The ultrasound/OB appointment today was less exciting than we’d hoped. We did confirm that Griffin has definitely dropped/engaged (the doctor didn’t even bother to note down my belly measurement, since it had changed so much from the baby moving down!). And the baby has been head down for a long time, but he’s turned anterior (ie, the ideal position with his face towards my spine), which is a big relief. We’d suspected this was the case because the pressing on my tummy in recent weeks has been feeling a lot more like “butt” and less like “feet”, but it was good to have this confirmed. (If you’re curious, take a look at the difference in anterior vs posterior positioning here. The angle of the head is a big deal.)
Speaking of heads, the baby measured in the expected size range for 35 weeks, except for HIS HEAD, which is measuring BIG. This is NOT what I wanted to hear. :-/ The doctor told us that it’s tough to get an accurate head measurement at this point with my pelvis in the way, and if his head was at an angle when the tech took the measurement, it could easily have been off. I hope he’s right.
The ultrasound equipment at the OB’s office is pretty basic, so we didn’t even get any nice pictures. (Not that we could really get any good images of his face at this point anyway, with it pointing towards my spine. )
On the other hand, everything else is fine (Griffin’s heart rate, my blood pressure and iron, etc). I’ll be going in for weekly appointments now, so hopefully things will continue to progress as they should.
On a more amusing note, here’s a great Free Range Kids blog post about my least favorite pregnancy book.
Unlike Friday night, I actually got some sleep last night and was in full nesting mode today. I think I swept the kitchen floor 3 times this morning.
No pictures yet, but I spent most of the day making a crib skirt, packing the hospital bag, and doing some more nursery cleanup. As of today there are no more crafting supplies/Rubbermaid storage towers/etc in the baby’s room. The closet still has some boxes of fabric and fiber, but we literally have nowhere else to put them at this point, and there’s room now to hang the Grifflet’s clothes, at least. I need to buy some peel and stick velcro to finish up the crib skirt, since that’s how I want to attach it to the crib frame, but it’s otherwise ready to go. I have plans for a little matching window valence too, but that should go pretty quick.
I did finish up a quick hat to match the sweater that I knitted for little Griffin (note that the pompom on top was Jag’s idea!).
And the second wool soaker wrap is done, too, except for the Applix closures.
I’m currently mulling over what to knit next. I have a ton of baby sweater patterns downloaded and printed, and I’d like to knit another type of soaker to see if we end up liking it better.
On a semi-related note, I keep running into references to “push presents” lately (see the Wikipedia article for details if you’re not familiar with the term, I wasn’t). Does this seem…just sorta creepy and tacky to anyone else? Seriously, women are really signing up for “push present” REGISTRIES???
Having a kid is really expensive, and it seems pretty stupid to blow a chunk of change on some kind of thanks-for-enduring-the-pregnancy bribe at a time when money is flying out the window. Do people really need some kind of material reward for every frigging thing they do these days? Biology isn’t “fair”; being female, there’s nothing I can do about being the one to endure the various inconveniences of being pregnant, and I fail to see how that translates into “I deserve a pair of overpriced diamond earrings”. If Jag wants to make me happy after the baby’s born, he can take me out for a sushi dinner or get me a 4-pack of Guinness draft cans. And change a couple extra diapers.
I had another regular OB checkup this morning, one I was a little nervous about because I brought along my “birth plan” to discuss with the doctor.
My OB/GYN practice is a pretty standard non-granola one (no midwives, no emphasis on alternative birth methods like waterbirth, etc), and they deliver at Rex, so I’ve been getting a little anxious. I’ve recently read a lot of accounts of stuff like forced inductions at 40 weeks, doctors pushing unnecessary c-sections, women being tied down to an IV/fetal monitor and not being able to move around during labor, doctors flatly refusing to look at patients’ birth plans, etc. In general, I’ve seen a lot of stories from women who were really unhappy with their treatment in traditional hospital settings, and was starting to wonder if I should have gone with a birthing center instead. (It’s too late to switch; I checked with the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill 2 weeks ago and they’re full up for March.) I’ve also been worried about putting Jag in a position where he’s forced to argue with possibly hostile medical staff to advocate for our preferences, if I’m not in a position to advocate for myself.
I met with the last doctor in the rotation today (in a big practice you get merry-go-round appointments until you’ve met them all, since any one of them might deliver your baby) and presented my plan. He read the whole thing, answered all of my questions in a very satisfactory way, and took a copy for my chart, recommending that I bring copies to the hospital with me to give to the L&D nurses when the time comes. So now I’m feeling a whole lot better about the whole thing. We’re going in for our hospital prenatal class/tour in a two weeks, so I’ll have a chance to confirm that the hospital/labor nurses policies will also be accommodating of my wishes.
Aside from that, I’m at 32 weeks but measuring at 35, so I get an ultrasound on my next visit to check on the Grifflet’s size. He’s been measuring big all along, so I’m not sure if he’s just a big baby or if my due date might need to be adjusted.
In other news, we came home to find our new Pack ‘n Play on the front porch! We immediately unpacked it and set it up, which was easier than expected. This will end up in our bedroom for the first months. It has a “newborn napper” mini-bassinet and changing table, and right underneath those, a bigger bassinet for when he outgrows the napper. And of course it’ll be a portable crib/playpen at the very bottom when he’s even bigger. We’re really happy with it; it seems very sturdy and will see a lot of use over the next year or two.
It’s one thing to have a collection of gifted baby clothes already assembled, but reality really starts to sink in when you open up your first shipment of stuff like…diapers.
We’re planning to cloth diaper at home (this won’t be an option at daycare, unfortunately), so we ordered a prefold cloth diapering “starter kit” with all the basics. (Prefolds are the cheapest type of cloth diapers, and we’ll definitely save money just using them part of the time.) The kit contains 3 dozen newborn diapers, 1 dozen of the next size up, 6 different brands/types of waterproof diaper covers to try out, 2 dozen cloth wipes, wipes solution, spray bottle, and a Snappi diaper fastener. We added 2 washable/waterproof changing pads and a wet bag. Everything looks very nice.
Bartholomew Bunny patiently modeled the diaper covers for us. There were some fit issues in the rear, but we’re assuming that the Bean probably won’t have a fluffy bunny tail.
It’s really interesting how different all the diaper cover designs are. Some have only snaps, some only velcro, some a mix, some have adjustable heights, leg gussets, etc. This will definitely be one of those cases where we’ll have try them all and see what works best.
Perl definitely approves of our hippie cloth-diapering ways.
I should have known better than to be feeling pretty good about my up-to-now problem-free pregnancy. On Saturday, I noticed some very itchy bumps on my tummy. This morning, I have more both on my tummy and on my wrists, and I’m pretty sure it’s PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). (Note: do not Google for this unless you’re into photos of pregnant women covered in oozing crusty rashes.)
The condition normally starts in the third trimester (I’m 2 weeks away from that), but is most common in first pregnancies and when carrying a boy, so given the symptoms and comparing with the aforementioned icky photos, it seems likely this is it. I have a Bean-related doctor appointment tomorrow anyway, so I’ll see if they agree with my google self-diagnosis. Right now I’m going to run out to Whole Foods for some Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap and see if that particular home remedy helps at all. The itching is intense but luckily still intermittent at present. I really really don’t want to be one of those women who has to be induced at 36 weeks because the non-stop scratching and sleeplessness has become more detrimental than an early labor. :-/
Poor Miss Miranda has not enjoyed most of her Thanksgiving weekend. We boarded her at the vet from Wednesday morning to Friday afternoon since we stayed over at Myrtle Beach with Jag’s family, and she did not have a good time. We had the vet do her yearly physical while she was there, and towards the end of the exam, she flipped out and attacked the vet tech’s welder’s gloves, losing a canine tooth in the process. She then refused to eat for the next 24 hours and had to be syringe-fed. She did start eating a bit on her own before we came to get her, but I’m really worried about boarding her again. I’m actually much more upset about the not-eating part than the losing-a-tooth thing.
She really is a sweet kitty at home, and she seems so cute and peaceable and incapable of attacking anyone, although both me and Jag have seen her in action at the vet before. It’s amazing how scary a pissed-off 8-pound cat can be.
Today’s ultrasound confirmed what we had suspected from the Week 12 ultrasound: it’s a boy Bean!
Ultrasounds are apparently the only time you can post naked pictures of your baby on the internet and not get arrested, so here’s the proof!
We also got a few 3D images of the face (which no longer resembles Strongbad) and the little crossed feet. I totally think he looks like Jag.
Let’s hope he doesn’t end up with his daddy’s size 15s!
The baby is still measuring about a week ahead of the “official” due date. The only anomaly found in the ultrasound was an enlarged left kidney. I’m fretting over this (probably far, far more than I have any reason to). We have a follow-up ultrasound scheduled in 10 weeks to check on things; it’s more than likely to resolve itself by then, but Google is most definitely not your friend in situations like this.
We met with the wedding minister this evening and she was completely wonderful. I’m confident that the ceremony will be wonderful and deeply meaningful to both us and to our families.
Now to feed the Miranda and get to bed.
Tomorrow starts Turnip Week (week 17) for the Bean, according to the babycenter.com How Big is Your Baby? slideshow. I think this is my favorite food item comparison, at least until Rutabega Week (week 25).
The Bean is the size of a turnip this week
Tomorrow is also when we’ll be having the level II ultrasound, which barring any excessive modesty on the Bean’s part should probably give us a definitive gender reading as well as detailed views of the brain and other organs and some hopefully less scary face shots. I’m looking forward to this one.
The wedding planning stuff is in full insanity, I mean, swing. I ordered some shoes (finally) and froofy girly wedding stockings this weekend, and we met with the florist yesterday and got the flower stuff settled. The silver tussy-mussy bouquet holder Jag’s mom bought me came in on Friday by some miracle, so we were able to take that with us and just leave it with the florist to make sure the bouquet will fit. Tomorrow after work, we meet with the wedding minister to discuss the ceremony. And Tuesday morning at 8am, we have a 30-minute appointment to do some tastings and make the cake arrangements at Mad Hatter. I think there are still some details to hash out with the restaurant, and I still need to buy some combs for my hair. And I’m still knitting on my “something blue” shawl, which I want to have available in case it’s chilly on the wedding day. I’m way more than halfway there now, but I really need to get this done so I’m not blocking and drying it at the last minute.
In the meantime, I bought a bunch of autumn leaf garlands and other decorations at Michael’s (50% off!) to spruce up the wedding site, and we’ve spent many hours cleaning up the study and its closets and moving stuff out of the craft room/future nursery into the study and other parts of the house. It’s slow going due to the sheer amount of old paperwork that has to be sorted and shredded, but we’ve moved all my fabric (which filled up fifteen 15″x15″ wire cube units and now lives in an almost equal number of big plastic bins) and one of the bookshelves out of the nursery. I’ll be working on the yarn next. At least yarn is relatively light.
Does anyone need a nice set of computer speakers (with subwoofer) or a black wooden double-drop-leaf table from IKEA (a little banged up, but could easily be repainted)? If you say yes, they’re yours.
As if the baby wasn’t enough, me and Jag are in the midst of planning a very small, immediate-family-only wedding four weeks from now. We have an officiant and a location, my dress is ordered, and the honeymoon reservations are made, but we’re still working on pinning down the plans for dinner, cake, flowers, and photography. And oh yeah, we still need marriage licenses, and our jeweler, who is in the midst of making my custom engagement/wedding ring set, keeps pushing back the date it will be ready, which is stressing me out to no end. I also still need to find shoes that will look right with my vintage-y 20s style dress. (I think you have to female to understand that the shoe thing is almost as panic-inducing as the other stuff.)
Jag took some pictures of the location, the historic McCown-Mangum house at West Point on the Eno. This is the room where the ceremony will happen. I think it’s lovely. With luck, the trees will still have some nice colorful foliage and we’ll get some good outdoor shots as well.
We got to hear The Bean’s heartbeat today; the bpm was down into the 150s, which is a good sign, as the heartbeat starts high in the early stages of growth and slows down to 120-140 at full term. (It was 171 at the 12-week ultrasound, which was a little on the high side). My blood pressure is still normal and everything seems to be going just fine. Monday after next, we’ll have the Level II anatomical ultrasound and most likely get a confirmation of the gender, as well as a good long look at The Bean. A couple weeks after that we’ll spring for one of the non-diagnostic 3D/4D ultrasounds to get an even better look. 
One unexpected side effect of pregnancy is that despite getting over the morning sickness, I just can’t eat much food at one time. I haven’t put on any weight so far; I’m still 5lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight! I ate about 1/8 of a chimichanga at Bandito’s last night, and tonight I ate about 6 spoonfuls of chili before I felt like I was going to barf. It looks like lots of small meals will be the way to go. And doggie bags from restaurants!
I seem to have gotten at least some of my spinning and knitting mojo back. I finished plying up around 300 yards of the blue/gray handspun today, which added to the first bobbin of approximately 250 yards, should be enough to make a Carol’s Clever Little Shawl. Here it is in the very early stages.
I’m really happy that you can see the blue color shifts after the yarn is knitted up. It should be a subtle but interesting effect in the shawl.
I’m also at the point where I need to divide the front of the Lutea Lace-Shoulder Shell to start the eponymous lace shoulder bits. I tried it on for the first time today and the fit is fine; I could have gone down a needle size, in fact, but maybe a little extra ease won’t be a bad thing in the next few months.
On another topic that’s occupying my mind this weekend, if someone had told me 3 months ago that I would be rigorously researching the pros and cons of all-in-one, prefold, pocket, and fitted cloth diapers, bookmarking patterns for nursing pads, reading up on swaddling techniques, and comparing different types of baby slings, I’d have told you that you were out of your flipping MIND.
Jag is to blame for this, since he left his copy of The Sagas of Icelanders laying around where I could find it and start reading in total fascination, but the working name for the little bean is Thorbeana for a girl, and Thorbean Monsterbeard for a boy. 
(There totally was a historical Thorolf Monster-beard. Icelandic nicknames were the coolest.)
This news will come as no surprise to most of the people who read this blog, but I just wanted to break my self-imposed blog silence with the announcement that me and Jag are (surprise!) expecting a baby in March (on the Ides of March, to be specific). I’m at around 9.5 weeks right now.
We went in for our first scheduled ultrasound today. We saw limbs wiggling, saw and heard the heartbeat, and were totally blown away. The baby measures about a week bigger than expected, but this is apparently quite normal.
I’m still late in the first trimester and we might live to regret spreading the news far and wide this early, but we just couldn’t keep our mouths shut any more, and it’s been very freeing to share our excitement with friends and coworkers. I feel like my life has been on hold while we’ve counted the days towards the magic 12-week line. I haven’t been spinning at all, I’ve done hardly any knitting, and I’ve been heading to bed around 9pm (one night at 8pm!) every night after reading pregnancy forum posts that make me freak out at my every symptom, or lack thereof. Here’s hoping that I’ll be moving to a much saner (and less nauseated) state of mind in the next few weeks!
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
1.) Yes, it was a total surprise.
2.) Yes, we’re completely thrilled.
3.) Yes, we’re shopping for rings, but we were anyway.
4.) We don’t know yet (too early to see), but we’ll do the ultrasound to find out in month or two.
5.) Cloth.
6.) Breastfed.
I think that covers it. Please think happy sticky thoughts for us.