What to Expect: Weeks 33 and 34

That's a honeydew, people! A friggin' giant melon in my belly! Which means that baby time is closer and closer and I'm just waiting for the total freak out to begin. (I'm currently in about a constant Stage 7 freak out, but I expect it to ramp up to full on Stage 10 as the weeks go by.)

I know it's been 34 weeks, but deep down, I still really can't believe I'm having a baby. A real, live, human being that is currently the size of a honeydew melon (and is going to somehow have to exit my body! We can talk more about that later.)

I am pretty sure that it is the great "unknown" that is causing me to get a little crazy right now. I am a planner. It is in my blood. I will draw a plan of how I'm going to come up with a plan. That is no lie. Now, usually I never actually complete the plans (except in the case of my great IKEA adventure last month) but I must make them! And I must believe that they are, in fact, executable and logical and if I wanted to, I could follow those plans down to the letter and everything would work out perfectly and that gives me peace. However, you can't make a plan for a baby. I don't know what day she'll get here, I don't know how long or painful labor will be, I don't know what kind of temperament she'll have, I don't even know what the weather will be like when we bring her home so I can pick out a cute little outfit because we live in North Florida and GOD FORBID we have seasonal temperatures here! It could be 80 degrees in February or it could be 12. And all of this is making me CRAAAAAZY!!!!!!!!

...and just now, I'm so crazy, that I accidentally published this post before it was ready. I'm taking it as a sign that I should just stop and take a few deep breaths. And maybe go to weatherchannel.com and see what average temperatures are like in Tallahassee for February 5th......

What to Expect: Week 32

Week 32, and we're still a squash. The big day is much closer now, so my doctor's visits have become more frequent - currently every two weeks. Everything is going perfectly, except for the tiny issue of my gestational diabetes. But even that is going well - I started my special diet a week ago and my blood sugar levels have been great ever since. Even the finger pricking isn't that bad, and it's nice to know almost immediately that I have chosen my food wisely, unlike with a weight loss diet where you have to wait weeks to see any progress.

I have had some swelling, mostly in my feet, but a little in my hands. It's not a constant thing, but one day my right foot all the way up to my calf was noticeably larger than my left. I'm talking a freak-show type difference. It looked like I had Hobbit feet! Aaron just kept staring at it and saying, "That can't be good. That really can't be good." However, the doctor has assured me that as long as there's no redness or pain, that swelling on one side or both is normal.

I'm at the point where I could start experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions (or "practice" contractions.) So far, I haven't had any and it's possible that I won't have them at all, but I kind of hope that I do just so I have some sort of idea what I'm getting into. For now, the only activity going on in my uterus is baby gymnastics. My mom and my sister were FINALLY able to feel the baby move last weekend after months of Melissa stalking my belly. I was glad the kid finally performed for her Auntie M, and she definitely made up for lost time by not just giving her a little kick, but a crazy, full body somersault kind of thing. She made me proud!

Easy as 1,2,3....

This week we started our childbirth preparation classes, but I need to backtrack to our first baby class that we took about a month ago, called Baby ABC's. The class description said it was designed to teach us how to care for our newborn and includes information on diapering, swaddling and bathing. I was a little nervous going into it because it was our first class, and I didn't know what to expect - not just from the class, but from Aaron and I as a team. It was the first time we'd been in a learning situation together, and I'm kind of a dork, so I didn't know if our classroom styles would match up. (I pictured me feverishly taking notes and raising my hand to answer and ask questions while Aaron tried to hide and act like he wasn't with the totally nerdy, overachieving pregnant woman.) Plus I didn't know how enthusiastic he was going to be about having to sit in a 2 hour class.

I don't know if Aaron was nervous, but right off the bat, they made us take a 20 question quiz. It was multiple choice, and we had to identify things like meconium, millia, vernix and stork bites. I knew some of the terms from my obsessive pregnancy book reading, but a lot of them were unfamiliar to me. We went back and forth on a few answers, but in the end, we wound up getting all of them right. And Aaron was on the ball in the class, throwing out answers, helping me take notes, making sure we wrote down important information. He made this dork proud!

At the end of class, we got to practice diapering and swaddling, which Aaron excelled at. He'd probably tell you he's better than me at both things (and he's probably right.) Of course, swaddling and diapering a lifeless doll is a lot easier than a newborn baby, but at least we're on track.

The class made me feel more confident, not necessarily in my baby caring skills, but in our skills as a team. Aaron is definitely going to be a hands-on dad, and I'm really, really lucky to have such a supportive husband. I love you, babe!!!!!

A Shower for Le Petit Owlet

***UPDATE: I originally uploaded the wrong invitation copy - it had the baby's name spelled incorrectly. I hope no one has gotten confused by the spelling. The correct spelling can be seen in the invitation below: Addison Frances

The invitation. Owl drawn by Elena.

From the the minute I told my good friend / fellow grad student, Elena, that I was pregnant, she started planning a baby shower for me. She has been calling the baby "le petit owlet" and me "mama owl", so it was only natural that she chose an owl theme for the shower. All of my friends and faculty from the Interior Design department at FSU were invited. The location was Lucy & Leo's Cupcakery / Texture's Handmade Market in midtown Tallahassee, honestly one of the cutest places you could possibly find.

Elena (with the help of her mom, Andrea) went all out, bringing in china, crystal, gold-plated flatware and silver for us to eat and drink from. (Elena doesn't mess around when it comes to party planning! This is why she's become my partner in wedding coordinating, first for my friend, O'Hara, then for my sister's wedding and again in November for our friend, Noelani.) I can't even imagine all the hard work that was put into making the shower happen, but it was absolutely beautiful.

The cupcakes were Vanilla with Buttercream, Red Velvet with Cream Cheese, and (the biggest hit of the evening) Vegan Chocolate/Espresso/Coconut. Melissa, Fran and I demolished one of the Vegan cupcakes in about 30 seconds flat. They were AMAZING! We also had coffee and sparkling apple juice to drink, out of china cups and saucers and crystal champagne glasses, of course!

We got a lot of cute gifts, including a handmade blanket, a precious handmade stuffed dog toy, and some onesies that I cannot wait to put on the baby! Everything was absolutely perfect, and I felt really special and loved. Thanks to Elena and all my sweet, sweet school friends that helped her make it all happen!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sparkling Apple Juice

There's a bottle of champagne hidden in this diaper cake. Makes me love it even more....

Fran, Noelani and Dr. Waxman. Fran actually taught Dr. Waxman's daughter in elementary school.

Party favors.

With Fran, my Tallahassee mother-in-law, and my sister, Melissa. I had to have my real family meet my school family!

Getting love from the best party planner ever!

What To Expect: Week 31

I hope you guys are relishing these "What to Expect" entries , because there are only 9 left after this! And thinking about that kind of makes me sick to my stomach. Don't get me wrong - I am really, really excited about seeing the baby for the first time, and how wonderful it will be to spend those first weeks as a family, even when Aaron and I are ready to fling poop-filled diapers at each other out of sleepless frustration.

What I'm not looking forward to so much is the labor. Reeeeaaaaally not looking forward to that part. But, maybe I'm making such a big deal out of it in my mind that when it finally gets here, it will be much easier than I had envisioned. That could happen, right?

As of this week, the baby is about the length she'll be when she's born (around 18"), but she will still gain 3-5 pounds before the big arrival. For some reason, this kid has been ROWDY since about Friday. Moving around a lot, not so much kicking as she is doing these weird roll things. And she definitely likes the right side of my stomach better than the left. No idea why, but it's like she's always curled up over there. It's probably that her head is on that side, and since it is surely the size of a canteloupe by now, that's why I feel like that side is bigger.

I'm actually happy that she moves so much because, as a professional worrier and pessimist, I freak out when she hasn't moved for awhile. All the movements are a nice little gift, like she's saying, "Here, mommy, don't worry! There's still plenty of things for you to turn into a completely neurotic mess over later. You'll see!"

We have a TON of stuff going on this week (including my first baby shower and our first two childbirth classes) so stay tuned for some good blog entries.....

What to Expect: Week 30

November 23, 2009

Week friggin' 30.

Seriously? Only 10 weeks to go? How did this happen? It feels like just yesterday that we were buying pregnancy tests in bulk and obsessing over fertility windows, and now I'm as big as a house and I'm waddling. (Yes, I'm waddling. Aaron said that yesterday, and I tried to argue with him, but then I realized today that I have a subtle, yet distinct, waddle to my gait. You were right, honey. And you suck. :)

Last week was a bit of a doozie. I had the pleasure of enduring the 1 hour glucose tolerance test, failing it, then sitting for the 3 hour version two days later. And then I found out I failed that one, too, which means that I officially have gestational diabetes. (Click the link for more info.) Basically, all of the hormones being produced by the placenta are interfering with my insulin's ability to control my blood sugar. The plan of attack is to modify my diet to control my blood sugar levels.

I'm going to take a class next week and see a dietitian to develop a new eating plan that involves a lot less sugar and a lot fewer carbs. I'm not really worried about the carb part because I've read that they'll just tell me to eat whole grains, which I already do exclusively. However, I am worried they're going to take away my ability to eat fruit which is NOT going to be pretty - I'm basically addicted to apples and oranges. The worst part is that I'm going to have to check my blood sugar levels throughout the day, which means I'll be pricking my finger. Yippee.

The good news is that my body should go back to handling my blood sugar normally after the baby is born. There is a slight chance that I'll develop Type 2 diabetes later in life, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't the greatest thing to happen, but it's definitely manageable, and it's far better than other problems I could be having. And, hey, I'll only have to deal with it for 10 more weeks!

Twitter Account

I just sent this out as an email, but I wanted to add it to the blog in case I missed anyone.....

I know there are a lot of people who are going to want to know what's happening when the "big day" finally arrives, and I've been trying to figure out the best way to pass along information to everyone regarding Addison Frances' arrival. Something that doesn't involve 1,000 phone calls a minute or carrier pigeons or some sort of radio broadcast. I have decided to set up a Twitter account that I will use to pass along information when I'm in labor. I am new to Twitter, and I'm sure many of you are, too. Here is some basic info about Twitter:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications.

Someone (probably my sister) will be updating it for me - I'll have much more important things to do - but this way everyone can get updates (without all that pigeon poop!) We'll let you know in the week or so before she's due how things are progressing, notify you when I'm officially in labor, and we'll give you updates on contractions, dilation and effacement. If this makes you uncomfortable, then this Twitter feed is NOT for you!!! We will post some pictures along the way, and when she finally arrives, we'll give you all the stats (time, weight, length) and a picture of her cute little face.

To see my Twitter updates online, go to http://twitter.com/kautzbaby

If you would like to follow my Twitter account and receive all of my Tweets as a cell phone text message, you will have to sign up for Twitter (which is easy to do, and you can always cancel it later) and then follow the instructions here:
http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/14020

More info about getting Twitter updates via text can be found here:
http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/14020

Please let me know if you have any questions or have any trouble accessing my Twitter feed. I won't be "tweeting" much until it's closer to the due date, but I do hope that if there are any kinks, we'll have them worked out by then, so let me know if you're having a problem. 76 days and counting........