34 Weeks!

•How far along?: 34 weeks, and still pregnant!

•Current Weight: 139.

•Total weight gain: +16 from pre-pregnancy weight.

•How big is baby?: Honeydew; 5 pounds 3 ounces, as of yesterday; and the 63rd percentile.

•Movement: All.The.Time.

•Stretch marks?: I swear I see a small one right above my belly button, between my belly button and piercing hole. But Matt says I'm crazy, that there is nothing there.

•Sleep?: The last 2 nights, I actually slept through the night! I took a Zantac 150 before going to bed both nights, so I'm thinking that's helping.

•Symptoms?: Same as last week - uncomfortable belly, BH's, contractions, peeing all the time, and massive heartburn.

•Food aversions?: Not currently.

•Food cravings?: Hamburgers, cheese, pizza.

•Labor signs?: Eh. I've had a few contractions here and there. I had to take my Brethine today though.

•Belly button in or out?: Remaining even with my belly. I don't think it will pop out.

•What I miss: Bending over and moving easily.

•What I'm looking forward to: Construction starting on Tuesday!! We'll have a nursery by next weekend!!

•Best Moment this week: Finding out my cervix is still stable at 2 cm.

•Milestone: Being 34 weeks!

Bed Rest - Day 22

So today was a good day. This is probably because I slept through the entire night last night - something that hasn't happened in a long time. I decided to give in, and take a Zantac 150 before I went to bed, hoping it would work. I stopped it a few months ago because it wasn't helping anymore, so I figured why keep taking it. Well, I did not wake up once uncomfortable, or with heartburn. I slept right until 9:30 this morning, and only woke up for a minute when Matt was getting dressed for work. Definitely amazing!

I also had an appointment and ultrasound today, so I was anxious about that. I'm surprised I slept at all, actually. And everything looks PERFECT! My cervix is stable at 2 cm, and it's still closed. I am so relieved. I was fearing the worst, and was having images in my head of it being funneled and only 1 cm long. I am so happy that wasn't the case.

Cael also looked perfect..as I expected. My fluid measured 16 cm, which is great; his heart rate was 132 bpm, also great; and Cael is an estimated 5 pounds 3 ounces, and in the 63rd percentile still. Absolutely beautiful. He's also still on my right side, which is probably why I'm so uncomfortable. With him being on my right side completely, it pushes up on my liver - squishing that - which then pushes up into my lungs. Definitely a reason to be uncomfortable.

Because of my progesterone shot being due on Tuesday, they made my next appointment on Tuesday. However, I think it's dumb for me to go in on Tuesday, because then only 4 days have gone by since my last appointment. Plus, I liked my Thursday/Friday appointments, because Matt could go to the ones on Thursday at least. So I plan on calling the office on Monday and asking if the shot has to be given every 7 days, or if it can be 9 days for just this one time. If it can, then I'm going to reschedule my appointment to Thursday, and do everything then. If not, I'll have to figure out what to do.

We have our breastfeeding class at 6pm on Tuesday, and my appointment is at 2:45. That's a long time to wait between the two. Plus, Matt can't get off work that early for my appointment. So at this point, I have no idea what to do. ALSO, we have to have someone home on Tuesday evening because :::drum roll please::: construction starts on Tuesday!!!

I'm so excited. I thought it would never start! So we'll have a nursery to start setting up next weekend!! So I'm thinking of having Matt's mom come with me to the breastfeeding class (Matt would love that, since he doesn't want to go), and Matt can still leave early and come home for the construction. In the end, a 2:45 appointment just won't work on Tuesday.

We have our all day birthing class tomorrow, from 9-5:30. It's going to be a long day day, but well worth it. We're then going to go to Lowe's after, and buy paint for the new living room and kitchen. We have to pick out a border for the Cael's nursery before we pick out a shade of brown to paint the bottom part of the wall, so that can wait until Monday. I'm just so excited! It's going to be a busy next week couple of weeks. Hopefully Cael decides to stay put until at least the nursery is done.

:::You're looking perfect, baby:::

Bed Rest - Day 20 & 21

I'm miserable. Let me start there. I'm still not sleeping well at night; I'm uncomfortable; I have heart-burn all the time; I'm emotional and can't seem to put a finger on why; I feel like a hippo; I feel completely useless; etc.

Let's talk about yesterday, shall we?

It was an ok day. I mostly lounged on the couch, and was on Facebook and The Bump most of the time. Matt came home from work early, around 1:45, so I was thrilled and really happy about that. We relaxed on the couch, and I decided to whip out "Heading Home With Your Newborn", a book that my OB office gave me at my first OB visit. The first chapter was about breastfeeding, and quite honestly, it overwhelmed me. So I put the book down, and tried to relax on the couch.

I was growing increasing uncomfortable. No matter how I laid or moved, it hurt. Cael is sticking his butt up higher in my chest, and it just hurts at this point. So I just broke down and started crying. Actually, thinking about my crying bout yesterday makes me want to cry right now. Matt said something along the lines of "I'm just going to let you cry it out." And he did for a few minutes, until he realized how miserable I was, and I wasn't stopping. He put the computer down, and wedged himself closer to me on the couch. He started rubbing my legs and feet, and rested his head on my thigh, and just looked at me helplessly. I could tell he didn't know what to do or say to make me feel better.

He asked me what was bothering me, and I honestly couldn't tell him. I don't know what's bothering me. Hormones maybe? Being overwhelmed, being uncomfortable, or maybe just feeling done. He asked if I wanted to go lay down in the bedroom, and I figured it couldn't hurt to move and change positions. We cuddled, he consoled me, and I ended up falling asleep. I woke up about 2.5 hours later. I got up, and made my way to the couch again. We then ordered pizza, and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Around 9:45 or so, I started having contractions, and they were really uncomfortable. I used my contraction timer app on my phone, and they ended up being 4-5 minutes apart. Wonderful. I had only experienced a handful of contractions each day over the last few days, so I guess I couldn't really complain. I took a Brethine, and waited for it to take effect. Around 10 or 10:15 we got into bed, and and that point, I was feeling the side effects of the Brethine. And I felt like crap. But my contractions stopped, so I guess I could deal with it.

I was having heart palpitations, felt anxious (great, just what I needed), and felt like I was shaking uncontrollably, even though I wasn't. Matt encouraged me to "breathe it out", so I focused on my breathing. I think I finally fell asleep around 11 or so, which was well after Matt had fallen asleep.

I woke up at 4:30am this morning, used the bathroom, got back into bed, and couldn't get comfortable. I guess I shouldn't really complain, because I don't remember waking up between when I initially fell asleep and 4:30am. No matter how I laid, I couldn't get comfortable. And then there was Matt's snoring. Which, by the way, needs to stop before this baby gets here. At about that same time, the horrible heartburn started, and wasn't letting up.

I got back up, took 2 Tums 1000, and climbed back into bed. It helped for a little while - maybe 3o minutes - and then the heartburn returned. I propped my pillows and Snoogle up so that I was pretty much sitting up. Being like that felt 'ok', and I tried to fall asleep. The heartburn hurt so bad, and I was so thirsty, but I knew if I drank water, it would make it worse. So I got back up, and drank some Coke. I figured it was the only thing that wouldn't give me heartburn, and if anything, would maybe help me burp some of it up.

So I got back into bed - in my sitting-up position - and actually dozed off for maybe a half hour. But I was woken up by Matt's snoring. Once I was awake then, I didn't fall back to sleep until about 7:15. I played on my phone for that whole time. One good thing is that I figured out how to get rid of the "Application Data Space Is Low..." message that has been on my phone for the last few weeks. Yay. Before I knew it, it was 6:45 and Matt's alarm was going off. At this point, I still had heartburn. And oddly enough, I was having hunger pains for about an hour. I was trying to figure out if I should get up and eat something, but I decided not to.

So Matt was up and dressed, and I asked him to bring me bread on a plate. I was hoping that it wouldn't make my heartburn worse. I helped my hunger pains, and since I was already sitting up, I figured it would be ok if I fell asleep. I finally nodded off, and didn't wake up until 9:30 this morning.

I refused to get out of bed until after 10, and I didn't.

I was excited for today, because I had an appointment to get a manicure and pedicure at 1:30. I showered, and then laid around until it was time to leave. I got my mani/pedi, and then came home, which is where I'm at right now. But my gosh, is it hot out!! The thermometer said 97 degrees. I felt miserable while I was out, but it was worth the mani/pedi. Matt should be getting home within the next 45 minutes or so. Maybe I can convince him to go into the pool with me. As hot as it is out, floating in the pool will make all the pressure and discomfort go away. We'll see.

I have an ultrasound and appointment tomorrow at 1:30. I'm getting anxious for the ultrasound, as my cervix hasn't been checked in 2 weeks, so I have no idea what to expect. I just hope it's not a lot shorter. I have to go by myself to this appointment, as Matt can't get off work. His mom can't go either. I don't mind going by myself, but I'd rather have someone there with me. But oh well.

I'm going to leave it off here, as I think I want to lay down for a little while before Matt gets home. I'm just not feeling well, between the pressure and horrible taste in my mouth.

:::I can't wait for you to be an outside baby. I want to hold you so bad:::

Bed Rest - Day 19

Let me start off by saying that I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night. And it was a very long day. I woke up at 2:30am to pee, which is no biggie. But when I laid down to fall back to sleep, Cael had the hiccups. This must have irritated him, because then he moved non-stop for about an hour to an hour and a half. That brought us to about 4am. Finally, when he calmed down, I wasn't tired anymore. How wonderful. So to try and pass the time, and make myself tired again, I Bumped from my phone for a while. That took me until about 5:30am, when I put the phone down and tried to fall asleep. I think I finally fell asleep when Matt woke up at 6am to go to the bathroom himself. Luckily, at that point, I was tired enough to fall back to sleep.

I was hoping that I wouldn't have trouble sleeping, because I had to get up early to go to my MW's office for my first Progesterone shot. My progesterone was delivered yesterday afternoon, so I didn't have enough time to get to the office. So I woke up at 9:10, and was out the door at 9:30, feeling "eh". I got to the office, waited only 10 minutes, and was given my first shot in my right butt cheek.

I really thought that it was going to hurt, because it's a thicker, oily consistency. However, the only thing I felt was the sting of the needle. I didn't feel the medicine at all, which I was happy about, considering I have to have these every week.

I then headed home, to finish folding and storing all the baby clothes we got. Matt came home with a box and garbage bag filled with baby clothes from a co-worker. We sorted through them last night, and I washed what we were keeping - twice. We needed larger space bags, because there just wasn't enough room in the medium sized ones we go, so I stopped at Walmart on my way home from the doctor.

By the time I got home, I really didn't feel like doing anything. So I relaxed on the couch, and Matt came home from work early. I was really uncomfortable all day with a lot of pressure, so I figured a dip in the pool would help. And it did! I didn't feel pregnant at all while in the pool, and it completely relieved my pressure and discomfort. We floated around for a while, and as soon as I stepped foot on the ladder to get out, and my belly was above water, the discomfort came back. The pool is absolutely amazing!

We came back in, and I finally finished storing the baby clothes by size in the Space Saver bags. I feel accomplished, yet exhausted. I may have done too much today, although I didn't have many contractions. So that is why I'm relaxing ALL DAY tomorrow, and not doing anything.

Bed Rest - Days 16, 17 & 18

Saturday was a pretty good day. However, I didn't get much sleep at all the night before. I was up every hour pretty much, just uncomfortable. And Matt's snoring didn't help either. It was also a very emotional day for some reason - I just couldn't stop crying for whatever reason. I was in bed at about 10pm Friday night, but pretty much cried myself to sleep. And poor Matt couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.

Saturday was also a very exciting day. At about 5am Saturday morning, I get a text from my best friend Lindsay that she was on her way to the hospital. Her water broke at about 4:30am. I was so excited, and then couldn't sleep much after that. I finally fell back asleep at about 7am, when Matt was on his way to work, and was up at 9 am.

At the same time, Matt's sister-in-law, also Lindsey, was also at the hospital at 6am for her induction. So we had two people we know and are close with in labor at the same time. It was pretty crazy and exciting. Matt was at work, so I was in charge of updating him. Long story short, Lindsay was ready to push at around 6pm, and Liam was born at 7:19pm, weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces. The other Lindsey, however, wasn't as lucky with a quick labor. She ended up in labor for about 22 hours or so, and needed a C-Section. Briley was born at 5:14am, weighing 8 pounds 13 ounces. They are both so adorable, and I cried when I saw pictures (darn hormones).

Sunday was pretty much just as exciting, but not nearly as relaxing for me. We were supposed to have our Birthing Center Tour at 4pm, but Matt and I just didn't feel like driving the hour and 15 minutes one way. We just didn't. So I called and rescheduled it to August 11th. Let's hope Cael isn't here by then!

So we spent the day together, pretty much out of the house. We went to the hospital to visit Lindsey, Brian and Briley. She is just so adorable, and so tiny! Surprisingly though, I was so nervous to hold and handle her. I didn't want to drop or hurt her. But holding and seeing her made me so excited and anxious to have Cael in my arms.

When we left the hospital, we made a plan to go to Babies 'R' Us. I think some of my anxiety came from not having everything we needed for Cael (despite not having a nursery to set everything up in). We got a lot of great and awesome stuff at my shower, but surprisingly, we didn't get a lot of the "little" stuff we needed in the nursery. We didn't get crib sheets, a changing pad, changing pad cover, plain white onesies, socks, mittens, hamper, Dreft detergent etc. So I had a slew of coupons, and a bunch of gift cards from our shower, and we headed to BRU to get what we needed. After coupons, we spent about $250 - $50 of which was out of pocket. Not bad for the cart full of stuff we bought. We then headed to Target (which I also had gift cards for) so that I could get my breast pump. After getting white onesies, socks, mittens and my breast pump, we only spent $1.76 after gift cards. Not too bad. And I felt a lot better after getting everything.

Monday (today) is going to be a much more relaxing day. Meaning, I'm not going to go out anywhere. I need to relax after yesterday. However, since we now have Dreft, I plan on going through all of the clothes we have for Cael (while on the couch), and sorting them. I'm also going to wash some of the newborn and 0-3m clothes we got. We got Space Saver bags yesterday so I could do just that. Matt knows I'm going crazy not being able nest because we don't have a nursery yet. So it was his idea to get the SS bags, so that I could do something. Plus, how can you not have fun sorting through baby clothes!?

Speaking of construction, the contractor said that he would start the last week of July. That's quickly approaching, and we haven't heard anything from the contractor. Matt figures that he would show up, and just tell Matt when he would start - probably within a week. So if Matt doesn't hear anything by the 25th - next Monday - then he'll contact him. He doesn't want to contact him ahead of that, because the contractor is actually doing us a favor. He has a waiting list about a year long, and the only reason he's doing this for us "so soon" is because he's friends with Jeff, who Matt works with.

I'm growing increasingly uncomfortable. It's getting harder and harder to move, roll over in bed, get off the couch, get in and out of vehicles..should I go on? And I'm only 33 weeks. I still have several weeks to go, and a lot more to grow. I can't imagine. I'll just have to take it day by day. I'm still having contractions, but not nearly as many or as frequently, as I was having in weeks past. So that's a good thing. We'll have to see on Friday how my cervix looks.

:::I love you much already:::

33 Weeks!

•How far along?: 33 weeks! Just a little longer!

•Current Weight: 139.

•Total weight gain: +16 from pre-pregnancy weight.

•How big is baby?: Honeydew; 19-20 inches long, and about 5 pounds! We'll know more accurately next Friday.

•Movement: All.The.Time. He moves so much, it makes me nauseous and queasy.

•Stretch marks?: Zippo!

•Sleep?: Sleep? What sleep?

•Symptoms?: Uncomfortable belly, BH's, contractions, peeing all the time, and massive heartburn.

•Food aversions?: Not currently.

•Food cravings?: Cheese, pasta, pizza, hamburgers.

•Labor signs?: They're under control at this point.

•Belly button in or out?: Remaining even with my belly. I don't think it will pop out.

•What I miss: Moving around easily, not having heartburn.

•What I'm looking forward to: Seeing how much Cael has grown next Friday.

•Best Moment this week: Finding out my FFN was negative.

•Milestone: Getting to 33 weeks! Keep baking!

Bed Rest - Day 15

Today was a good day. However, I was really uncomfortable last night, and had a hard time sleeping. My belly was painful and uncomfortable, and I started feeling just "blah". I'm thinking I'm going to have to resort to sleeping in the recliner soon. For most of the day today, too, I've been uncomfortable. Some weird stretching pains throughout my belly, I guess. Or I hope.

But I was productive today, I must brag! I started and finished Cael's letter's for the wall in his nursery. I absolutely LOVE how they came out. I got the idea from a fellow Bumpie on The Bump. She did her letters in a similar way, and I got the instructions from her. You simply use any scrapbook paper you want, trace the letters on the paper, cut them out, and then use Mod Podge glue to glue the cut-out paper to the wooden letters. Wait for it to dry, and then apply another coat of Mod Podge to seal it. Wait again for it to dry, and then apply one last coat to finish it off, and let dry completely.

The only thing left is to get brown/blue ribbon to match, so that we can hang the letters on the wall. But we still need a nursery to do that :) Hopefully soon.

Here are the letters from start to finish:

I now want to try and find other projects that I can do. I'm excited. I've never done anything like this before, and I am not crafty AT ALL. But I feel I did a really good job on these letters, and want to see if there is anything else I can pull off. :)

In other news, Cael has been moving around like CRAZY! He's constantly pushing his feet into my upper left belly, and likes sticking his butt out. It's really uncomfortable at this point, but I still love feeling him move and poke at me.

:::I hope you like the letters for your nursery, Cael:::

Bed Rest - Day 14; And An Appointment Update

Everything went well at my appointment today. I already got the results of my FFN test..and it was NEGATIVE! So that is good news. But let me tell you, the speculum and swabbing hurt really bad. Maybe because Matt and I haven't been able to have sex for a while. I'm still on modified bed rest, which I expected.

My midwife brought up a recent study of how Progesterone shots may hold off pre-term labor, so she suggested starting them as soon as possible. I had to order the Progesterone over the phone through an outside pharmacy, and when it gets delivered to me (Monday the latest), I bring it in to my office and they administer the shot.

The progesterone (enough for 10 injections) cost me $126 plus shipping, but I'll get reimbursement forms with it, so I can submit it to my insurance company. So hopefully they'll reimburse me for it. I'm guessing I'll get one shot a week until I reach 36 weeks. At that point, my MW said they'll let me be, and if he comes, that's fine at that point. My next appointment is next Friday, in which they'll do a cervical ultrasound to check the length.

Being out since 9:30 this morning, and just getting home at around 4pm caused me to start having contractions regularly, so I just had to take a Brethine pill to stop them. Luckily, it worked, and I haven't had a contraction in some time now. I am now on the couch resting, where I will be for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

I did get my first "Wow, you're going to have a big baby" comment today. We went out to get some food after my appointment, and our waitress asked me how much longer I had to go. I told her two months left, to which she replied the previously quoted statement. I thought to myself, "Do I really look that big??" I asked Matt, and he said that he's told me recently that I'm getting big. Well gosh, that didn't do much to help my self-esteem. But that's ok. I didn't bother explaining to her that Cael will probably be here sooner than 2 months :).

:::Keep baking Cael. Just a few more weeks longer!:::

Bed Rest - Day 13

So today was one of those days where I did nothing. I got up, got dressed (yes, that includes putting a bra on), and plopped myself on the couch with my pillow and Snoogle pillow. I guess because I did "so much" yesterday, I wanted to take it easy today. Plus, I was feeling lazy - is that even possible being on bed rest?!

I do have to admit though, and Matt will probably be livid with me when he gets home, that I just finished doing 10 minutes worth of dishes. I don't think that's too straining, and it has been driving me nuts not being able to do anything. Plus, as much as Matt has been doing, the dishes were piling up. I feel somewhat accomplished now, though.

My OB office called me this morning, asking me questions regarding my disability paperwork. I'm glad they got it, and actually surprised they were working on it so quickly. The lady said that she should have it done by hopefully tomorrow, and then will forward it to my HR department. Along the same note, I woke up this morning with the most random thought. On the paperwork I filled out, and mailed to HR yesterday, I remember putting that I was 26 under an area asking for my age. I'm NOT 26, I'm 25. What was I thinking?? Is my brain really not functioning that well? Why would I think I was 26? I can ask and wonder forever, but the point is that I have to call my contact person tomorrow, and tell her that I mistakenly put my wrong age on the paperwork I mailed to her. How embarrassing is that? Geez.

Tomorrow is my weekly OB appointment. They'll be doing the FFN test, as well as everything else that is part of my routine visits. I was thinking about asking if she could check my cervix to see if I'm dilated at all. I know you're not supposed to go in a pool or take a bath if you're dilated, and I don't want to have to worry about that. I don't know if she will check it this early, but it's worth asking about.

Other than that, nothing else new is going on. I watched the last part of the USA v. France women's soccer game, in which the USA won! I've been flipping between channels and the Japan v. Sweden game, but it's really not as interesting as the USA game was. But currently, if Sweden can't score 2 more goals in 15 minutes, it looks like it will be Japan and the USA in the finals.

I'll leave you with a picture of my cute Tyson, taking over my Snoogle pillow and part of the couch today. I guess I should get ready to not have personal space anymore, huh? And also, here are two pictures from today's HDBD on The Bump that I feel like sharing :)

:::I don't know what else to say, but that I love you so much already:::

Bed Rest - Day 10, 11 & 12

So it's been a while since I posted any updates here. Well, a while considering I'm home all day now. In general, I'm feeling ok. I honestly think I'm starting to do too much out of boredom. Meaning, getting up and walking around too much. But hopefully that will stop, because I had a bunch of things I had to get done - repair paperwork (for my Jeep), disability paperwork, etc - that I needed to complete and fax out. That's all done for the most part now, so I've been trying to remain conscience about how much I'm doing every day. Other than that, I'm still having lower pelvic twinges (today is my last day of being on Cipro..hmm), and contractions, but nothing consistent.

Sunday was a pretty good day. Matt took apart the back of the dryer to clean it out. For the longest time, it took about 2 cycles through the dryer to fully dry the clothes. We've been meaning to take off the back, and clean out all the built up lint for a while now, but never got around to it. Saturday, I brought up how I'll have to start washing Cael's clothes soon, so Matt took the hint. I helped him with that (and I probably shouldn't have), but I didn't do too much. He took off the back of the dryer, and was on the floor vacuuming everything out. I just held the garbage bag, and cleaned out the vacuum canister when it got too full. I felt I needed to do something. Needless to say, the dryer works much better now!

Later in the afternoon, Matt's brother and sister-in-law came by for a visit. She's 6 weeks ahead of me, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of their little girl Briley. If she doesn't go into labor on her own this week, she'll be induced on Saturday. It's so exciting! She will be Matt's first niece, and I can't wait to have a baby around to prepare me :). We had BBQ for dinner, and then later the whole family made S'mores outside. It was an action-packed day (for me, anyway), and I definitely felt it.

Monday was eventful as well. I got up at around 9:30 (I'm sleeping later, because I either can't fall asleep at night, or I'm up at all hours of the night), finished my Thank You notes (woohoo!! Finally!), put stamps on them, filled out my disability paperwork (that in itself was stressful enough to put me into PTL!), and then went to Matt's work to utilize his fax machine.

I thought I had to have my supervisor fill out a part of the paperwork, so I faxed it to her at work, and waited for her to fax it back. While I was waiting, I went to the post office (mind you, Matt's work is literally a minute away, and the PO is only 5 minutes away) to mail my Elfster gift, and pick up stamps for the Thank You notes. After a 15 minute wait at the PO, I went back to Matt's work. There was nothing faxed back. At this point, I was exhausted (it was only about 11:30am), so I decided to just go home, and wait for Matt to tell me I got the form back.

I was waiting because after I got that form back, I needed to fax that and 5 additional pages to my OB's office for them to fill out their part. The sooner I get this disability paperwork processed, the sooner I'll start receiving my disability payments. My last paycheck will be this Thursday, and that one will only be half of what I normally get. The disability paperwork was a real hassle to fill out, so I'm happy it's done at this point.

That brings me to about 2:50pm. I'm on the couch, getting ready to blog while watching a show on MTV, and the power just goes off. I figure it's because of the hot weather outside, so I don't think anything of it. I waited about 5 minutes, and it never came back on, so I made my way upstairs to see if Matt's parents were home to see if they could call the electric company. On my way upstairs, I slowly noticed that there is power on around me - the kitchen radio is on, lights are on, etc. I realized that only our apartment has no power.

Long story short, it turns out the electric bill for the apartment wasn't paid for 2 months, so they came and turned our power off. I won't go into the logistics, but just know that this was of no fault of ours. After calls were made to the company, and the bill paid in full, we were informed that it could take 1-3 days for the power to be turned back on! Great - I'm home on bed rest, and I have no power to my apartment.

Tuesday (today) was a much better day. I had bad heartburn last night again, but not the worst. It still kept me up though, along with the lack of background white noise. It's hard for me to fall asleep without any noise (fan, air purifier) going in the background. Otherwise, my ears pick up on every little noise and creak, and I can't fall asleep. Last night, it was the sound of Killian licking himself disgustingly right outside our bedroom door.

I had Matt mail out my Thank You notes in the morning when he left for work, so I felt accomplished with that. I then called my HR again, to double check what sections of the paperwork needed to be filled out my supervisor. Turns out, NOTHING! Duh! So I went back to Matt's work to use his fax machine, and I had him fax everything to my doctors office for them to fill out. Hopefully, it doesn't take them too long to fill everything out and get it back to my HR. I'm going to call in the morning to make sure they got all the paperwork.

After being at Matt's work for the 2nd day in a row, he yelled at me to go home and rest, like I'm supposed to be doing. Everything that needed to be faxed was faxed, so now I needed to take it easy. And that's where I've been ever since I got home. Resting on the couch, catching up on The Bump, and blogging. I'll probably go outside and relax in the pool too. Like I've said before, it feels great to float weightlessly.

On a good note, our power was restored this morning at 11:00am! I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, I had already made a call (an embarrassing call) this morning to my OB/Gyn to hopefully have them help us get the power turned on sooner. The power company said that we could be bumped up to a higher priority to get our power back on if there was a medical need; and if a physician called to verify there was a medical need. I had to explain the whole embarrassing situation to the lady who answered the phone, and then had to wait for my MW's nurse to call me back. She didn't call me back until just a little while ago (about an hour after the power was restored), and I told her that we didn't need them to call. I guess she didn't get the message that I called and that we had power, so she didn't need to call me back. I certainly felt like a pain in the ass patient today, that's for sure.

That brings me to currently. I'm thinking I'm going to go float in the pool for a little while, just to do something. I still have to write 2 more Thank You notes out, but they're special ones to my sister-in-law and mother, who threw the shower for me. I'll either do that later tonight, or tomorrow.

I've also been thinking about how we'll set up Cael's nursery when the construction is finished. I'm getting overwhelmed with the thought of the construction finally happening. I guess we've been waiting for so long, and the idea of Cael being here early are all contributing to me becoming anxious. I just can't imagine our apartment looking nice and "finished". But it will nice to have the nursery done at least a few weeks before Cael gets here, so that I can still nest.

We'll still have so much to do after the construction is finished, and maybe that's also why I'm overwhelmed. We will need to paint both the nursery and new living room wall, as well as the new wall that will be facing the kitchen. Matt will also have to lay the new flooring down throughout the living room and into the kitchen. Not to mention build all the furniture, and set everything up. My brain is just swirling!

Finally, I must say that Cael has been constantly moving! He is doing beautifully, from what I can tell. I'm so happy he's very strong.

That's all for now. I think I've written enough :)

:::Keep growing strong, Cael:::

Bed Rest - Day 9

When I woke up this morning, I decided that I had to set up some kind of routine for myself since I'll be out for a while. So when I woke up, I moved my Snoogle and regular pillow out to the couch, as I normally do. I let the dogs out, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and plopped myself on the couch. After I was done eating, I wrote a To-Do list for myself, to keep myself in line for the day (It's so easy to just lounge on the couch with the computer, and waste the day away). It included writing out at least 10 thank you notes (yes, I managed to only write out 5. Not very good.), wash a load of Matt's work clothes, go to the post office, and go to CVS.

Since I'm allowed short, occasional visits out of the house (as long as I come right back home and relax), I decided to go to the post office. I needed to get stamps, and mail my Elfster gift out. Unfortunately, I forgot the post office closes at 12 on Saturdays, and I got there at 20 minutes after 12. The office was still open, but the window was closed. So I picked up a Flat-Rate box, and went along my way.

I was upset about the closed post office, so I figured I'd treat myself to Dunkin' Donuts - the drive-thru of course! I got a ham-egg-cheese on a bagel, a strawberry frosted doughnut, and a frozen hot chocolate. It was definitely delicious. I then came home, laid on the couch and ate my sandwich, and then packed up my Elfster gift so it would be ready for me to mail out on Monday. I told Matt yesterday that I would wash a load of his work clothes, so I put them in the washer (he was upset when he got home and saw I did that, because I'm supposed to be resting. He was thankful though).

At this point in the day, I decided I had done too much. I was starting to get irregular, yet frequent BH's, so I decided I was done moving around for the day. I set myself up on the couch, watched Harry Potter, and started writing out my thank you's. I managed to get about 90% of them done - all the ones that my guests had self-addressed are finished; I only have to do the ones for gifts that were sent. I want them done by Monday, so that when I make my quick trip back to the post office, I can mail them all out and be done with them.

Matt came home from work, and we lounged on the couch a bit more. He had a long, busy day at work. It was about 4:00 when Matt asked if I had been down to the pool at all. I hadn't been, but then wanted to. So we got into our suits, and headed down to the pool. It was still hot out, but it felt amazing to float weightlessly in the pool. I didn't have one BH while in the pool. We got out, and then relaxed in the evening sun - where I got some color :)

That brings us to now. Matt went out and got some chicken to grill on the BBQ, and he's currently working on that now. He has been truly amazing, I must say. He jokes around with me, saying "You're lazy", or "Oh, let me get that for you. I know you've had a hard day..laying around!", but I know he's just being his sarcastic self. That's just how he is; he always has been, and always will be. He means no harm by it.

Tomorrow will be another day. Another day of rest. And another day of Cael growing stronger in my belly. I am truly cherishing every moment of being pregnant, and every moment I feel him move in my belly.

:::I love you so much already. Keep growing stronger, my little Cael:::

32 Weeks!

•How far along?: 32 weeks! Keep cooking baby Cael!

•Current Weight: 137.

•Total weight gain: +14 from pre-pregnancy weight.

•How big is baby?: Head of lettuce; 18 inches long, and 4 pounds 4 ounces!

•Movement: A lot! He moves around for a good 30 minutes every morning around 9, then in the late afternoon, and again around 10pm.

•Stretch marks?: Nope!

•Sleep?: It sucks! I'm up about 2-3 times a night to pee. Last night was horrible - I couldn't fall asleep because of the worst heartburn I've had ever.

•Symptoms?: Sore, BH's, lots of discharge.

•Food aversions?: Not currently.

•Food cravings?: Cheese, pasta, pizza, hamburgers.

•Labor signs?: So far they're still at bay. I'm still getting contractions, but they're inconsistent. My cervix is still measuring short (effaced) at between 1.7-2.0 cm.

•Belly button in or out?: It's even with my belly, but whenever Cael moves, it starts to "suck" back in a little.

•What I miss: Moving around easily, not having heartburn.

•What I'm looking forward to: Bed rest. At first, I was upset and disappointed to be pulled out of work until after maternity leave. But now I realize it's crucial to keeping Cael cooking for a while longer.

•Best Moment this week: Finding out my cervix is still stable.

•Milestone: Being 32 weeks!

Bed Rest - Day 8; And It Continues

My appointment went well. My cervix is holding strong at 2 cm long (it did get down to 1.7 cm during a contraction), and it's closed and NOT funneling, which is great. I'm still getting occasional, inconsistent contractions, and needed to take my Brethine last night due to some consistent contractions. Due to this, and the stress of my work and work load (plus the 1.25 hour drive one way to work on bumpy back roads) possibly being a catalyst for pre-term labor and delivery, my midwife thought it was best to just put me on disability now.

I now have to go in for weekly appointments to stay monitored, which is fine with me. They are going to alternate between cervical ultrasound checks and the fetal fibronectin test. So Thursday at my next appointment, they will do a FFN, and the week after an ultrasound, and so on..unless, of course, something changes during that time frame. There was even talk of another round of steroid shots for Cael's lungs, but we'll talk about that at my next appointment.

Basically, my midwife said that because of my short cervix, I'm at an increased risk for pre-term labor and delivery, and they want to get me to at least 35 weeks. However, they did tell me about a patient whose cervix measured .8 cm at 30 weeks, and it ended up staying that way until 41 weeks, when she had to be induced! I guess it just goes to show that you never know, and pregnancy is just so unpredictable.

I'm feeling better about being taken out of work. Almost relieved, because I know it's the right thing for Cael. I have my disability paperwork from HR to fill out, so I have to get that in as soon as possible. Today was my 8th day out of work, so technically today is the day I start disability. I'm still on modified bed rest until further notice. So that means still no vacuuming, laundry, dishes, etc. Also NO SEX or orgasms either! Sheesh :( I can get up to shower, use the bathroom, get some food, and make quick trips out occasionally if needed. It's not strict bed rest, but hopefully me staying rested does the trick.

Some info from my appointment today:

• Cael's heart rate ranged from 140 bpm to 158 bpm :)
• He has hair on his head, that we saw on the ultrasound in the form of "speckles".
• He weighs approximately 4 pounds 4 ounces, and is in the 63rd percentile.
• I'm still on the Cipro for the vaginal infection, even though I continue to have no symptoms what-so-ever (weird..)
• I've lost 2 pounds, making my current weight 137.

I think that's all for now. Here is Tyson and I "bed resting" it up. And Cael from our ultrasound today, giving the "Thumbs Up". I'm so in love.

Bed Rest - Day 7

I can't believe this is my 7th day of bed rest already. My follow-up appointment is tomorrow, and I'm really starting to get anxious about it. My mind just keeps wondering about the "what-ifs". What if my cervix is longer, will I still be taken out of work? What if my cervix is shorter? What if my cervix is funneling? What if my cervix is the same? And then everything that revolves around those scenarios.

Matt, and a bunch of people at work, think that I'm done with work until after Cael arrives. I feel the same way, but unless it's medically necessary for me to be out of work, I'm stuck. I can't go out of work without some type of pay coming in (from S-T Disability). And I don't know what the requirements are for someone to be taken out of work and disability to kick in. All I know (or think I know) is that if my cervix continues to be short - whether still at 2cm or shorter - I will be out on ordered bed rest. If it gained length, which would be the best situation, I'm not sure if they could still take me out of work based on the fact that I'm very uncomfortable whenever I get up to move around.

I'm still getting twinges down low, and every time I get up and move around, I get BH's. Does that constitute being pulled out of work? I guess I have to wait until tomorrow to find out. I just can't stop thinking about it. I guess the root of my worrying is the financial aspect - whether or not I'll be getting disability.

Matt got free tickets a month or so ago to a Scranton-WB Yankee's game, through his work. It would be up in the VIP box, which is air conditioned with free food and drink. The game is tonight, and I really want to go since I've been home-bound for the last week. I'm trying to convince Matt that it's the best situation for me to go out, because I won't be in the sun, but in air conditioning; and I'll have access to food and drink. What could be better!? And I just want to get out of the house, and figured this would be a fun time for us. I couldn't get a read on Matt last night when I brought it up again, so I'm just waiting to hear from him as to what he thinks we should do. He said I'm not supposed to be going anywhere, so I'm guessing we'll be staying in tonight. But maybe he'll change his mind. We shall see.

I also had the weirdest dream last night. In my dream, I was asleep, and when I woke up, I had stretch marks all over my belly. Like TONS of them, and they came out of nowhere. I don't have one stretch mark (yet), so this was a very disturbing dream for me; to go from none to a belly full.

Bed Rest - Day 6

I didn't get much sleep last night. I was awake at 3:15am, got up to go to the bathroom, and laid back down in bed to go back to sleep. Except, I couldn't fall asleep. It's like I wasn't tired all of a sudden. To try and pass the time, and make me tired, I went on Facebook on my phone, and played Angry Birds. Before I knew it, it was 5:30am, and I had to pee again. When I got up this time, it was daylight outside. Wonderful. I peed, and got back into bed where I suddenly felt tired. I think I eventually fell back asleep around 5:45am. I woke up at 9:15 when Matt texted me to let me know that he was able to get off on Friday to take me to my appointment. I was really happy about that.

He wasn't going to be able to get a day off work this week because the other manager will be away on vacation, so he was going to have to work all week. However, he was able to talk to one of the higher-up managers, and they will be having someone cover that day for him so he can be with me. My sister-in-law was going to originally take me so I wouldn't have to go by myself, and I appreciate that very much, but I'm relieved that Matt will be going.

I am in a somber mood today. I guess my moods change with the days. My family is upstate camping, about 1 hour and 15 minutes away. When my mom and the kids camp, they usually go for a week or two, if not longer, and we were going to go up there for the 4th until I was put on bed rest. Well, a few days ago, my mom said that she, my step-dad and the kids would come up to visit me, and I was thrilled. I haven't seen them since my shower 3 weeks ago, and I figured it's be a nice way to pass the day by hanging out with my family.

My mom texted me this morning, telling me that they probably weren't going to be coming. She later called me, and said she wasn't feeling well herself, and she didn't want to stress me out with everyone and the dogs being here. Of course it wouldn't stress me out, but make me happy to see everyone, but I understand. Mom said she wanted to wait and see what my midwife says on Friday, and that they'll be camping for a while longer, so maybe sometime this weekend or next week they would come visit me.

So what to do today? I really should get off the computer and write out my Thank You's. I didn't get to that yesterday, and I should do it today. I also need to send out my card to one of the ladies on the Bump. I'm part of a card exchange for the Bumpies who got some not so good news at their ultrasounds. I think I'm actually behind with sending the card out, so I have to get on that too, and send it out tomorrow.

Until later...