Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Falta Poco

I am 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant today. So this is what it feels like to wait for something that seems like it will never, ever happen. Every time I think, hey this cramping or discomfort could be labor, I'm wrong. I was okay with not going into labor while our family was dealing with sickness this last week. We're still working on getting over our bug completely, but I feel so ready to go into labor! Waiting any longer feels like torture!
But I know that she will be here before I know it, and soon I won't remember what it was like to have a few moments of peace and quiet to myself like I am enjoying right now.

I am fortunate enough to have had Judah take 2 naps today. He got up really early this morning. 5:45 am with daddy's alarm. I'm not sure why. I thought maybe he was wet because that is usually the #1 thing that will get him up early, but he was not. I realized that his pacifier had fallen out of his crib and that might have been why he couldn't get back to sleep.
None the less, we got up early together and had breakfast. Judah ate well this morning. Better than he has in quite a while. I have been so incredibly frustrated with his eating habits as of late. I know that it has been a result of both his illness and cutting 3 molars all at the same time, but it was still incredibly trying on my patience. It was nice to not have to battle with him to get him to eat, or calm him down after a temper tantrum.
I was fortunate to have had a full night of sleep last night. Even though I've been taking Ambien at night to help me sleep, it doesn't seem to last the whole night through and I end up waking up early and having trouble falling back to sleep. I managed to sleep the whole night through, for about 7 hours. It's more than I usually get, but after we were done with breakfast I was so ready to go back to sleep. Judah was happy and enjoyed playing this morning, but I could tell he was really tired around 7:30. I decided it wouldn't hurt to try to lay him back down to sleep, and I could then rest my own head a bit, even if it was just for 10 minutes. 10 minutes turned into 2.5 hours. It felt wonderful!
I have to say that I still felt really tired when I peeled myself out of bed at 10 am, but I had a little more energy and definitely felt refreshed.
I decided yesterday that Judah needed more shirts. He grows out of his shirts so quickly. He has such a long torso that even though he isn't quite 18 months yet, the 18 month size seems to ride up on his tummy. We went to Target to pick up some 2T shirts. Judah hated sitting in the cart today. He normally does pretty well, but he fussed almost the entire time we were there. I had planned on moseying around the store just to kill some time, but since he wasn't too happy we cut our trip short.
We came home and had some lunch. He did pretty well again eating wise, but then freaked out when I took away his sippy cup for throwing it on the ground again and again. Then I had to calm him down and lunch was over for the time being. So frustrating!
We tried again an hour or so later and he ate a little bit more, but I don't think he was too hungry because he wanted down shortly thereafter.
I got a little bit of house cleaning done, as well as some laundry. Judah played around the house in the mean time. I decided that it would be nice to get out of our small house again this afternoon. I thought the perfect place was Andrew's parents' house. They have such a big space for Judah to play. Plus I thought we could sneak our way into whatever dinner plans are for them. I haven't cooked dinner in a while and Andrew won't really let me. I'm okay with it. It's a lot of work lately. I thought I would try to lay Judah down before we head over to Grandma & Grandpa's since he took such an early nap. I wasn't sure if he would go down, but I don't hear any noise coming from upstairs so I think we're golden.
We'll head over there once he wakes up.
Here's hoping for a baby girl before next week!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

My little man is sick.

We had a very rough night last night.
Yesterday was Judah's cousin, Elijah's first birthday party. Judah had a great time running around with the other kids and playing in the tunnels with all the balls. It was a lot of fun. On the way home, however, Judah started having a coughing fit that lasted from the time we left the party in Edmonds until we go to our house in Everett. It was terrible!
He has had an ongoing night cough since around Christmas time, but it really hasn't showed up in the daytime for quite some time. I wasn't going to let it worry me because it didn't seem like anything to be concerned about. Then out of the blue, after the party, it was as if this cold virus hit him like a ton of bricks! He was coughing and sneezing and sniffling his runny nose.
I was able to give him his bath and get him down for bed easy enough. He did slip and fall in the tub after I drained the water out. I was pretty worried about him then, but he calmed down very easily and was ready to get into bed, so I didn't protest.
Judah slept for about 2 hours, when all of the sudden he woke up crying. I got him up, knowing he didn't feel well and tried to lay him back down. He wanted to sleep, but his cough was so persistent that he couldn't. He cried for me again. I went back in and decided that he probably needed something to drink after all of that coughing. I took him downstairs to calm him down and to give him something to help him feel better. He had a little water and I gave him some Zicam which is a homeopathic zinc remedy for colds. He was calm, but when I went to lay him down again, he couldn't fall asleep. His cough was too much.
He spent the next 2-3 hours going from tears to coughing to calm and back again. The poor guy was absolutely exhausted and horribly miserable. He couldn't fall asleep for the life of him. We tried everything. We tried holding him and standing, sitting and holding him, laying him down with us in bed, laying him down in his crib. You name it, we tried it.
Finally at 11:30 pm I decided that I would take him for a car ride in hopes that he would calm down and conk out for the night. As soon as he saw that we were getting into the car he calmed down. I decided to just get on I-405 and drive. I wasn't sure how far I was going, but I was sure the constant movement and sound of the engine would put him out. I drove all the way to Kirkland and although he was quiet, he kept coughing which disturbed his peaceful attempts to sleep. I figured that it was probably a  lot cause. I turned around and came back home. We had driven for a good 45 minutes.
I felt defeated when we walked into the house, but at least he was calm and far from tears. Andrew thought I should just lay him down. I did so without any high hopes. Although he protested a little bit, he finally fell asleep at about 12:30 am.
He actually slept through until 7:30 this morning. Not too bad for a really sick little boy. I decided last night that I wasn't going to have a night like that again. Screw the FDA, I was going to give Judah some cough medicine.
The fact that cold medicine for infants was pulled from the shelves a couple years ago really made me angry. It's not my fault that some parents can't read or follow directions when it comes to their precious children. I talked to Andrew's mom this morning and she agreed that it wouldn't be harmful at all to give Judah Dimetapp. She used to give it to her kids all the time when they were babies. Two of her sons had chronic ear infections and it was the only thing that would take the pressure off the ears.
I picked some Children's Dimetapp up today on the way over to watch the Superbowl at Andrew's parents' house. While Judah was running around I decided that it would be better to actually watch him and see how he reacted to the medicine, than wait until bedtime and hope that it didn't have any adverse side effects.
He did fine on it. It seemed like it cleared up some nasal congestion and his cough was less frequent and severe. Of course it didn't take any of it away, but it helped.
On the way home after the game, Judah actually fell right asleep in the car. I was surprised because he's been so miserable. Our plan was to give him another dose before he went to sleep, but we didn't have a chance.
Hopefully he sleeps much better tonight!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Is it spring already?

We have been having some unusually warm days thus far this year. I am definitely a fan! If we aren't going to have a real winter with snow and ice, this is the next best thing. Normally at this time of year, you would find me complaining about the cold, gray rainy days that we tend to see on a regular basis around western WA. The past few weeks, however, we have had several days that have felt like downright spring! Today was no exception. It rained most of the night last night, but early in the day, the sun began to peak through the clouds and spent the rest of the day breaking up the clouds completely. It was lovely! I'm going to guess that our temps were in the mid 50s around the Puget Sound.

This morning, I wasn't so sure that today was going to be a good day. I woke up around 5 am, which has been the norm lately. I have no trouble falling asleep, though I can't seem to actually shut down my brain until after 11 pm. I stay asleep for several hours, even fall back to sleep very easily after using the bathroom 2 or 3 times during the night. But for some reason, when those early morning hours come, I cannot for the life of me fall back to sleep. It's as if my brain is ready for the day, but my body is not. Unfortunately, my brain wins and I stay awake. I don't start to feel like I could actually go back to sleep until around the time that Judah wakes up for the day. It feels perfectly awful to be sleep deprived for no reason at all, especially knowing that very soon I will be sleep deprived for a very good reason.

This morning was a little bit different, however. Judah woke up about an hour after I did. I thought he would go back to sleep after I went in and changed his diaper. He did not. I was kind of relieved because I was already wide awake and this only meant that he would take his nap time very early in the day if he was ready to get up for the day at 6 am. We went downstairs and made breakfast together. Oatmeal with applesauce and a scrambled egg with shredded cheese. He devoured his breakfast in his usual fashion. I thought for a minute about trying to put him back to sleep, because sometimes he will go back to sleep after he has had an early breakfast. But he was in such a happy mood, ready to play with all of his toys. I decided to wait it out, as this would mean a longer nap time for both of us later. I tried to busy myself as my tiredness began to set in. I started cleaning the kitchen and folding some laundry. We played together for a while on the floor, but my eyes were quickly drooping shut and I was having a hard time staying awake. I decided to recline on the couch and just let Judah play. He was so happy to entertain himself that it didn't bother him a bit. I would doze off now and again, but he thinks it's funny to see me falling asleep and decided to come put all of his toys in my lap. He kept playing happily, but would continue to involve me in his play.

At about 8 am, I decided that he had to be tired from waking up so early, even if he wasn't acting like it. I couldn't stop thinking about my cozy bed upstairs, so I pulled Judah's favorite blankie and his blue bear out of the dryer. They were warm and soft, perfect for snuggling up to in his crib. I told him we were going to take a nap and he quickly headed for the stairs with blankie and bear in hand. I laid him down in his crib and couldn't dive under my own covers fast enough. I thought he was going to sleep and quickly dozed off myself, but Judah was having a little party in his crib. He kept kicking the crib bars and even started opening and closing his closet doors. Oh great, I thought. He just isn't going to sleep, I suppose. I couldn't help myself from dozing in and out of consciousness, my body fighting for sleep, but my mind waking up at every one of Judah's slightest noises. Finally at 9 am, when I realized that I had to go to the bathroom (as usual), I got up out of bed, facing the realization that good sleep would have to wait a few more hours. But as I walked quietly to the bathroom, I didn't hear any more noise from Judah. I finished my business and went back into my room. All was quiet for at least 10 minutes. I decided it might actually be safe to lay back down. I was right. I slept until about 11:30. It felt so wonderful. I even had time to shower before Judah woke up around 12:15. I was right, the boy was tired! I guess he just needed a little Judah time in his crib before he succumbed to the sleep monster.

Judah and I had a nice lunch together. Meal time can be so hit and miss with him. I decided to break into my new supply of Costco freezer food that was mostly purchased for after the baby is born. I know that I won't have a lot of time to prepare good food, so we bought some quick and easy things to make out of the freezer. Much to my luck, Judah loves edamame. I popped a package in the microwave while I made a smoothie out of these new Yoplait fruit smoothie packets that I found. They are frozen blueberries, strawberries and raspberries along with frozen chunks of yogurt. Add 1 cup of milk to the mix and whirl it up in the blender for a minute and a half and you have a delicious and fairly healthy smoothie. Needless to say, Judah loved watching me use the blender. His eyes were so wide with the loud noise. He kept saying "Whoa!!" I grabbed a whole wheat bagel for us to share and spread some peanut butter on top. It was a perfect lunch. I felt fantastically energized after eating. I am sure that my nap had something to do with it too.

Andrew came home from work early so that I could head off to my 38 week appointment. Before I left, he suited Judah up in his rain boots and took him outside to stomp in puddles and play on the swing set. I was sad I had to leave and miss out on the fun they were going to have. Apparently, Judah's pants were covered in mud when they were done.

Dr. Chien and I had a quick visit. I actually had some questions for her this time. I asked her when I'm supposed to call when I go into labor. She told me that after an hour of contractions that are 5 minute apart is when I should come to the hospital. We talked about how we really don't have any frame of reference of how this labor is going to be since nothing about my previous labor with Judah was natural. It definitely leaves an element of surprise. She checked my cervix again and said that it seems I'm about 1 cm dilated but 0% effaced. Not too surprising at this point. She asked me if I had any other questions or concerns and I told her how I've been sleeping terribly. I'm sure it's not the first time she's had a patient who is 9 months pregnant complain about their crummy sleep. She asked if I've tried Tylenol PM, which I have. I told her it makes me feel really dehydrated the next day. Then she suggested I try Ambien. I was so relieved! I had taken Ambien when I was in the hospital on bed rest with Judah. It didn't make me feel groggy at all, but definitely helped me to get a full night of rest. So she sent the Rx over to my pharmacy. I am looking forward to getting some quality sleep during the night so that I can actually feel awake and alive during the day.

Speaking of which, I think it's about time for some sleep.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Two weeks to go! Give or take.

Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks pregnant. I never reached that point with Judah. If this were my pregnancy with Judah, I would have given birth to him earlier this afternoon. I was 37 weeks and 6 days pregnant with him when he came into the world. I guess his little sister wants to beat his record.
I feel quite ready physically and emotionally to have this baby. I don't have a lot of fear and I feel prepared to handle labor with different techniques. I think I have a belt of confidence on this time that I wasn't equipped with during my previous pregnancy. I honestly thought that all I needed to worry about was having the epidural and the contractions up to that point wouldn't be too bad. Big wake up call!
I am anxious to go into labor on my own. The last thing in the world that I want with this pregnancy is to be induced. I can't wait to start contractions on my own, labor at home for as long as I can and get to the hospital in time to have the baby. Let's really hope it doesn't happen somewhere along I-405. Not exactly ideal.
I got to rest up a bit today. This morning was my regular Wednesday. Just and I went to Community Bible Study. We had our core group luncheon, which is always enjoyable. My group made tacos. It's always nice to talk with and get to know the other women in my group a little bit better.
My mom told me that she wanted to take Judah home with her after Bible study so that I could have the afternoon to do what I wanted with it. So off Judah went with "A-ma" as he called her from down the hall today.
Andrew ended up playing hookie from work today, so he wanted to have lunch with me and possibly see a movie. We received a few gift cards for Christmas. One to Claim Jumper and another couple gift cards to the Lowes movie theater at the Alderwood Mall. We decided to use both for our lunch date. I wasn't actually very hungry when we got to Claim Jumper because we had our CBS luncheon just a few hours earlier, but I still ordered a decently sized lunch anyway. I am eating for two after all!
After lunch, I was stuffed, but couldn't stop thinking about sweets. We went to see our movie - The Edge of Darkness, Mel Gibson's latest. As soon as the opening credits started, Andrew offered to go get me something to munch on. As if I needed it! He brought back a Sprite and some peanut M&Ms. What a sweetheart!
When we got home from the movie, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to do absolutely nothing while Judah was still with my mom. I decided to go to sleep. When I snuggled under the covers, I actually hoped that I would stay asleep for 12 hours straight and go into labor the next morning, fully rested and ready with all kinds of strength and energy. Not so, of course!
I woke up at about 7 pm, wondering if my mom had brought Judah home yet. I checked my phone but didn't have any messages from her. She usually lets me know when she's on her way over. I decided to get up and use the bathroom. When I came into the hallway, Judah's door was closed and I could see that his nightlight was turned on. I crept downstairs quietly just incase. Andrew was sitting on the couch watching TV. I asked if Judah was home and he pointed upstairs. My mom had brought him home about 45 minutes prior. Judah hadn't napped all day. He fell asleep in the car on the way over and when Andrew brought him in the house, he was barely awake, so he just laid him down in his crib.
Little man has been asleep ever since.
I would like to make this blog more of a priority. I really enjoy writing about my days. I'm not sure if I should make it more focused on one thing or another, or if I should just write about what goes on during each day. I'd like to start to include recipes and more photos as well. It's kind of ambitious at this point in life, seeing as how I will be very busy very soon. Hopefully this ambition can take flight.