back down now that my stress level has reduced quite a bit. Between finishing off the horrific, unending server install/migration at work (I worked 4 weekends in a row…. I’m still trying to catch up on rest) and Paul finding a contract programming gig – my stress has gone down a lot. My blood sugars are almost back into the happy range they were 5 weeks ago. Dr. Schwartz upped my evening regular insulin by 2 units, so nothing major. He and I are still expecting to see more insulin resistance as the pregnancy progresses, so I’m prepared for more insulin bumps.

But then Dr. Scarypants arrived and started preaching. Basically what Dr. Schwartz told us is that now that I’m in my 3rd trimester (which started either today or a week ago, depending on who you ask) that the gloves are off. Dr. Schwartz doesn’t want to scare me, but he felt the need to reinforce the fact that I *am* a very high risk pregnancy. And while I’ve done fantastic so far, the likelihood of me getting all the way through this pregnancy, let alone with no complications is slim to none. He believes I *will* get pre-eclampsia – it’s simply a question of when and how severely. He reminded me that there’s nothing I can do to prevent pre-eclampsia, and there’s nothing I’ve done wrong that will make it happen. But someone of my size, first pregnancy, diabetic and hypertensive just *will* get it. Nothing you can do but pray for a miracle.

So now we live with goals. The first goal is to get to 30 weeks. Then to get to 32 weeks. Then to get to 36 weeks. And after 36 weeks – he could deliver me anytime. Dr. Schwartz warned me that he expects to put me on modified bed rest at some point which means I’ll need to modify my work schedule – if I’m able to go to work at all anymore. I may be reduced to working from home, which severely limits what I can do. (It’s hard to do Accounts Payable when the invoices have to stay at the office, ya know?) He didn’t rule out the possibility of needing to hospitalize me towards the end. (That’s my idea of hell there, kids.)

So for now we keep doing what we’re doing. Taking it as easy as possible, treating myself and baby well, eating as well as I can manage, exercising moderately (although he strongly cautioned me against over-doing it even by a little bit) and trying to stay calm. Each day my blood pressure stays below scary levels is one more day my little man gets to cook in his first apartment.

I’ll be honest, the thing that freaks me out the most is being told I can’t work. We cannot afford to not have me working, especially for weeks before the baby comes. That will just eat into the meager paid leave reserves I have. (Yes, my work is willing to adjust my schedule as necessary – but seriously, I can’t do half my duties from home.) But stressing isn’t going to help anything, so I try not to dwell on it.

I’m back to two week appointments now, and will drop down to one week intervals after 30 weeks or so. So next appointment is April 28th. Then I’ll have one right before my shower – which is in less than a month!

Other stuff too! (26w)

Posted on by
4

I am SO excited about our prenatal classes that start next month!

Prepared Childbirth (How the heck does this thing get outta me?!?!)
Thursdays from 6:00-9:00PM May 6, 13 & 20
St. Rose Home Health 1125 American Pacific, Suite G,

St. Rose Siena Hospital Tour and Registration (Where I’ll deliver in July)
Mon 05/24/2010 6:00 PM -6:20 PM
3001 St. Rose Pkwy

Baby Basics (Ok, we have the kid – now what do we do with it?)
Wed 05/26/2010 6:00 PM -9:00 PM
Henderson WomensCare Center 100 N. Green Valley Parkway Suite 330

Breastfeeding (It may be natural, but I’m told it ain’t easy!)
Wed 06/09/2010 6:00 PM -8:30 PM
Henderson WomensCare Center 100 N. Green Valley Parkway Suite 330

Paul will be attending all the classes too – although he’s worried he’ll be the only guy at the breastfeeding class. The sign up says guys are welcome, and everything I’ve read about breastfeeding says that the more involved Dad is, the better the chances the little man and I have of success.

AND, today after class (first one done on the extra credit assignment, WOO WOO!) I went to Target to poke at stuff and look for a baby book. To my surprise, the Pack & Play I’ve got on our registry (that’s supposed to be online-only) was in store, and set up! I was so tickled to see it in person – I pulled it off the display and gave it the full inspection. (No, I didn’t put it back up on the display myself.) I absolutely LOVE it! The design is super cute, with little embroidered bees – and the features are just great with the flip-over changing tray and the diaper-supply tray. Combine all that with the fantastic price of $99 – my frugal (ok, cheap!) little heart is all a-flutter!

I can’t believe how fast things seem to be moving now. We’re down to double digits on our countdown ticker! There’s so much still left to do, but yet we’re both starting to get excited to meet this little guy who has already taken over our lives!