Have a nice trip, see you next fall

I read that pregnant women often have balance issues due to their shift in center of gravity and the fact that they carry so much weight so suddenly in one place on their body. There is also the problem of ligaments loosening up as you near the big day. All of this compounded by the fact that sometimes I tend to try to do too many things at once means I've been finding myself face first on the ground a lot this week. I've been slipping and tripping and falling left and right and I don't know how other pregnant women handle this.

What's most strange about my falls is that they seem to happen without warning. When I've tripped in the past, (as an un-pregnant person) I usually feel myself lose balance or at least notice that I'm falling before I've actually hit the ground. These days it's almost like I black out, (but don't worry, I don't really) and have no idea how I ended up on the floor. Fortunately, the McNugget is surrounded by lots of proper cushioning and has probably not even noticed. Also, I must concede that I am likely not wearing the best shoes to prevent slippage. I seem to think it's more important to appropriately accessorize well into my eighth month than it is to keep a steady course on the ground.

Another common end of pregnancy thing I've noticed is a slow down in fetal movement. The McNugget used to be super active and to some degree still is but as space in there gets more and more tight, there isn't a lot of room to stretch one's new legs or arms about. On Tuesday I was nervous because I couldn't remember feeling the McNugget move at all. Fortunately the aerobics sessions have picked up in the last few days so I am sure everything is all right in there.

Podiatric update:

My ankles were pretty uncomfortable at the beginning of the week (they were likely silently protesting all of the walking and dancing I did last weekend, not to mention their frustration over my falling down all the time). My feet have still not grown length-wise but they are pretty swollen by the middle to end of the day. This is probably the grossest part of pregnancy. But fortunately, there is a clever natural solution: my belly is so big these days that when I look straight down, I can't even see them!

Week 33 update

Hello there and welcome to week 33 where our dear McNugget now weighs over 4 pounds (think of me the next time you pick up a pineapple at the grocery store).

It's been a pretty good week. I have some common aches and pains now and then and have even added "occasional numbness" of my feet and hands to my list of complaints.

I think I may have experienced two or three Braxton Hicks contractions this weekend. Fortunately, they weren't too brutal.

The McNugget hit a few milestones this weekend including a trip to Disneyland (well, we didn't actually go through the park but we did go to dinner in "Downtown Disney") for our friend Aaron's 30th birthday, and the McNugget's first wedding!***

Our very good friends Emily and Colin tied the knot this weekend and the McNugget was kind enough to let me enjoy the evening from start to very late finish. The new Mr. and Mrs. C. hired a fantastic band and I seemed to have no trouble dancing until the bitter end of the wedding. It felt slightly different dancing with the McNugget (it's harder to balance and move from side to side) but it was certainly fun. The McNugget even allowed me to partake in a festive hora!

Two recent discoveries to report:

1) Handicap bathrooms are a pregnant girl's best friend. I had no idea how small bathroom stalls were until I started trying to clear their doors past my third trimester bump.

2) My science teachers would not be proud as I seem to have forgotten all about the theory of water displacement each time I take a bath. There is simply more of me filling up the tub which means I need to get used to turning off the tap earlier. My eco-friendly husband is surely so proud of all of the water I will save in the weeks to come.

***Where there are weddings, there are cameras. My week 33 sized bump was photographed yesterday and I know there are some of you who really want to sneak a peak. Let me know if you want to see a photo of the McNugget's "habitat" and I'll send it along.

Gotta go gotta go gotta go right now

I've had the urge to go to the bathroom 6 times today already. It's only 12:30 PM.

How Soon Can We Check-in?

Yesterday we took a hospital tour at St. John's, the hospital where Jamie is expected to deliver the McNugget. It's definitely my favorite Labor & Delivery wing -- and also the first I've ever seen.

While it's hard to describe a hospital as "luxurious." this one really isn't too far off from the Four Seasons. All the rooms are private and include WiFi (yes, Jamie can still update Facebook and this blog while laboring!) as well as flatscreen TVs.

The only problem I saw was that the laboring Moms (or Mums according to our Aussie tour guide) sleep on beds which don't look very cushy, and the Dads sleep on window seats that look even less cushy. You might be shocked to hear that I'm willing to suffer a few nights of bad sleep to guarantee Jamie's comfort and the McNugget's safe delivery into the world.

I left the tour encouraged and excited. I noted the location of the valet parking attendant (yes, you heard me, this is LA after all) as we left. Hopefully I'll see them in just a few weeks. . .

-Jonathan

Week 32 update

Welcome to week 32. As of last Wednesday, I am now officially 8 months pregnant. The McNugget weighs 3.75 pounds, "about the weight of a large jicama."

Last week was a rough one. Forgetting that I am actually 8 months into this process, I spent Wednesday running around DC after several nights of no sleep working on the Bush interview. By the end of the day, my legs, feet, and ankles were completely swollen. I got a few hours of sleep that night but the next day I woke up to a horrible pain in my right foot. My ride home from DC was not as pleasant as my ride out there and it really took some time to bounce back from the pain and fatigue. I am happy to report that I am doing much better here in week 32. My only complaint is some occasional acid reflux. I took Tums the other day to deal with the irritating side effect of carrying the McNugget and it seemed to do the trick.

On Saturday Jonathan and I met with a birth instructor to learn more about what D-day will be like. We both found the class incredibly helpful. There is only so much I can glean from birthing books and having someone go over the process made me able to wrap my brain around what the day will be like. Jonathan enjoyed the props the instructor used to simulate the McNugget's arrival, particularly the knitted uterus which looked a lot like this. I'm a knitter myself but generally of the hat and scarf variety. I wonder if I would ever attempt this pattern?

Tonight we take a tour of St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica where I will be delivering the McNugget. If you are interested, you can take a virtual tour of the Labor and Delivery wing here. St John's happens to be the same hospital were Suri Cruise and other celebrity babies were born. I am hoping I won't have to battle any paparazzi when I go into labor.

Week 31 Update

This week's update is coming to you from the road. I am in DC with work as my team at Yahoo! scored an interview with the President. We'll be taping it tomorrow so look for a shameless plug to the link later on; we can use all the traffic we can get.

But back to the real reason you are here. I am told the McNugget now weighs about 3.3 pounds (WOW) which is like "carrying 4 navel oranges." Personally, I think the folks at BabyCenter got a little lazy with the fruit analogies this week.

My flight here was great. It was actually much more comfortable than the one I took a few weeks ago where I got to sit in the exit row. I was so proud of the McNugget for taking it so well and am hopeful the ride home will be just as smooth.

I am getting more uncomfortable doing certain things, like sitting on my hotel room bed in front of my laptop right now. It's easy to sit at a chair, especially at a desk, but plunking down on a bed is more difficult. I also can't lay on my stomach anymore (I used to do this and prop myself and my belly up by my elbows - this position is no longer comfortable). Today was the first time I really missed the way things were before I was pregnant because I am not enjoying hauling this bump around me or having to negotiate it's position in front of me while I sit. It's a good thing there are only 9 or so weeks to go.

This morning I had a pain in the top right part of my belly while I was lying in bed. I thought this could be a contraction (having a few of them are to be expected at this point) but it felt better when I stood up and as far as I know, contractions don't really go away just because you change positions. I wonder what it was. I really hope it wasn't a contraction because it felt pretty bad. I am trying to be open minded about the birth, hoping I can make it through without many medical or other interventions, but since I don't know what to expect, I really have no idea how I will react in the moment. I really hope the whole birthing process isn't like today's pain.

On Saturday I report to my first birthing class. I'm looking forward to it. There is only so much I can get from reading books. I am looking forward to having an expert explain it all to me.

There's a fundus among us

I'm just back from a check-up at my doctor's office. I now go once a week to check the height of the "fundus" (the top part of the uterus) and the McNugget's heartbeat. The McNug appears to be in tip top shape and even kicked back at the machine detecting the heartbeat when it pressed into the McNug's 'hood. This could be one territorial kid.

Things are otherwise good on the complaint front. Not too much to report. I have pretty much given up on getting comfortable in a sleeping position but fortunately some nights I am so tired that I just fall asleep no matter how uncomfortable I am. Last night I suffered from some insomnia, probably related to some stress at work, but Jonathan was very helpful in calming me down and getting me to focus on resting. He's been a great partner in all of this.

I can also report some exciting news on the travel front. I was dreading the fact that I was initially given a middle seat on each leg of my travels and after lots of agonizing and calls to the airline, I finally found a sympathetic ear who agreed that I need special assistance and gave me a primo aisle seat at the front of the plane for each flight. They even offered me a wheelchair. While a wheelchair would be a childhood flying fantasy come true, I think I'll skip it. I enjoy walking around and getting whatever exercise I can in with this bump in front of me.

What's in a name?

It came to my attention a few weeks ago that one of you thinks it's silly that we call our future child "the McNugget." I'm sorry you feel that way but we are not thinking of changing it! We rather like the reminder of an early part of this pregnancy.

However, in case our dissenter has some company among you, I thought I would share the other names this future babe goes by:

Juniper - this is a name that we have ruled out naming our child and therefore it's fair game. We came up with it when we were thinking about names and brainstorming over the letter J. I think it's kind of cute, Jonathan thinks it's absolutely out of the question. Our friend Annie's mom laughed out loud at the suggestion that we would even consider it and thus the nickname was born.

BGG - my mom invented this nickname which stands for "Baby Girl Gordin." I don't think it rolls off the tongue very nicely but she likes it.

Jamette - another Mom creation. She came up with this one before the McNugget was even a glimmer in my uterus. She enjoys talking about the things we'll do with little "Jamette." I wonder if she would have adjusted this name if we were having a boy. Perhaps she just knew it would be a girl?

There are a few others but they're not as common for us. Any suggestions from you, dear readers?

Week 30 update

Welcome to week 30. We are now at 3 pounds and about the size of a head of cabbage.

Things are going well. The heartburn I complained about last week went away a few days ago and thankfully was not replaced with any new ailments.

I was pretty tired this weekend as we hosted both our garage sale and a bachelor/bachelorette party in the same day which meant we were up from 5:30AM – 1:30AM all in one day. We also had a busy Sunday so I was sluggish last night but I’m happy to report that I’m feeling much better today.

One thing I’ve noticed is that I am not able to sleep-in anymore. I thought that I would sleep for a while after Saturday night’s fiesta but I woke up early on Sunday morning after having trouble falling asleep and waking up a few times during the night. In fact, tired or not, I usually wake up a few times during the night either to adjust my position, visit the bathroom, or ponder the mysteries of life. I miss the early days of pregnancy when I was so tired I fell asleep at 9 and didn’t wake up until the morning.

Next week I’ll take what I expect will be my last airplane trip of the pregnancy. By the time I return, the McNug will have clocked 14 plane rides in utero. Too bad we can not collect frequent flyer miles for the extra traveler. I’m pretty sure this will be the most uncomfortable trip yet and the fact that I was only able to get a middle seat on both flights won’t help. My doctor said I should get up every hour to walk around and stretch my legs. I pity the person in the aisle seat next to me. . .