38 Weeks & Feeling Fantastic!

Well...maybe fantastic isn't exactly the best way to describe it. In no way do I feel normal.

Yoga class has been embarrassing these days. My stomach gets in the way of the poses, and I frequently need to pick up my legs and move them because my ligaments will not allow any further stretching to get me into the proper pose. It is pretty hysterical how off balance I am compared to just a few weeks earlier.

In addition, most of my walking has been in the form of running errands, but at this week's doctor appointment I was feeling adventurous and took the stairs. After climbing to the top of the building, I realized I went too far and was so exhausted (FYI the building is only 4 stories high) I had to take the elevator down to the correct floor. Laughing at both my pregnancy brain for not remembering how to count, as well as my lack of stamina, I calmed my breathing as much as possible, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and went to my appointment with a smile on my face.

My swim gear has gone from a modest one piece suit to a wrestling singlet. My belly is covered properly, but the top half of my torso is less than appropriate. No more swimming for me! 

I guess I'm feeling fantastic because I can appreciate this time I have, fleeting as it may be. Even though I'm not all that mobile, I've been extremely productive (all things considered), and the nursery being put together has put my mind at ease. I am beginning to feel like all the loose ends are tied up, so now I can focus on what is really important: watching Gossip Girl on Netflix.

Breakdown
How do I feel?

Great! Here are a few unexpected pregnancy symptoms that should be noted to go with the other more common side effects:

• Skin Tags - So gross, and so normal for pregnant women. I've been cutting them off with nail clippers when they appear...don't tell my dermatologist.
• Bloody Nose - I started using the humidifier, have been putting Vaseline in my nose, and use saline drops. Maybe at least one of these treatments is working.
• Blurred Vision - Not sure if it's safe for me to drive at night any more.
• Pregnancy Brain! - So bad! Last night I left my purse in Jeff's car (when I made him take me to get ice cream), causing me to spend 20 minutes of my morning driving around a parking garage looking for his car and my purse. 
• Intense Itching - I promise I haven't ingested any illegal substances, but I have had severe itching on my back that sometimes drives me crazy. It's the kind of itch that scratching cannot satisfy. It feels like something is bubbling under my skin, and NOTHING can make it go away. A coworker told me she had the same thing happen during her pregnancy, and she says it's likely just a hormonal thing.
• Nesting - I have been sanitizing, deodorzing, and organizing like crazy.
• Ripping Seams - You know you are ready to burst when you hear a slight ripping in the seams of your maternity clothes. This morning I walked out of my office and my coworker said, "Pull your pants up." My belly was hanging out the bottom of my maternity shirt. Classy is my middle name.

Weight gain?
34lbs

Food cravings?
Anything containing calcium: cheese, whole milk, ice cream, eggnog (which I usually hate, but love right now), and so forth. I read an article at the doctor's office yesterday (while I was waiting for him to deliver a baby - how do these OBs function with so much to do in a day?) that explained this phenomenon. Apparently, later in pregnancy babies are taking in more calcium from the mother to help with bone growth. Often, this means they steal calcium from the mother's bones if there is not enough in her diet to aid in this process. My craving dairy products makes a lot of sense given these facts. My body is asking for calcium rich foods to protect my bones, and to help baby grow stronger.

Food aversions?
Spicy foods cause intense heartburn, but it just means I can eat ice cream to ease the pain.  

Sleep?
I'm still waking up at 3:00 every morning, but now it's because I'm having hot flashes. I'm so sweaty when I wake up that I have to kick off the covers, roll myself out of bed, and sit in our cold, drafty bathroom for about 5 minutes before I can go back to bed. I'm getting about 5-7 hours of sleep though, so no complaints here.

Movement?
Sometimes he kicks so hard I'm worried a foot will tear through my stomach.

Stretch marks?
Not that I can see. But if they're coming it will be soon. I don't know how much bigger I can get.

Bellybutton?
My bellybutton is stressed out. It's still an innie, but it is definitely sore from all the pressure being put on it.

Gender?
Keeping all that blue stuff!

What have I learned?
After my unfortunate visit to the doctor at 36 weeks, I felt prepared for my next physical exam. This time didn't go so bad since I knew what to expect. I am 75% effaced, with a "small dimple of dilation." All signs are pointing to no baby in the next few days, which is good because my doctor will be out of town next week.

I'm still waiting for that time when mothers say they just want to get the baby OUT. However, I feel good right now. I hope I start feeling terrible soon so I will be prepared for the birth (never thought I'd say that).

Good news: my acupuncturist said she would help induce labor if need be. Good to have a backup plan!

38 weeks! I'm obviously the Egg Monster.

They're Back...

So remember those Breastfeeding Nazis who were assaulting me earlier in my pregnancy? Well, it turns out they are also concerned about the well-being of my son's penis. Beware the Circumcision Nazis!

Actual thread on my facebook newsfeed.

You can only imagine how conversations go when people ask me about our plans for this procedure. There are hateful opinions from each side of the spectrum (well, honestly more from one side than the other). And believe me, we understand the benefits and risks of circumcision vs. non-circumcision, but also understand why the procedure should not be taken lightly. Here are the medical/psychological facts:

• Circumcision can prevent infections (from something as harmless as a UTI to HIV and cancer).
• Circumcision is mostly cosmetic these days, since we as a society bathe regularly and aren't in war trenches for days at a time.
• Circumcision can cause extreme pain for your child, especially if it is not performed correctly.
• Circumcision can cause infection. 
• Circumcision may affect sexual pleasure.
• Cleaning an uncircumcised penis is not as hard as your grandmother would have you believe.
• A doctor who performs adult circumcisions has a very full schedule.
• Circumcision is best done when the child is a newborn.
• You will get judged if you circumcise your child.
• You will get judged if you do not circumcise your child.
• Your child will get judged by his peers either way.
• If the rapture happens, those with circumcised penises will be left behind.

So there you have it! Clearly it is a big decision for any family, and one that should not be taken lightly. As for anyone wanting to know whether or not we are circumcising our child, my response is, "Why are you asking me about my son's penis, you pervert?" If I want your opinion, I will ask for it. For now, know we are determined to research the topic as thoroughly as possible, and will make a decision we find is best for our family.

See, look how responsible we are with our research!

"W" is for Wirth...and Whale

After receiving a ton of loot at the incredible baby shower my family threw for me, it became clear we should probably get the nursery together.  Drum roll please...a small preview!

I apologize for the terrible lighting. This room gets a lot of natural sunlight, but daylight savings + rainy weather does not equal ideal picture-taking conditions.

Bedding from Pottery Barn Kids, stuffed whale handcrafted by my best friend, crib from a garage sale updated with Valspar Gray Silt paint, curtains from World Market, dresser/changing table from Shopko, diapers from kellyscloset.com (we have Grovia, Rumparooz, and bumGenius for testing...I think I already know which ones I like best), whale quilt pictured on chair handcrafted by my other best friend, chair from my old 8th grade teacher (random and awkward, also not ideal), star lantern from a random kiosk in the mall, framed pictures handcrafted by yours truly. 

So why the whale? It all started out with this guy:

I took a Japanese class in high school, and was inspired by the character Totoro. Soon after we started dating, I made Jeff watch the movie with me, and since then our lives have been changed for the better. Then, we found this guy at a grocery store and purchased it immediately:

You can see the resemblance to Totoro, mostly in the mouth area. This whale has traveled the world with us. You can find him displayed proudly on our dashboard during a road trip, or lounging about in our living room. You might even catch him in France.

Inside whale jokes continued when we found this on the beach. I would like to say it lived a long and happy life after this.

Last year, Jeff bought me the Dogeared whale necklace for my birthday. I wear it every day, and it happens to symbolize both the strength of family bonds, as well as the phrase "It's a Boy!" He got this for me before we knew I was pregnant.

By now I think you get the point that whales have been an important symbol of our long, happy, quirky relationship. You can only imagine our joy when we discovered there is a whale themed nursery in existence. And to be honest, we probably would have made the baby's room whale themed even without the help of Pottery Barn.

So there you have it! Also, don't be mad...we ate whale while we were in Iceland.

Also, I'm officially huge.

37 weeks

Shower the People You Love With Love

With roughly three weeks to go, the house is basically ready to accommodate a baby. Are we ready though? NOPE! This week we discovered Jeff's paternity leave benefits will not kick in until the week after my due date. This news caused us a lot of anxiety, so I am hoping to hold this guy in for as long as possible. Of course, now that I've said this he'll probably come a week early. That's what they refer to as the Luck of the Irish, and I definitely have it (for those who don't know, Irish people are notoriously NOT lucky). 

My sister-in-law, sisters, and mom hosted a pretty rockin' shower for me. My most regrettable pregnancy brain moment so far was leaving my camera at home during this event. Luckily my mother-in-law was able to capture a few shots from the big event. It was so much fun to see all my friends and family together, and we received some very special gifts.

Look at all those presents!!! It took me an hour and a half to open everything. I think everyone was a little stir crazy by the end.

Caught in the act! Pigging out on pumpkin muffins.

Amazing cupcakes made by my sister-in-law. Brown butter pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. I'm still thinking about them.

Look at the amazing quilt my friend Stacey made for us! She crafted this gem without even knowing our nursery is whale themed.

Look at all the fun toys he acquired!

More exciting news in the Wirth world: last week I bought and installed our infant car seat all by my lonesome. I kept hearing people refer to this activity with dread, and they would say things like:

"My husband is at home trying to figure out how to install the car seat. I should bring him home a bottle of wine."
OR
"Putting the car seat in wasn't that bad. It only took me 2 hours."

Jeff has been working 2 jobs since September, so I knew I would most likely end up completing this fun-filled activity myself. And guess what...it took me a total of 5 minutes. As my talents do not include brute strength, the only shaky part was tightening the strap to pull down the base. But being the clever girl I am, I just sat my pregnant behind on the base, pulled the strap, and VOILA! Obviously thinking I did something wrong - because this activity was way easier than others made it out to be - I checked a YouTube video and discovered that it really isn't that complicated (the video is 30 seconds long).

My advice to people: read your car manual first, then read the instructions to the car seat. It's not rocket science, it's just basic literacy.

The hardest part about installing the car seat was picking out the car seat at the store. My mom patiently watched me deliberate over 3 different seats. Then when I narrowed it down to 2 seats I couldn't decide on a color. Sorry Mom. Unfortunately, I can't give you those 45 minutes of your life back.

The nursery is done-ish! Pictures coming soon. I packed our bag for the hospital and made a list of last minute items to throw in. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the dog when I go into labor. Notice how I'm not concerned about the cat...

Falling for Fall - 36 Weeks

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people complain about the weather. I admit I'm guilty of this a couple times during the year. For example, when the winter months never seem to end as I watch the snow gently fall on a cozy day in June, or when the days of torrential downpours bring nutrients to the crops and flooding to my basement. With that as my disclaimer, there are certain types of people who ONLY complain about the weather. If it rains for a day in July they'll exclaim in an exasperated voice, "Will summer ever come?" The next day when it is 95 degrees, this same person will complain about how hot it is. Then, when there is a slight chill in the air he/she will cry out in angst, "I don't feel like we ever got a fall! We just went straight from summer to winter!"

Please, please, please do not say these words to me. I will only respond back, "Ummmmmm...do you know what winter is? Because you're in for a big surprise if you think this is it."

Look around you folks! It's FALL!

At Greenbluff with a 35 week bump.

Mowing down on my third pumpkin doughnut. No excuses!

Our annual tradition of watching a pumpkin get shot from a cannon.

47 pounds of pumpkins...Did we go overboard?

One's pumpkin has the power to speak a thousand words.

Breakdown
How do I feel?

Ouch. Let me just say I've taken exactly 3 Tylenol during my pregnancy: one when I had excruciating implantation cramping, one six hours ago, and one 2 hours ago. My head feels like it's going to explode and my feet are swollen to the max, but my round ligaments haven't felt better in...well, months. Thanks Tylenol!

Weight gain?
32lbs

Food cravings?
Mostly things that involve any form of chocolate or pumpkin (pumpkin chocolate chip bread from Great Harvest was an excellent find the other day). Hot chocolate and chocolate Muscle Milk (duh) have been necessities in my diet for the last 2 weeks.

Food aversions?
I am not anti as far as any foods go, but recent adventures have taught me that adding pepper to any dish is a terrible idea: heartburn - gonna be pissed if this kid comes out bald.  

Sleep?
I'm still waking up at 3:00 every morning. And when I actually can sleep, my dreams have been so vivid it is sometimes hard to discern them from reality (I'm still not convinced my friend Ruth isn't my midwife). During my 3am wakefests, the goal is to roll from my right side to my left. Oftentimes, this venture takes up to 10 minutes, with a slight pause when I get stuck on my back. My most unsuccessful attempt was the other night when I rolled halfway over, only to have the cat climb on my stomach and start purring while I was stuck on my back. It was a cute gesture, but I wanted to throw her across the room. However, there was no way I could possibly reach over to grab her, so I just stayed there and twisted my upper torso as far to the side as possible. My leg was numb when I woke up.

Movement?
Is it possible for him to be scratching me with his fingernails? Sometimes I have an intense, sharp pain when he moves, and it feels exactly like someone is scratching my insides. I'm thinking he is so crammed in there the movement is starting to get painful.

Stretch marks?
People, I thought I found a stretch mark on my stomach yesterday. It was right next to my bellybutton and about 2 inches long. However, it turned out to be an indentation from my shirt. Phew! I hope my luck continues.

Bellybutton?
Innie.

Gender?
Boy. And I even had the doctor confirm in an impromptu ultrasound! He owed me one...see below.

What have I learned?
Sorry for the TMI on this one, but I really did learn something this week --

So I had my first internal exam yesterday.

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE WARN ME?! Ohmygawd I never knew something considered so "routine" could cause so much pain. Pregos and future pregos beware. Prepare yourselves for this because I'm thinking it will be good practice for pain management when delivery comes.

While I was being inspected, we discovered I'm 50% effaced (I have no idea what that means) and slightly dilated. It was this slight dilation that caused Doc to GO BACK IN FOR SECONDS. Not only did I get a thorough examination, but he wanted to DOUBLE CHECK his work by cramming his arm inside me a second time. "Don't be surprised if you have a little bit of spotting after this." No medical procedure can be pleasant when the doctor follows up your appointment with this statement.

With wounded pride and the feeling of being mutilated, I went home and ate a lot of pancakes (sans chocolate chips). Jeff was so sweet. He witnessed the whole affair and made sure I was comfortable for the rest of the evening. He even agreed to watching two episodes of The Vampire Diaries with me (I know he secretly liked it), and let me cuddle with him the whole time. Maybe I should get violated more often.

Whelp, ever since then I've been having more regular and painful contractions. This prompted me to download a contraction timer app on my iPhone to help keep track of how frequently they are occurring. In conclusion, I don't want to go back to the doctor.

Remembering - The Land of Fire and Ice

Exactly one year ago, Jeff and I were on our last travel extravaganza as a childless couple. The two of us are really into adventure, and had been wanting to visit Iceland for a long time. Before we planned our big trip, I was looking at our Iceland travel guides purchased months prior, then at our budget, and had intense feelings of loss. "I will never go to Iceland." 

Providence is a funny thing, because my sister-in-law emailed me just hours later with a Travelzoo deal that caught my attention. Icelandair was offering an Iceland tour package at a price that could not be beat. The trip would be during one of Jeff's breaks from school, it would cost us less than $2,000.00 for airfare and 5 star accommodations, and included a fantastic tour of the island. Thinking it was too good to be true, I went through the purchasing process to see if it was a scam. It wasn't, and during this examination, I discovered that Bjork (one of our favorite singer/songwriters) would be putting on a concert in Reykjavik, and we could purchase tickets to see her in advance while booking our vacation. She would be debuting her new album, Biophilia, and we would get to see it live.

I immediately called Jeff to tell him about the offer, and he was incredibly interested. Then I told him about the Bjork concert. His response was, "Buy those tickets now!" With shaking fingers and a pounding heart, I put in our credit card information and hit the "Purchase" button. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life, and turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made. 

The Land of Fire and Ice

I apologize for the image quality. The air was so humid and chilly that my camera was having a hard time. After all, we were in Iceland.  

Galloping Icelandic horses through the countryside. They really did let you gallop!

 

  

Reykjavik

 

 

 

Island Tour

Gullfoss Waterfall

Gullfoss Waterfall

You can see the two tectonic plates. Science!

Relaxation

The spa of our hotel. You would find us here at least once a day.

Bjork

Although our time in Iceland was brief, we enjoyed every moment to the fullest.

It's Go Time!

It's go time! Or at least close to it. At my doctor's appointment this week, I was informed that if by chance I went into labor in a few days, our baby would not be considered premature, and the hospital would not do anything to stop the delivery. Baby's head is down and ready to go! As you can imagine, I wanted to smack the doctor after he told me all this. I'm not ready, and I at least need 1 more month!

Let's take a moment to talk about my doctor, because I need to get this off my chest. He is so kind, so knowledgeable, so open to answering my annoying questions and making sure my labor as close to what I want as possible. He is an incredible professional, and I have nothing but complete respect for him. However, some people are too handsome for their own good. My appointments with him can be a little...distracting. I hate to admit it, but sometimes when I'm talking to him, I can't seem to concentrate because I'm too busy staring into his cool blue eyes. The other day my coworker came into my office and said, "Wow you look cute today! Wait a second...you have a doctor's appointment today don't you?" Guilty! I hope he never reads this blog!

Other than me having the worst heartburn episode of my life (48 hours of me not eating because it was so bad), there is not too much more to report from the last week. My sisters and mom are throwing me a baby shower this weekend. After that it's laundry, cleaning, and organizing.

It's the final countdown!

Breakdown

How do I feel?

All the discomfort and awkwardness you would expect in late pregnancy is present. The other day a friend asked if I was more clumsy now that I'm bigger.

Me: "No, I don't think so. Jeff do you think I'm more clumsy?"

Jeff: "Absolutely! And ridiculously forgetful!" 

Apparently my pregnancy brain is obvious to everyone but me. So I started monitoring my actions:

• I run into things (usually with my stomach), and continue to run into the same objects even if I've done it 3-4 times in the last hour.
• Every time I close the refrigerator, I close it on my belly.
• Earlier today I almost hit a pedestrian with my car. I literally didn't process the fact that a man was walking directly in front of my car until he started running away from the lunatic driver who was about to kill him.
• My attention span is like that of a 14-year-old lovesick teenager. This causes me to run red lights and walk into rooms with no idea why I'm there. 
• I forget at least one item every time I walk out the door.
• I've resorted to writing everything down and triple checking my calendar to make sure I'm not forgetting anything important. 
• I say the words, "What was I doing?" at least 5 times a day.
• And naturally, I'm waddling all the time.

Weight gain?
I've been eating way healthier than I was in the second trimester, yet I've gained 10 pounds in the last month. My total weight gain is up to 30lbs.

Food cravings?
The other day I needed chips like it was nobody's business. And I wanted/needed plain Ruffles covered in Louisiana Hot Sauce. I walked around the office like a scavenger, looking for anything salty to curb this craving, and begging my coworkers to share their treats. How pathetic am I? Whilst on the prowl, I happened to glance down. To my utter horror and disgust, I discovered that my lovely ankles had turned into horrendous cankles! Salt suddenly wasn't sounding like the best option for me, and I opted for a glass of water instead. Then I went home and ate Oreos.

Food aversions?
Not really, but I have been much more picky about produce. If a fruit or vegetable sitting in front of me is not perfectly ripe, I refuse to eat it.  

Sleep?
I have no idea how I'm able to get out of bed every morning. The other night I was rolling from one side to the other (groaning of course), and got stuck on my back. Pregnant women are like beetles in this respect. You wouldn't think an action like this would be so hard, but it IS my friends. In addition, I wake up at 4:35 on the dot every morning, which is getting a little old.

Movement?
Yup! And I think he's doing a better job of sleeping through the night because nighttime kicks are almost nonexistent. He currently has the hiccups.

Stretch marks?
Probably. I can't see any, but I'll have to get a mirror to confirm.

Bellybutton?
Innie. However, the hole is getting super small from all the stretching. It looks pretty comical...I have nothing appropriate to compare it to. I'm not sure how much further this thing can stretch! Also, the other day I was putting cocoa butter on my stomach when Jeff walked into the room and exclaimed, "Woah! Your stomach is getting huge!" Nice tact.

Gender?
Boy. I should probably have the doctor check again just in case.

What have I learned?
Am I really at full term? I've had 8 months to process this fact, but it's so weird to think there is a BABY in my stomach. And by now he looks like a normal human baby (aka not like Lord Voldemort...hopefully). When I'm repeatedly getting kicked in the ribs, I can no longer be mad because I can only picture a cute, cooing creature rather than a little alien being. Instead of groaning in pain, I can sing to soothe him, and he can even hear me and recognize the song if he's heard it before. This little guy is definitely our son because he responds to classical music (he still hasn't warmed up to Radiohead or Com Truise). He especially likes hearing the piano at church, which can be quite distracting when I'm trying to sing. The bottom line, even though he is still in the womb, I can already pick up on some little personality quirks. Each day his presence is becoming more of a reality, and I can't wait to meet him face to face!

Random thought: most babies spend a large portion of the last few weeks of pregnancy with their heads down. Isn't this uncomfortable with all the blood rushing to their heads?

34 weeks