Hallow weenie

It's Halloween, and I am working...multitasking in front of the door waiting for all of my neighborhood gouhls and goblins to come by and say hello. It's been a pretty slow night...not as many older kids that shouldn't be out, and lots of younger kids who should. I'm dishing out the candy like mad. It's fun to see them. I can't wait to dress up my own little peanut next year.
The Gestational Diabetes test came back NEGATIVE! That was GREAT. Also, they ordered another ultrasound for me since my belly was still measuring 31 weeks at 28 weeks. I had the US last Wednesday, and we were able to get TWO pictures of the baby's face, and one of it's profile. I'm not usually too emotional with this stuff, and I cried like a baby when I saw that sweet face. I swear, this baby is good lookin! The mouth and lips were so precious!
By measurement, they estimate that the baby is about 3 pounds already. THREE POUNDS! I still have about two months to go! Aren't you supposed to gain a pound a week on the baby. That's 11 pounds! I think that I will probably go early just due to the sheer size of this kid. :)
I vote for between Christmas and New Years...December 29th to be precise. Anyone else have any guesses?
Other than that, I have taken on many new responsibilities at work, and I feel like I'm "drinking from the firehose" so to speak. I'm going to have to be careful not to burn the candle at both ends to get everything done that I need to get done. :) I'm sure everyone else feels that way, but with the pregnancy, working into the wee hours of the morning just isn't an option like it used to be.
The Doctor also perscribed physical therapy for my hip pain. It's helping already, and I have only gone to two sessions. I love my PT lady; she rocks. Who wouldn't want a butt massage that is paid for by insurance, anyway? Err, maybe it's just me? (It really does help with the hip pain, though.)
We are getting the glass replaced in our patio door tomorrow, and then we should be set with the home repairs before the baby comes. Did I mention our dishwasher leaked? We were in the basement, and the diswaser leaked through the cieling. It just cracked and leaked for no reason. Had we not been in the basement at the time, we would have had extensive water damage. Lucky for us, both Dan and I were there, and we caught it before there was any damage. We got a new dishwasher out of the deal, which was not too bad, either. How very domestic of me, celebrating a new appliance...
Well, I had better get some more work done. Have fun eating candy everyone1
Marta :)

28 and a glucose drink

Today is the day for my big gestational diabetes test. I am a little worried about downing the drink thing...and I really hope I do not have Gestational Diabetes! If I do, it's just another thing I need to keep an eye on while I am pregnant. If I don't, I will say a little prayer and celebrate.
The rest of this week is slightly crazy, with a big trade show I will be working, and a trip to WI for the baby shower. It will be nice as this is a couples shower, so Dan can be with me for the whole thing. I'm looking forward to that!
I am also haveing HORRBLE pain in my left hip. After the accident (about 10 years ago) I had surgery on my right hip, and that one is fine. Left hip, not so much. I am hoping for physical therapy to make it better.
I will be downtown the rest of the week, so I may not have time to post. (Then again, I might have time to post. You never know!
I hope you are all well. I am getting ready to drink that stuff. Wish me luck. I'll post whatever the results are...
M. :)

On the road again...

We are heading out to our shower in Green Bay this weekend. Honestly, I can't wait. We are going to see so many people that I haven't seen in a long time...I am just thrilled!
We are going to spend the night with Eric and Natalie- which will be really fun; and just be together and relax. I can't wait.
My skin dr. appointment went well, which I am very thankful for. Moles darken with pregnancy, and with my family skin cancer risk, every appointment where there is not a problem is a good one.
Since Dan is working late tonight, we will have to leave early in the morning. (I figure we will have to head out of here by 8am to make it in time.) I plan to get there at about 11am, but it would be nice if I got there earlier... I'd love some extra time with Natalie and Kari.
Things are going well, the buddha gets bigger every day, I swear. It will be interesting to see what my fundal height measurement will be on Tuesday...I'm not looking forward to the Glucose test, however. Blech. I see that orange drink in my fridge and it makes me want to gag. Wish me luck. I hope I don't have to give up orange juice and other loverly fruit flavored things due to gestational diabetes. Just in case, I better eat some of the cake at my shower this weekend. :)
Have a great one.
Marta :)

Pictures!

Here are some belly pics with my fabulous husband and my blow out for the shower. (Thanks, Aveda! I love your stuff!)
M.

Can it be? 27 Weeks!

I can't believe it. It's here. 27 weeks. I don't know if this is supposed to be a milestone or not, but I feel like it is. Lots of big things and little things to tell about. I'll just list them in random order...
The Baby shower was amazing! My friend Jen sent me pictures of the whole thing that turned out great (Thanks Jen!) So, I can send them to you if you drop me an e-mail and ask. Just ask! There are way too many to post here. Anything in minature is just adorable. When we got home, we put everything away, and the room is looking more complete. I still need to wash the baby bedding. Maybe I'll throw that in the wash today. (It's adorable.)
I think the look of my face has changed due to my pregnancy. My face is longer, and my nose is bigger. Is that normal? I hope it goes back. I miss my small nose. (I miss my smaller ass and thighs, too. But, I digress.)
After two weekends of running around, there is so much to do to catch up on the house! I went grocery shopping for the first time in about a month last night. It took almost two hours, and I was so tired afterwards. The good news, we have a lovely week of crock pot meals planned. ( this way, I am able to get everything ready, and have it cooking while I am working.) I bought a new crock pot, and I thought I would retire the one I received as a wedding present almost 8 years ago. As time goes on, I find myself using the double deuce of two crock pots at once. It's awesome. Today I am making cranberry prok roast with potatoes in one, and homemade applesauce in the other. (I love homemade apple anything.)
We had some excitement this morning... before work, I got up and loaded the breakfast dishes into the diswasher and started it. I headed downstairs to start working on my computer. I heard this tinkling noise, and thought Sammy was peeing on the floor somewhere. No, my perfect little dog was at my feet sleeping. I look up, and the ceiling is leaking!!!!! The diswasher has some sort of leak underneath it with the piping. We were going to have a plumber come out to take a look at it, but it's over a hundred bucks for the visit (55 for the initial trip charge and then the repairs) and new diswashers at Sears start at $199. I cancelled the call with the plumber, and Dan will have to take a look at it in the morning before he goes to work. So, we might just be getting a new diswasher out of this deal. Now, how to get the water spots out of the couch downstairs...
I am starting to feel much bigger. In the past two weeks, I have had a lot more pain and discomfort. Next week is a trade show where I will be on my feet for a whole day. (I'm not looking forward to that.) Walking is great, and I love it. Standing in one place sucks. It should be fine, though.
I'll see if I have any pictures on my camera that can be downloaded. I would love to post a picture of the fabulous work Aveda did with my blowout. I'd love to have someone to do my hair every day, wouldn't you?
Love you,
M.
P.S. I totally forgot. Dur to the low profile of the wheels on my PT cruiser, and the craptastic roads in Illinois, I bent another rim on my car. Now, we are waiting for the new rim to come in today so I can get this fixed and be able to drive my car again this weekend. (I have it today as I am in the office for work, but the tires are leaking, and I think Sears is doing a crappy job of fixing it every time I bring it in. Take that, Sears. you suck. (But please replace my rim when I finally get it and bring it in? Thanks.)

Leaving without a Jet Plane

It's the baby shower weekend! I can't wait for all of the festivities. I am secretly hoping I will be able to steal away tomorrow and get a blowout at Aveda before the shower to look absolutely pristine for all of the photo ops, but I'm not sure I will be able to make that happen. We'll see. I'm calling Aveda now to see if they have an opeining...
YAY!!! AVEDA HAPPINESS!!!! I LOVE AVEDA. (I got an appointment for 3:30pm. This should work perfectly with our plans tomorrow. Now, to break the news to Dan. :)
Other than that, we took pictures of the nursery as well. I can't wait to post those suckers! It's so cute. We have a froggie and Duckie theme, but the whole thing is pretty ecclectic, so it can be all sorts of things other than frogs and ducks as well.
I can't wait to see what the shower will be like. Can you just FEEL the anticipation?
More soon. :)
M.

The Lowdown...

Well, mostly good news from the appointment today. I am fine, and the baby seems to be fine, too. I am measuring large in my fundal height. What is that, you might ask? Here it is: (from Justmommies.com)

Fundus is the medical term for the upper portion of the uterus between the fallopian tubes. Fundal height is measured using a tape measure and measuring from the top of your pubic bone to the top of your fundus. Fundal height is measured in centimeters and should closely match your baby's gestational age. So, for example, if you're 24 weeks pregnant, your fundal height should be 24 centimeters


Well, as you all know, I am 26 weeks pregnant. I am measuring between 29cm and 30cm. This puts me into the measuring large category. I guess it can be a pre-indicator of gestational diabetes, and it can also indicate that the baby is going to be large. I could also be measuing large because the baby is in Breech position (Or it was four weeks ago) and that can give you a fundal height measurement that is larger than it should be. So, it could be something. Or, it could be nothing. There, I'm glad I cleared that up for everyone.

If I am still measuring large at my appointment in two weeks, I will get a doctor sanctioned extra ultrasound. I don't like needing one medically, but it will be nice to see that beasutiful baby again and get some pictures for the fridge. :)

I'll try to post again to get those babymoon pics up. I swear, they are coming!
M.

26 weeks and I can't see my feet...

Hello all. I have another Doctor's appointment today. I love my appointments. I get to ask lots of questions about what I am going through, and hear the baby's heartbeat. Luckily, whenever the baby moves I am reassured as well. I love the baby kicking. In the past, it has been a slight tapping only I could feel. Then it progressed to a little kicking that Dan could feel if he really concentrated. Now, the baby is kung fu finghting in there! Last night, Dan had his hand on the buddha, and the baby have him a Judo chop! I love that.
I'll try to get my butt in gear and get some babymoon pictures on the site.
This weekend is the shower in Minneapolis. MY FIRST BABY SHOWER!!! I am so excited! I can't wait for it to happen. I would love if I had time on Friday to go to Aveda and get a blowout before the shower so I would look all pristine and perfect, but I'm not sure if that is going to fit into the overall plan for the day... Wishful thinking.
Speaking of hair, I started scrunching my hair with a diffuser. This is a new thing for me- I have always been one to let my hair air dry. I'm really liking it. (You'll see by hte pictures what it looks like)
Off to the Dr. More soon.
Much love,
Marta
by the way- 98 days? Is that crazy or is it just me? We are doing so well!!!

The belly you have all been waiting for...

Here it is in all it's roundness and glory:

25 and a babymoon!

Hey everybody!
I am so happy I have been able to blog about my pregnancy. I have not been taking notes anywhere else, and this will give me a nice place to remember everything I have gone through. I can't believe we are at 25 weeks. I am starting to be like a little furnace. Last might, I work shorts and a tank top to bed, and I had to take them off because even above the covers, that was too hot. I kept pestering Dan, and he got up in the middle of the night and got a fan to blow on me and cool me off. Dan, you are a saint. I love you!
My belly button has about a half fingernail worth of depth left. I used to have a nice deep bellybutton. The button is no longer. Now, the bits that were on the inside are moving slowly to the outside. I wonder what it will look like when the baby is fully cooked... The size and shape of my belly are getting more impressive by day. I am going to post a picture of me and the buddha for everyone to see. Finally! The problem is, I have a new printer (Which is where I usually download the pictures from) so there is going to be a learning curve getting the pics here. Be patient with me, people! The picture will be of 24 weeks. I have taken one every 4 weeks since week 8, I think. Maybe 12.
The babymoon commences tomorrow. What is a babymoon you might ask?
Form USA Today.com:
If the honeymoon is historically about making babies, the babymoon is about making time for mommy and daddy.
Parents-to-be are seizing on the pre-stork period as a time to flee the nest to beach resorts and country inns where they're treated to massages, chocolates and Junior-safe sparkling cider.

This is exactly what we are doing. We are going to Door County to our favorite B&B, and stopping at some of our favorite wineries. (I'll be having the grape juice, thanks.) We are going to do some of our favorite Door County things like Al Johnsons (The resaurant with the Goats on the roof) http://www.aljohnsons.com/, We are going to go apple picking, maybe stop in at a few antique shops, and stop and see some of our favorite lighthouses.
I'm looking forward to the time alone with Dan the most.
We are going to stay a second night on the Lake where we have never been before- it should be really fun.
Let me try to get this picture downloaded. I'll let you know how it goes.
Marta :)