Month: February 2011

24 week check-up check-in / baby name dilemma

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Last Thursday I went in for my 24 week check up.  Surprisingly, she didn’t talk a whole lot about the pending decision (c-section vs. vaginal delivery), but of course she did mention it.  We listened to the baby’s heartbeat, which was in the 140s again.  I have to go back in three weeks for the gestational diabetes test. I begged her to just assume that I was positive for it if my test comes back abnormal so that I don’t have to do the awful, terrible, dreadful, disgusting 3 hour glucose tolerance test but she said that so many 1 hour tests come back abnormal that the 3 hour is the only true way to tell.  Maybe I should just do that and be done with it.  But it really is awful.  When I was pregnant with Theo, I had to do it after working all night and not eating anything since before midnight.  So I got to the doctor’s office at 0830 and had to sit there until 1130…drink this thick sugary syrupy orange flavored goo (nauseating) and try to stay awake…ugh! Sheer misery.

Anyway, she measured my abdomen and said I was measuring one week ahead, which (according to me) is a bad sign.  I need this baby to stay petite if there’s any hope of not going the c-section route.  Blood pressure was good, the doctor said my weight was good…I wasn’t as impressed.  I gained SEVEN pounds since last time, bringing my total weight gain up to 14.5 so far (I think).  They weigh me on a different scale every time though so I don’t know how reliable it is.  I weighed myself about 2 weeks before that at home (in the buff, of course) and it was 9 pounds less than what I showed at the doctor last week.  There’s no way I gained that much in 2 weeks.  Who knows?

The baby is moving around lots and lots now.  I can see and feel the movements easily from the outside, which is kind of fun.  S/he is getting up higher now and I can feel some kicks in my ribs, which is not so fun.  The heartburn is getting more intense but it’s not constant (yet).  I feel huge already and I have a long way to go.  I definitely need some more jeans.  What happened to all my jeans from last time?  They are like capris now.  I have one pair of long-enough maternity jeans.  As badly as I need them, I hate buying maternity clothes.  Just seems like such a waste. 

We’re not making much progress on names, even though I am pestering the dada to talk about it almost every day.  We need boy names.  I don’t know why boy names are so hard this time around.  Maybe part of it is that we want it to compliment Theo’s name.  We also want to give him a name that lends itself to a good nickname, like we did with Theodore.  That really limits the choices.  A couple of new ones we talked about over the weekend were Harrison (Harris) and Griffin (Griff).  I really prefer Griffith over Griffin but it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily.  I still like Tegan (he still hates it) and I kind of like(d) Toby (until my friend pointed out the Toby Keith connection. Bleck). 

Any suggestions?  Comments? 

Please help,
~C~

in a land far, far away

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

As promised, here are a few pictures from my trip.  As I look back at the pictures, I’m asking myself “was I really just there?  Standing in the middle of that picture, breathing in the air and taking in these views as they lie around me?”  Feels like I am a million miles away from the scenes in these photos now.  It’s amazing to me how different the culture, climate, and terrain is everywhere I go in the US.  I hope I get to do some more extensive international travel at some point in my life (you know, aside from Mexico, Canada, and Jamaica).

Anyway…

Thursday we ventured to a local spot for a Mexican breakfast, then it was off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

View from the Sand Dunes
A beautiful Colorado sunset as we were leaving the Sand Dunes.  The funny thing is that I wasn’t trying to capture the sunset, I was trying to photograph the mule deer that didn’t even show up here. 
Here is said mule deer, with the amazing Sand Dunes in the background.
It’s impossible to explain how huge the dunes are in words or pictures.
Friday we went to Garden of the Gods just outside of Colorado Springs (both of which I loved, for what it’s worth).  We did a couple of the “easy” hikes (Puh.  Easy for who?, I might ask).  After that, we walked through Manitou Springs.  Friday night we went to a skeezy Indian restaurant.  Hey, I liked my food but no one else liked theirs. 
The red rock formations seem to pop up out of nowhere.  They reminded me of Sedona, but on a much smaller scale.
Pike’s Peak!
The sun was going down by the time we got to Manitou Springs and I was too tired to carry my camera/bag around anyway.  If you’re interested, here are some photos of the cutesy little town.  It reminded me a lot of Gatlinburg.  A nicer Gatlinburg.  I was happy to hear that Theo was getting along just fine.
Saturday em. woke up not feeling so great, so L and I gave her some time to rest while we explored downtown Pueblo, where they are currently travel nursing.  There are quite a few neat little stores, antique malls, and an awesome coffee shop right on the main road.  Pueblo recently installed a riverwalk that was charming on a winter’s day with springtime weather.  It was in the upper 60s and sunny! 
On the way back to the apartment, I got this on my cell phone:
Maybe those tears were there because he didn’t want to be in his car seat; I choose to believe it was because he missed me.  God, I missed him.
After checking on em. and coming to terms with the fact that she was not moving from the couch, L and I decided to take a nearby scenic drive (Frontier Pathways) through the mountains to Westcliffe, Colorado.  Wow.  I don’t know how many times I said it that day or over the course of the weekend, but I can’t imagine living that way.  Talk about wilderness.  I love Target way too much for frontier livin’ ya’ll.  With that being said, it was beautiful.
Can’t you almost see a covered wagon going by?
We had delicious homemade empanadas for dinner and watched a movie called The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia  on Netflix instant streaming.  Have you seen this movie?  Heard about it?  I’m not going to go into the details (because this blog would end up being twice as long), but I thought it was worthy of linking up here.  If you have Netflix, it’s definitely worth streaming.  I bet you a buck that if you start it, you won’t be able to stop it. 
Luckily, the nasty stomach bug up and left sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning so we three gals departed for the airport bright and early Sunday and got to spend a couple more hours chatting about all the fun that had been had.  I was anxious, anxious, and more anxious to get home to see my baby (oh, and my husband too).  Loved the look Theo got on his face when he saw his mama – it was pure happiness.  I’m pretty sure my expression mirrored his.  Looking back through my pictures, I certainly can’t say that I regret the trip.  I even realize that had Theo been with me, the trip would have been very different.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to get away and explore new territory.  When Theo and I reunited, it was like no time had passed at all; it’s the best of both worlds.  What can I say…I’m a happy girl. 
~C~

organ donation

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

All the news stations here have been covering the life and death of a courageous police officer who was slain in the line of duty.  During his funeral, it was mentioned that through his death, 9 others have new life because he was an organ donor.  I have always said that I wanted to donate my organs and have always, always been surprised to find out that some people think that is gross or creepy.

Seriously.  What are you going to do with your organs once your brain is dead and there is no hope for recovery?  It would be my dying gift and my dying wish to donate my viable organs to those on a waiting list, those not knowing if they will see another day or week or month.  Do I care if I am buried (or cremated) with no eyeballs?  No.  I’m not sure anyone would want my eyeballs because my vision is terrible, but hey – they’re better than nothing.  (I don’t even know how much your corneas have to do with actual vision…I may be a little bit dumb on this subject).

Anyway, this whole thing where the officer donated organs to 9 people has really got me thinking so I registered online to become an organ donor.  This is a conversation that we all need to have with our loved ones.  There should be no mistake about what you want done with your body should you be too incapacitated before your death to make it known.  I don’t have the little heart on my driver’s license but do you need that?  If your spouse knows that you want to be an organ donor in the unfortunate event of an untimely death, do you have to have the heart on your license?  That’s what I need to know.  No worries, people… I don’t feel a looming sense of doom or anything.  I just want to make sure that my dying (and someone else’s living) wish is fulfilled, should I leave this earth too soon. 

Have you had the conversation?
~C~