A bloody mess

My 28-week appointment yesterday was largely and happily uneventful. I dutifully drank my orange-flavored sugar water (like flat Orange Slice from my childhood) on an empty stomach for my 1-hour glucose-tolerance test, which I will get the results from later this week. I also got tested for Hepatitis C so I can use the birthing tub at the hospital during delivery (I guess they assume I'm not engaging in the various activities linked to Hep C transmission during pregnancy). This midwife, like all the others, seemed really nice and very supportive of whatever decisions we make about the delivery. I have to start going to the office every two weeks now, which seems insane, but fine, I guess. My blood pressure is now back to the normal range for a non-pregnant me, and my weight is still holding steady. From my pre-pregnancy weight, I'm about +1 -- which probably says more about my pre-pregnancy weight than any strict diet and exercise regime during pregnancy. Most importantly, the baby is measuring right on schedule, his heart rate is in the 150s/160s, and he even kicked the Doppler monitor several times while we listened.

The only real problem I encountered was some unexplained bleeding after having my blood drawn. They took 2 vials of blood for the tests (which also included an anemia check, I think). My veins are really easy to stick, and I'm not woozy about the process so long as I don't watch it happen. The nurse put some gauze and a bandage over the stick spot after she was done, and I went to the front desk to schedule a follow-up appointment. While I was standing there, I noticed that my arm felt wet. When I looked down, my forearm was covered in blood. The nurse cleaned me up and tried again, but the process repeated and I had to go back for a third gauze pad and bandage -- which fortunately finally held. Unfortunately, I got blood on my shorts and the floor of the office and felt like an idiot for bleeding everywhere, but everyone was really nice.

Dear Husband Part 21

Evidently, Wes has been watching Supernanny. We ran some errands yesterday to get supplies to paint the nursery and were going into Home Depot. Wes really wanted a quarter for the bubble gum machine and asked if he could have one if he was really, really good in the store. I said yes. Then he said, "I think we should talk about what it means to be really good in the store so I know what the expectations are." Thanks, JoJo.

I told him that being good in the store meant only looking for the items on the list. At that point, he gave up.

26 4/7 weeks

Thanks to my MIL for the beautiful dress. It was a birthday present!

Ready or not(?)

Today we took an important step towards readying ourselves for baby in the material sense -- we bought the crib and changing station, a mattress, mattress pad, and covers for the changing station mattress. It won't all be delivered for another week or two, in time for us to empty out the office and possibly paint the walls. We were going to get the rocking chair and rug this month, too, but it'll wait until next month and some extra summer school pay. We're buying the big stuff first, assuming that the baby shower in late July is more likely to yield very-needed diapers, blankets, and -- oh, yes -- more baby clothes (no newborn, please!) than, as my father would call them, "big ticket items."

It's not so much spending the money as it is ordering a whole piece of furniture that is cementing the reality that baby is coming, and sooner than later (though three months, fewer than 100 days --did you see?! -- still seems like a while off). It makes me nervous, too. Like now that we've bought something we can't hide in back of the storage locker, something will inevitably go wrong. I keep looking at my belly and saying, "Okay, this means you've really got to show up in September. No turning back now." For us, either, I suppose.

On the flip side of the "getting ready" checklist, I also pre-registered at the hospital. How this makes the checking in process any easier I'm not sure since all I did was give them my medical record number and the names of my midwife and pediatrician (whom we won't meet until the baby is born). But it's a small, maneagable step towards having all the items checked off between now and September, when -- and hopefully not before -- we will meet the owner of this fabulous new crib set.

Baby's First Race

The baby participated in his first 5k today. He did his part by staying safely in the womb while I ran, for which I am greatly appreciative.

Second Hand

I was out with a friend yesterday afternoon, perusing shops around Armitage, when we found a second-hand children's clothing store. Most of the clothes looked unworn, and almost all the clothes were from the stores where I tend to shop thus far -- Baby Gap, Gymboree, etc. We searched the racks to look for some must-haves and found these four items -- a sleep sack (Brook said I couldn't call it a "gown" if it was for a boy) covered with airplanes, a coverall and an overall, both in fleecy material, and a set of adorable brown overalls with little puppy dogs embroidered on them. The total for all four pieces was under $20, which is cheaper than Target even. The store isn't exactly around where we live, but it's not a difficult El ride away. I definitely think future kid clothing needs will be met in this store.

Dear Husband Part 20

My sister emailed last week to ask if it was okay to put the baby's name on a baby shower invitation. I asked Wes what he thought, and this was his reply:

up to you
are we SURE yet
it could turn into one of those Dewy defeats Truman moments