Framed and Nailed.

Some work has been done on preparing for the baby. For one, I bought her a Halloween costume (she's going to be a flower.) And we hung all of her pictures on her wall. Hey, I didn't say how intensive the preparations were. I mean, who needs a car seat or a crib mattress when you can have framed artwork, right? RIGHT.

I painted the frame holding Puff on Thursday, and then last night Tim helped me hang everything. Hanging pictures with an engineer involves a lot of math and a lot of measuring. However, unlike when I hang things myself, it does not involve very much swearing, or unnecessary nail holes. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

Lulu says "who the hell is this guy?"

Here's the view from the doorway. The top two prints feature all of Beatrix Potter's characters. The bottom four are animal prints that I bought.

Less glare-y shot of the artwork. Beatrix Potter, a seahorse, an antelope squirrel, an otter eating a bowl of blueberries, and a little black cat snuggled up in bed. Love!

Because of the risk from earthquakes, we're not hanging anything over the baby's crib (guest bed visitors however, beware of falling glass.) However, we will be putting one of her quilts from her Grandma Rosie up over her dresser - it's less of a skull crushing risk, and contains no glass shards.

This morning Tim and I got Red Cross certified in infant and child CPR. I know some are rolling their eyes, considering us overeager first time parents, but it was actually a really good class to take overall. I mean, I hope I never have to use my skills, but I feel better knowing I have them. Plus a little learning never hurt anyone. Let us know if you'd like some chest compressions or back poundings.

Then it was off to a park for the Blizzard company picnic. Lots of food, lots of entertainment. It was nice to see some of the nerds and chat with everyone, but I think it'll be even more fun when Sequins is out and can participate in all of the kiddie activities. I entertained her today by eating a hot dog and some cookies. I know, I am quite the mom.

Now we're looking forward to a quiet, near-comatose night and thankfully, another cool-ish evening. Sweating is not my thing.

Quick Hits.

Had a full ultrasound this morning, and all signs are positive.

-my BP was good this morning
-my labs continue to be good
-the baby is growing right on schedule (no specific comment was made about her weight or how much she's estimated to weigh)
-she's got plenty of amniotic fluid
-she's got visible hair on her little noggin
-there's no reason I shouldn't be able to go to Chicago

However, the doc is still treating me carefully and wants me in once a week to monitor me via the amniotic fluid check and nonstress test, just to make sure that my "high blood pressure" doesn't turn into pre-eclampsia. He admits it's a hassle, but since we all just want a healthy baby at the end of it, I'll go along for the ride (thank goodness for good insurance.) And it is important to keep an eye on, because pre-eclampsia happens more commonly during the last few weeks of pregnancy - just because my BP is good right now doesn't mean things can't change.

I will go in again next Friday. My doc will be out, but I'll do the fluid check/nonstress check and then if all is good, I will get on the plane the following Tuesday, along with my trusty blood pressure cuff. As I told the bride and mother of the bride - unless they send me to labor and delivery or put me on bedrest, I'm going to Chicago, dang it! I'm feeling great, and I'm not missing out on the WEDDING OF THE CENTURY. In the meanwhile, my doc did sign a note for the airlines in case American hassles me about bringing my fatness on the plane.

Sooooo... keep your fingers crossed that she keeps growing big and strong and fat and hairy, and that my blood pressure keeps itself in check!

Passed with Flying Colors.

Yesterday afternoon I headed back to the doctors for a couple of fairly routine tests - the amniotic fluid check and the nonstress test. Normally these are done later in the pregnancy (if at all) but me and my "high blood pressure" got pegged for it at week 32.

The amniotic fluid check just involves a quick ultrasound to measure the amount of fluid around the baby. Low fluid can indicate that the mom is having trouble keeping hydrated, but since the baby is responsible for making most of her own fluid (via swallowing and peeing) it can also show whether or not the baby is in distress. Sequins is showing no distress, and peeing like a champ. The tech was also able to see that she's making breathing motions in utero, which is good, and shows that she's moving right along.

For the nonstress test, they have you sit in a comfy chair and hook your belly up to two monitors. One measures the baby's heartbeat and one checks for contractions. The best part of the test is that you can hear the baby's heartbeat the whole time, which I love. When she moves, it sounds like radio static (at first it was me moving and apologized, and the nurse assured me it was all good.) Basically, the idea is that when the baby moves, their heartbeat should spike - much like when adults exercise their heart rates rise. If the baby's heartbeat dips, it's a concern. Also concerning if you can't get the baby to move in an hour. I was only hooked up for about 20 minutes, and Sequins scooted around like a champ and had her little baby heart beat jump every time. I only saw my doc for about two minutes - he walked in, looked at the ticker tape and said "she passed!" and then headed out (he was in scrubs.) The only bad part was when she tried to jam herself up into my lungs - normally I would have gotten up or moved around to try to push her elsewhere, but since I was stuck in the chair I just practiced my lamaze breathing and willed her to get out of my rib cage.

In other good news, my favorite nurse is back after a medical leave. I hadn't seen her since my 16 week check up, and I told her that I'd missed her, and had been pretending that she left to go go med school. She laughed and said thanks. ALSO, my blood pressure at the appointment was 128/80, which for me (at the doctors) is GREAT. I'm showing improvement! Friday I have another u/s to measure the size of the baby. The doc is saying that he wants to run all of these tests every two weeks from here until the end of the pregnancy. I think it's a little overkill, but I just want to get cleared to go to Chicago and then we'll figure it out (and by the time I get home from Chicago, I'll be 35 weeks along, and if you go into labor at 36 weeks, they don't try to stop you from having the baby. So, it'll all be a moot point sooner rather than later.)

Last night we took Baby Sequins to see her second live concert. Tim's friend and coworker Ed had emailed earlier in the summer about getting a 4 pack of lawn seats to see John Mayer at Irvine Meadows. I like John Mayer okay, and LOVED him when I was in college, back before he spent time constantly wooing starlets and running his mouth like a total idiot in Playboy magazine. But I also like Ed and Erl and figured it would be a fun night, so why not. Sitting on the lawn wasn't too terrible, and the show was good (when Mayer wasn't telling stupid stories.) But yes, his music is definitely a phase that I have enjoyed and passed through. Ed seemed to have the most contempt for Mr. Mayer, so of course we all made fun of him nonstop for suggesting that we get tickets.

What else? We found out this week that Thor is absolutely terrified of fans - both the overhead kind (we have one in our pretty room) and the stand fan that we bought to cool down the living room. Poor Thor - he's going to be real excited when we get ceiling fans installed in all of the bedrooms this summer. He spends most of his life in our bedroom as is (hiding under the bed, hiding in the closet, and sometimes sleeping against the slider) but recently I've walked in to find him with only his head and front paws hidden under the bed, with his back legs hanging out. He looks like the Wicked Witch of the West with the house dropped on him. I also think he's pretty sure he's invisible. That's because he's not very bright, that boy. Lulu continues to spend most of her day on the baby's changing table.

Navel-Gazing

I apologize for the cat fur on my shirt. Well, not really, but there it is. It happens to the best of us pet owners. Especially those of us who are still in our jammies at 1pm. Eep!

But, for your viewing pleasure, here is a little mother-daughter interaction. Even when she's jamming herself into my ribs, I still think the miracle of pregnancy is pretty fascinating.

Baby's First Concert!

I made it through another week of funemployment, despite not really having plans. It was nice to get to spend so much time with the moms, and I've definitely improved my tan. Also, taken plenty of naps, watched a lot of movies and made dinner almost every night. Life is good!

As of yesterday, I'm32 weeks along, which translates to 8 months pregnant. Who would have thought? It seems like it's taken forever to get here, and at the same time, like I was just passing the 8 weeks pregnant mark.

I'm still feeling pretty good, though starting to slow down. My bellah is getting bigger and more cumbersome, and I feel it a lot in my back. There's still tons of stuff that is easy enough for me to do, but then other things that just knock me onto my butt. For example: I've been at the gym almost every day for 45 minutes to an hour on my friend the elliptical, and that's awesome. I can handle kick boxing class. But if I have to get my purse and a magazine off the floor of Tim's car and then try to exit the vehicle, I end up huffing and puffing like I just completed a marathon. Anything that requires bending really does me in.

The baby is getting bigger every day and more active in her little home - which is growing on my end, and probably shrinking on her end. She spends a lot of time up in my ribs, and there are places at the top of my belly where the skin has gotten so stretched that it's weird and tender to the touch - it honestly feels like it's been novacained. And of course, like when my lip has been novacained following a dentist visit, I can't stop poking at it and marveling at the weirdness. And my rib cage aches somedays, just as part of the fun. The other night Tim ended up running out and getting me a bag of frozen peas to lay on my ribs (and a fancier ice pack, for future usage.)

I'll get to see her twice next week - I have the nonstress test and the amniotic fluid check on Tuesday (because they are worried about my "high blood pressure") which will measure how active the baby is and make sure that she's got enough fluid around her. I am sure I will pass with flying colors. Then on Friday morning I have a high res ultrasound to check on her size (because my "high blood pressure" might cause her to be smaller than normal.) Tim's going to come along to the Friday appointment - he hasn't seen her for a few months, so I'm excited that the appointment fits into his schedule.

Last night we took the baby to her first concert - we went to see the Dave Matthews Band at Irvine Meadows. Some Dave Matthews fans are like new Deadheads, and they are quite dedicated to the band. I've always enjoyed their music, but this was my first time seeing them live. On our walk up to our seats, we were behind a guy who was so wasted that he was being half dragged by his friends. His pants fell down so I got to see his underwear, and then Tim (who was walking in front of me to block in case the dude tumbled my way) noticed that he had already peed his pants. I texted my cousin David (who LOVES Dave Matthews) and told him about the guy, and then asked "is he a friend of yours?" Pregnant or not, I will never understand why people get so wasted at concerts. If you like the band, don't you want to listen to them and remember the show? But... that's just me I guess. It was a great show, and my little baby friend definitely grooved along. She's going to see John Mayer on Tuesday as well. Such a busy life!

A camera phone shot of the stage last night.

8 months worth of beer gut!

Hot and Lazy.

Being at home a little more this week is helping me better understand what our cats do while we're at work.

The answer is of course, a whole lot of nothing.

Yesterday morning after my shower I was fixing myself up in the bathroom and wondering where Lulu was. She likes to come in and get pretty with me most days. After I got dressed, I checked under our bed, and she was not to be found. She was not in the closet either. I was starting to get worried, and then I walked into the nursery to check under the bed and heard her little "oh, you woke me up, now I am making noise" noise.

This is her new favorite place to hang out, and I understand - it's like kitty heaven. It's got a nice little pad for her cat butt, it's breezy in there, and she can still watch the yard without having to sit up.

It's getting pretty warm around these parts. Last night we ran our AC for about a half hour around dinner time and that was about all we needed, thankfully. It would be nice if the living room wasn't the hottest room in the house. I think today I am going to spend the early afternoon floating in the pool. Rather than sweating on my couch.

Naturally Sweet.

Found out today that I passed my glucose screening, and so I don't need to order diabetus testing supplies from Wilford Brimley.

As a reward, I shall squirt canned whipped cream directly down my gullet.