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Triple Play # . . . ah, who knows?!

It's the last one, anyways.

Everything went well today, besides having to spend 4 hours at the hospital because every department I visited was behind schedule today (blah). All Bud's test results were good. They didn't measure him this week, but we already KNOW he's huge.

It was kind of nice to start the c-section paperwork for next week. It was like, I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel! Yay! I have one more appointment at the hospital next Tuesday, but it is just for more paperwork, and blood work, and one last non-stress test to get prepared for the c-section the next day.

WILL Bud hand on until the 25th? I think so, now. I have had some painful cramping the last few days, and even saw a few teeny-weeny contractions on the monitor today, but nothing that really got my hopes up that he'll come any sooner. Well, I guess that's okay. There's only one week left. I am resigned to it. And I know Daddy has his time booked off from work for next week, as do other family members, so we might as well work with everyone else's schedule at this point!

I'm NOT happy!

Sorry to those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the news from yesterday's doctor's appointment.

As you can see, I'm still here, so nothing's changed!

Dr. P. looked at my file and the reports from Tuesday's ultrasound, and said, "Everything looks good . . . it's a good-sized baby, but we knew that. Thank goodness we're doing a c-section!" And: "So we're still set for the 25th . . ."

Oh, COME ON!

At this rate, he's going to be 12 pounds by the time he's born! I might as well put away the newborn outfits and break out the three-month stuff!

So, basically, it's up to Bud now. As Dr. P. said before, she'll deliver him if I go into labour before the 25th, but I know I won't be so lucky.

I seriously pity the people around me right now. I am huge, and I am miserable! My mood swings are nightmarish, and I barely have the energy to breathe right now. Daddy and Andrea deserve a great reward for putting up with me!

Oh, My!

Today's triple play at Met went fine. Bud is doing well, and still scoring 8/8 on his biophysical profile.

However . . .

Mommy just about had a heart attack when the ultrasound tech told her his estimated weight is now 9 pounds, 5 ozs.! I believe my exact reaction was, "Oh my God!"

Even if they're off by as much as a pound, he's still over 8 pounds, and that's insane!

The tech and the nurses all agreed that it will be likely that Dr. P. will move up my c-section date when she gets the news. Well, actually, I think she already got part of the report because the nurse was kind of talking to herself and saying something like, "I think she wants you to go at least to 37 or 38 weeks . . ."

Well, I'll be 37 weeks on Thursday (according to Dr. P.'s calendar) and 38 next Wednesday, so I think I should get some interesting news at my appointment with Dr. P. on Friday.
***
And to top it all off, I've developed a lovely summer cold . . . sore throat and sinuses. I haven't been sick in ages, and it has to be now, of course!

The Pregnancy Train

All aboard . . . !

At my uncle's wedding on Saturday, I sat at a table which just happened to contain the three "pregnant" couples in our family. They were calling us the "hormonal" table, the "pregnancy" table, the "dessert" table, etc. Needless to say, the men folk spent most of their time bonding at the bar.

My two cousins (who also happen to be sisters) are both in the early stages of pregnancy, while I am, of course, at the extreme far end. But we made quite the trio, with our bladders, our complaints, and our appetites! For once, I'm sure we out-ate the men at our table!

They also convinced me to get up and shake a little belly on the dance floor. Thank goodness, I waited until there were no cameras around for that one! But I did encourage just one shot of our little "pregnancy train," aka the "pregnancy conga line," for posterity. :))

Nothing New to Report . . .

Yesterday's visit to Dr. P. yeilded no new info. Nothing has changed; everything stands as it did. I'll admit it--I'm disappointed. ;P

A Little More Info. :))

I went for another ultrasound and NST at Met yesterday. Mom is here from Montana now, so she came and kept me company.

Overall, it was a more positive visit this time. They had found my ultrasound pics from last week--which had somehow fallen under a chair by the bed I was in! Bud scored 8/8 on his biophysical profile, and Grandma Marty got to see him wiggling around in there. :)) We also asked for specific measurements this time. Well, they didn't actually do measurements this week, but the Clinic nurse was really nice and looked in my file for last week's results. Last week, Bud was already measuring as 6 lbs., 12 ozs.! The nurse said he is likely a bit over 7 pounds now. Oh, my--we still have 3 weeks to go!

What does it all mean? Who knows. I am curious to see what Dr. P. will have to say about these results, when I go for my appointment with her on Friday afternoon.

Anyhow, here are the ultrasound pictures from the last two visits:

c. 35 weeks: side profile; face and hands (eyes open!)

c. 36 weeks: feet and toes; side profile

Tell me something I DON'T know!

I just got back from Triple Play #2 at Met hospital, and I'm irritated!

On the positive side, I know Bud is healthy. He scored 8/8 on his biophysical profile.

Besides that . . . I learned absolutely nothing new today. Geez! All I heard was, "You're having a BIG baby!" about 10 times. Well, duh . . . I already knew that! And I only found out by eavesdropping on the nurses that yes, I am indeed measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule. Um, Dr. P. already knew that!

I think my frustration was showing because I started to drip with sweat during the non-stress test, and the baby's heart rate went up to 178 (should be 120 to 160) for awhile. My blood pressure was up too. The nurse kept asking if I was okay, if I felt funny, etc. I felt like screaming at her, "I'M STRESSED OUT! CAN'T YOU PEOPLE TELL ME ANYTHING NEW?! WHY ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME HERE?!" But when I saw that she was going to make me stay there until our vitals calmed down, I forced myself to relax. Sure enough, all the readings went back to normal, so she sent me home.

Then, to top it all off, I realized that I had LOST my ultrasound pictures. I went back into the hospital, and we looked around the area where I had been--and no luck! I have torn my purse apart at least 3 times; the nurses combed the area I was in, and even checked my chart to see if someone had picked them up. Arrrggghh! I am SO MAD at myself. I know I had them in my hand as I left the ultrasound, so I had to have brought them up to the non-stress test. Where they went in the intervening time baffles me. I must have set them down somewhere--but where? I don't remember stopping anywhere between ultrasound and OB. The nurses promised to put them in my chart if anyone finds them. It SUCKS--they were the one cool thing I got out of my visit today. We got some great pictures of Bud looking straight into the "camera." You could see his face so well. Sigh.

Dr. P. is out of town, so they weren't sure what steps to take next, in terms of a follow-up to today's visit. So, they've booked me for ANOTHER visit next week. Lucky me! ;P At least they might find my pictures by then.

BIG Bud!

Geez, no wonder I've been feeling so tired and miserable lately . . . at my appointment with Dr. P. today, she told me I am measuring at 37 weeks! (And I just reached 34 today!)

Bud is a BIG baby. Dr. P. said she's not too surprised, because it's common with the gestational diabetes. But she's finally going to send me for another triple play (non-stress test, ultrasound, biophysical profile) at Met hospital on Tuesday morning. She wants to get an estimated weight for Bud, just to see how big he is!

I remember that Andrea was always measuring 2 weeks further along, after I reached 28 weeks with her. I think she was delivered at just under 38 weeks, and she was a decent 7lbs. 12 ozs. If this not-so-little guy is measuring THREE weeks further along, and we're not delivering him until 39 weeks . . . God help us! :))

I am anxious to find out how big he is, on Tuesday. But I know that the ultrasound measurements can be off by a lot, too . . . they told me Andrea would be about 9 lbs., and thank goodness, she wasn't. :)) I'll update you on Tuesday afternoon.

Bud's First Tigers Game

Today, Daddy and I went to watch the Tigers play the Mets in Detroit. The weather was beautiful, and they played a good game--the Tigers won 8-7.

Although Mommy was pretty tired and sore by the end of the game, I think Bud had a good time. He seemed to enjoy the pizza and cold drinks (non-alcoholic, of course!). I swear I felt him wiggling with excitement. :))

And of course, Mommy had to buy some of the adorable baby clothes for little Tigers fans, in honour of Bud's first baseball game. I got a little kit that had a onesie with matching hat, booties, bib and blanket. When I returned to my seat to show Daddy my purchases, the gentleman next to me smiled and said, "You're starting him off right--as a Tigers fan!"

So here we are at the ball park, modeling Bud's new Tigers onesie. It was a lot of fun, but I'll probably pay for it over the next few days, with heartburn and sore joints! :))

Maternity Leave--YAY!

I'm 32 weeks (8 months) pregnant, and this morning was my last day of work. YAY!

I am so excited and happy to be off. I still feel like I have a million things to do, but really, we're ready for Bud to arrive, whenever he's ready. I guess I am just anxious to be DONE.

All the usual ailments of the last few weeks of pregnancy have begun to crop up: headaches, swelling, increased nausea again, heartburn, sore joints, difficulty sleeping, constant urination, and Braxton-Hicks.

But at least I don't have to go into work tomorrow! :))

7 weeks to go until Bud arrives . . . :))

We have a date!

Bud will be delivered on JULY 25, 2007 (a Wednesday).

I am scheduled for a c-section at 7:45 a.m., but who knows if it will actually take place at that time!

Well, this will make it easy for everyone to remember our special events: Andrea's birthday is July 23; our anniversary is July 24; and now, Bud's birthday will be July 25!

"Triple Play" #1

I went to Met today for Bud's non-stress test/ultrasound/biophysical profile. Everything looks fine. They called my doctor with the results, and she said I won't have to go back for another few weeks (yay!).

It was like deja-vu, being back there again. It was even the same two nurses in the Maternal Care Clinic, and they remembered me from 2 years ago! I guess it was because I was in there every week for about the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy, with Andrea. Also, the OB triage nurse's name is Andrea--and she remembered we had a little girl whom we also named Andrea. I told them there wouldn't be any Mary's or Lauretta's this time, because we know it's a boy! :)) I also think they were kind of disappointed when they found out I wasn't going to be a weekly visitor this time. They kept saying things like, "What, don't you want to spend time with us?" and "Did you tell Dr.P. you didn't want come here every week?" :))

Just thought I'd mention that Bud is measuring 3 pounds, 4 oz. already! He's going to be a big boy! You can see his chubby cheeks in the ultrasound image. Then again, they told me Andrea was pushing 9 pounds at the time of delivery, and she turned out to be a comfortable 7 lbs. 12 ozs.

Bud's picture was a bit blurry this time, because of his position, and he was moving a lot. (He did NOT like it when the tech was pushing on him with the probe!) Right now, he's feet down, and curled up on my left side. That would explain why I always feel the movements on my left side--and the dancing on my bladder!

So, here's two side profiles of Bud--pretty much the exact same pose in both pictures--with his feet up near his face (he likes to curl up and snuggle in, which drives the techs crazy!).

For a larger view, click: http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5464189

7-month O.B. Appointment

Wow, things have been busy this week . . . I almost forgot to put in the update for this month's appointment, which was on Wednesday.

Everything still looks/sounds good. Bud is doing fine. He moves a lot now.

I was a bit disappointed that Dr. P. didn't have a c-section date for me yet. I guess her secretary was booking it this week, and I should get the date at my next appointment, which is around May 23 or 25 (I forget). But, she did look at the calendar, and I was right, that it will be sometime between July 23-26. So, Andrea and Bud's birthdays will be within 3 days of each other!

She (Dr. P.) decided to send me for another ultrasound this Tuesday. Actually, I am going for what they call the "triple play" at Met--a non-stress test, ultrasound, and biophysical profile. With Andrea, I was doing that weekly from this point on in my pregnancy. This time, however, she said if they have no concerns, I might be able to avoid that, and just go one more time, around 32 weeks. I hope that's how it turns out! Those weekly hospital visits were annoying last time.

Well, I think that's it for now. Maybe I'll get a good picture or two of Bud to post after Tuesday's ultrasound. :))

Hello, Third Trimester!

Ah, yes . . . the ups and downs of the third trimester!

***

The ups:

• In 5 weeks, I will be done work! (God bless St. M.'s for being on a different schedule than regular schools!)
• Daddy finally got to feel Bud kicking last night!
• I am not vomiting every morning! (Only every two mornings!)
• We get to fix up Andrea's big-girl room soon!

The downs:

• I feel huge.
• I need maternity clothes, and there is nothing in my size, so I just look really fat.
• I am starting to swell.
• I sweat constantly.
• I have NO energy.
• Everything is stressing me out--I cried because I have so much marking to do this week!
• I am exhausted (but that's been ongoing).
• I have to pee constantly (again, nothing new there).

This week is particularly rough, because I am getting a bad sinus infection, plus there is a lot of crazy stuff going on in my one classroom (that I am not at liberty to discuss) which I HOPE will be resolved by the end of the week, plus all that marking I was boo-hooing about; and of course the more stressed I get, the more upset my stomach gets, so the more likely I am to vomit . . .

Okay, I know you all wanted to hear about that (sarcasm here), but I just needed to blog off a little steam, okay? Besides, some day Bud's going to say, "Ma, why are you so high-strung?" and I will say, "Read your story, dear . . . it's not just you!" ;))

6-month OB Appointment

Well, Bud's looking good, considering all the stress we've been under with his big sister being in the hospital.

Yesterday, we went to see Dr. P., and she said everything looks great. All of our ultrasounds and tests from recent weeks are fine (we already knew that), Mommy's blood pressure and so on are good, so Bud is thriving.

He is moving a lot, now, too. Each week, I can feel him more and more. Before, it was mostly on my lower-left side, but now I'm feeling him moving on my right side, my upper abdomen, and of course, dancing on my bladder! But I love it. It's really comforting, especially when other things in life are getting pretty stressful. I'm glad to know he's content in there. :))

Oh, and Dr. P. is already talking about planning my c-section date at my next appointment, which will be in 3 weeks. Wow! I guess she books it far in advance, when it's a planned c-section. According to my calculations (Dr. P. said a week to ten days before my due date), it will be sometime between July 23 and July 26, as long as Bud doesn't surprise us. I can't wait to find out! Andrea's birthday is the 23rd; our anniversary is the 24th; but we already knew this might get interesting. :))

Wings Fan in Training!

Today we went to watch Game 2 of the NHL playoffs, between the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames. The Wings won 3-1. It was a great game!

It was Baby Boy's first playoff game, and I think he liked it. He was kicking a lot! :))

As you can see above, we are already training him to be an enthusiastic Red Wings fan. I decorated my belly, so he could be part of the fun. :))

A Gift for Daddy, from Baby

I saw this onesie at the mall, back in February. First I walked by it, thinking in passing how cute it was, and how appropriate for our family. Later, I turned back and bought it. I couldn't help myself! So, I presented it to Daddy last night, in honour of finding out we're having a boy:

"Daddy's Little Tax Credit": how appropriate for the son of a Chartered Accountant! :))

Excellent Ultrasound!

Today's ultrasound was perfect, in every way:

• I had a different technician, who showed and explained every single image she took during the ultrasound.


• They took me into a different room, with a pretty much brand-new ultrasound machine, which had amazingly clear images.


• The baby cooperated for every single picture/measurement we wanted to take.


• The baby looks perfectly healthy, but he has a bit of a fat belly, so we'll keep an eye on that (likely due to my diabetes). But no worries!

Oh, did you notice I said HE?!

That's right! HE cooperated in every way this time. HE kept showing off the goods! The technician kept saying, "Oh, there's HIS parts again . . . yep, he's still a boy. Yep, he's still a boy!"

If you know ultrasound images, check out the bottom one, and you can't miss the evidence. He was letting it all hang out, this time. :))

By the way, the top image is the baby looking at you; the middle image is a side profile, and the bottom is . . . well, he'll probably hate me for this one day. :))

For a bigger view of the pics, click on:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/luvthosebooks/23weeks.jpg

Happy Little Heart :))

I went to see Dr. M. today. He's the Fetal Medicine specialist at our local hospital. I went in for the echo-cardiogram that Dr. P had mentioned a long time ago. It ends up that all the echo-cardiogram was, is an ultrasound that focuses on the baby's heart! No big deal there.

Anyway, Dr. M. said that just by looking at the baby's heart for a bit, he was able to rule out 95% of the congenital heart defects out there, and that included all the major ones. So that's good news! :))

Dr. M. said the views of the baby's heart weren't the best, because the baby was not in an optimal position, and kept wiggling around (what else is new!). But he also said he's been doing this long enough to know, by what he saw, that we have a very healthy baby--and a very active one!

And no, we STILL did not get a peek between the baby's legs. He did take a quick look for me, but no luck. The baby had its legs crossed!

***

I have the REPEAT anatomy ultrasound tomorrow, so maybe the baby will cooperate more for us then. But I'm not counting on it--this one is STUBBORN! :)) (Or maybe just shy.)