What a girl wants, what a girl NEEDS

A few people have asked me, "What do you still need for the baby?"

Well, if you take a look at our registry (myregistry.com), you will see the answer: 

quite a bit.

But I thought it might be helpful to mention some of the items we really and truly need.

1. DIAPERS!!!!! 

We have decided to cloth diaper miss Mila and we are going with all-in-one diapers.

These diapers are AMAZING! They are washable and will last through any and all babies we shall spawn in the future. 

The only issue? They are a little expensive, but WELL WORTH IT!!

2. A Boppy Pillow!

These are a definite MUST, but because I will be having a c-section, I will have a lot of trouble breast feeding without one. My doctor highly recommended that I have one and bring it to the hospital so that I can hold her right away.

Won't you let me hold my baby right away?

haha

3. A Baby Carrier!!

We have a wrap carrier for when she is newborn, but after she is a certain weight, she needs a different carrier (and one that Austin and I can both use)

Ergo carriers are a bit expensive but another item that is well worth the price

especially as we will be using it for virtually every single outing/walk/adventure.

4. Breast Milk Storage Bags

These are exactly what you think they are and, best part, CHEAP!

No real frills here but a definite must-have!

5. A Wet Bag

Because we are using cloth diapers, we need a wet bag to hold all of the stinky/poop or urine-filled washable inserts. 

Gross? Yes. Needed? OH YES! 

We registered for one for on-the-go stinkage and another that will hang right by her changing table.

Without a wet bag, her nasty diapers will have no place to go except my hands...

I feel the need to wash my hands just thinking about it.

6. Diaper Sprayer!

Another gross but necessary item...

This diaper sprayer hooks onto the toilet and blasts away all of our...um...troubles

so that we can wash her diapers!

According to users of similar diapers, this thing is genius!

Even more thrilling than the idea of spraying poop into a toilet, the sprayer is not too pricey at all!

Week 29

(This is what I am pretty sure is happening in my uterus, though I have a feeling she is more flexible than me, at the moment)

How far along?  29 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby? 17 inches long (ish) and 3 pounds!

Maternity clothes?  Aside from a few larger or stretchy sweaters, YES.

Sleep: Not too great. I wake up earlier and earlier to go to the bathroom (3am this morning) and then also have to deal with the weight of this massive belly, which is KILLING my back.

Best moment this week: I was so thrilled to be able to go to Vancouver (as I was forbidden by my doctor last time) and spend time with Austin's parents and meet more members of his family (who are all so kind and friendly)! We also had our first baby shower, which was very surreal. Because we have been taking this pregnancy day by day, I am thrilled to get through every small landmark-- which included the drive to Vancouver and the drive back on Monday, without any bleeding!

Missing anything:  Agility. I miss being able to move around how I want without getting exhausted. I miss energy and I miss being able to take off my jeans easily. Turns out that not having a waist severely limits your mobility.
Movement: OH YES. She loves to stretch out, kick, punch, push her head (or butt) as deeply into my side as possible... We have a lot of fun feeling the belly to find out where she is hanging out throughout the day.

 Food cravings: Lately, I am back to wanting melon and also milk. This might mostly be because I just read about how much calcium she needs at this stage... and melon is delicious.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Some of my students' papers.
Gender: LADY
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms:  sore back, can't walk around for too long without my feet aching, etc.  I am now shaped like a potato on sticks... my belly is HUGE but my legs and arms haven't really gained any weight. It looks absurd.
Belly Button in or out?  Slightly in but mostly flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!
Looking forward to: Each new landmark! Getting to 30 weeks feels like a big accomplishment! I am also really looking forward to my next doctor appointment so I can tell her that I went on a road trip without issue (and hopefully get permission to go to San Diego in a couple weeks--- I need to see my family and my San Diego friends!!)

Austin’s weekly reflection:

Sleep? Rocky.

Best moment of the week? Going home and seeing my family!

Food cravings? Sushi. And Indian food that I wanted to get while I was home... but I never got. (Sad face)

Looking forward to: The end of this math class.

Showering in Vancouver

We went to Vancouver, Washington this weekend to visit Austin's family and have our very first baby shower!

We had a great time and it was wonderful to meet more of the family 

and have everyone celebrate our little lady!

Here are some pics of us celebrating!

Huge thank you to Starla and Jerry Malloy for hosting and 

Meema and Bubba Johnson (Cathy and Mark) for such a wonderful visit!

You can definitely tell that the last photo was taken at the end of the shower as I look completely exhausted (and slightly nervous, for unknown reasons)

Week 28

How far along?  28 weeks and 4 days

Size of Baby? 2.5 lbs?! maybe more... I have no idea anymore.

Maternity clothes?  I am not sure why this would suddenly change. I did learn, however, that normal tights are no joke and will not fit a big ole belly.

Sleep: I made it a whole night last night!! The issue really is that I am a light sleeper, Austin is a guy (and is thus not that quiet when he gets up in the morning), I've always had trouble going back to sleep, I usually wake up and need to pee desperately (at like 6am), and getting comfortable is very tricky and wakes up Mila, who then must stretch her legs and practice her high kicks. All of this means, I am very tired.

Best moment this week: I had an ultrasound this morning and, bummer, my placenta has not moved. Oh well, the good news is that Mila is kicking and growing and looking perfectly healthy. I got to see her face from straight on and got to see her kicking, stretching, and opening and closing her mouth. I seriously cannot wait to meet her!!

Missing anything:  Being able to lie on my stomach, being able to get up easily, and, as it is insanely cold today, being able to zip up my rain jacket.
Movement: YES. She has recently discovered my rib cage and is exploring it thoroughly with her feet. Ouch. We love finding where she is and feeling her push with her butt and head (who knows which is which). She is kicking like crazy as I type this.

 Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary. I don't know if this is normal or not but my appetite really hasn't changed at all. I want Lolitas. Coffee has been smelling really good lately, which is weird as I usually hate the smell, but it might just be because it is a vanilla roast and anything vanilla is good.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.
Gender: Femme Fatale.
Labor Signs: NO.
Symptoms:  Giant belly, giant boobs, human kicking me from the inside, need to pee all the time, etc.
Belly Button in or out?  It isn't sure anymore--- one day in, one day flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Perfectly content.
Looking forward to: I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon and then we are leaving for a Vancouver/Portland road trip on Friday morning. We are taking everything day by day so I am thrilled with every single day that passes without incident. As of this moment, we haven't had a bleed in 5 weeks and I am doing everything in my power to make sure she stays in there as long as possible! Tomorrow I am hoping to find out, if all goes well and there are no unforeseen issues, when we can schedule the c-section in July! We shall see.

Austin’s weekly reflection:

Sleep? Good, wish I could sleep longer but I've gotta GET IT!! (Austin has been getting up at 6 am to go for a long morning run before work)

Best moment of the week? Got some awesome grades and went out for sushi to celebrate! (and frozen yogurt-- which ALWAYS makes Austin happy)

Food cravings? (mumbled something incoherently) No, just the usual.

Looking forward to: Going to Vancouver, seeing the fam, BABY SHOWER!!!!

And the nursery begins...

This past weekend, Austin and I primed and painted the nursery. It took a little longer than expected for a couple reasons:

1. I get exhausted so easily

2. We realized that our initial paint selection sucked so we needed to make a run to the store and pick out a new one. We ended on Stormy Day, which is a really lovely grey with hints of lilac

I don't have any pictures of the actual paint yet because...well... because I keep forgetting to take one.

Whoops.

It was wonderful to do something for Mila and start to get her space ready for her 

(even though we will probably leave Pullman before she is 2)

Anyway, here are some pics of us priming her nursery...

Anyway, Austin got quite the thrill because I decided that I needed to wear tight clothes (as I tend to accidentally rub into walls) and only clothes I do not care about.

What does this mean?

Non-maternity leggings and a shirt I wore when I took the GREs 

(Graduate Record Exam)

I am not really sure how any painting got done because of how incredibly attractive and sexy I was looking.

We thought you might enjoy the splendor of this scene and my awesome and perfect-fitting wardrobe choice.

Week 27

How far along?  27 weeks and 5 days

Size of Baby? over 2 pounds!

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. I admit that I still where some non-maternity shirts but they have to be large in order to fit over this bump

Sleep: pretty crappy. I wake up throughout the night to pee, readjust my body, get kicked, etc.

Best moment this week: Angie gave birth to her daughter on Tuesday!! I was so nervous and anxious all day and then completely overjoyed when I got to see a picture of Cecilia and know that Angie was doing well! It was very weird to think about the reality of my friend (since childhood) becoming a mother and knowing that Mila will be here in 10 weeks (CPP means a c section in week 37, generally). I am so happy for her and the Jer-Bear!

Missing anything:  being able to walk home and not be out of breath and sore from the up-hill hike. I also desperately miss my normally ninja-like agility.
Movement: OH YES. The first kick of the morning is the best, no matter how early, because it is always reassuring to know that she is doing well!

 Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.
Gender: I am growing a little lady.
Labor Signs: NO WAY.
Symptoms:  migraines, my belly is painfully heavy, sore back, exhausted almost all the time...
Belly Button in or out?  completely flat. Very weird looking.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  happy! I admit to silently snapping about a girl who parked in front of my house and made it so that I would have had to park down the street. But don't worry, pulling up directly behind her and glaring did the trick. Austin maintained friendliness and got her to move.
Looking forward to: we have an ultrasound next week and then an appointment to find out how everything is. I LOVE getting to see her little face and hear her heartbeat! Also, there is always the chance (however slim) that the placenta will move up so we are always hopeful! Unless there is another bleed (which I am working very very hard to prevent) we will be leaving for Portland/Vancouver next Friday to visit Austin's family and have a baby shower!!

I am also super excited to get to talk to Angie once things have settled down a bit and hear all about her experience and what Cecilia is like!!

Austin’s weekly reflection:

Sleep? good.

Best moment of the week? I planted grass and it is finally growing!

Food cravings? smoked salmon

Looking forward to: painting the nursery!

And now... the entire family will give you the business.

 Prepare yourself.

Sweet News!

On Saturday, Austin and I got up bright and early (I say this somewhat sarcastically as I have been unable to sleep past 6:30am for the entire week) and headed over to Pullman Regional Hospital for my glucose tolerance test.

I had to take the test to find out if I have gestational diabetes after some high results on my general glucose test. I was bugging out about this test from the moment I found out I had to take it as I seriously could not handle adding on to the stress of this already high-risk pregnancy. If I had GD, it would mean more modifications to my already pretty healthy diet, having to meet with a nutritionist, having to test my blood sugar four times a day, possibly having issues with Mila being overweight, and then issues with whether or not the diabetes would go away after the pregnancy.

Anyway, I had to fast for 14 hours before the test. We went in and had to have an immediate blood draw to make sure that I didn't have abnormally high results with nothing in my system other than water. About an hour later, they gave me a glucose drink.

For those of you who have not had to drink this sugary concoction, it is gross. Imagine the sweetest soda you have ever had, then make it a little sweeter and way more syrupy. As someone who hardly ever drinks soda and prefers water as the beverage of choice, it was not too fun to drink, especially as it was the only thing I was allowed to consume in an 18 hour block.

NOTE: They say that this test is 3 hours. THIS IS A LIE. It is 4 hours.

I drank the orange-flavored sugar goo (in less than 5 minutes, as ordered), and then had to wait an hour for my blood to be drawn again. Then another hour and another draw. Then one more.

Austin and I actually had a pretty good time exploring the hospital, sitting outside, dancing in the halls, reading random newspaper sections, looking at coupons (seriously), and playing with activity books for kids. I was so thankful he was there.

The nurse obviously couldn't tell me anything but we agreed that she could just look over at my results with each draw and it would not be her fault if I happened to catch her hand making a thumbs up or a thumbs down motion.

At one point, she gave me the middle of the road hand gesture, which sent me into a panic. But she returned a minute later and told me that she looked again, then gave a thumbs up.

I didn't even get hungry until 20 minutes till the end of the test!

I got a call this morning and officially DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!! 

Austin says we should celebrate with donuts. 

HORRAY!!!!

Week 26

How far along?  26 weeks and 4 days

Size of Baby? She is the length of an English Hothouse Cucumber. No, I have no idea what that is either. The doctor said that my uterus is the size of a 28 week pregnant belly, but I question if that might have to do more with my forward-tilting uterus rather than the baby being a chub-ster.

Maternity clothes?  most definitely

Sleep: Not too hot... no matter what I do, I can't seem to sleep in past 6:30am. Needless to say, I am exhausted.

Best moment this week: We went to the doctor this week and she told us that Mila has a very strong heartbeat, which is wonderful news. Also, at the appointment, she was pressed against my belly so that my entire belly was lopsided. After the doctor listened to her heart, Austin got to see the entire mass move/shift through my skin. I missed it.

Missing anything:  I miss not being paranoid and being able to walk home from school without feeling like I have been lifting weights.
Movement: She has a set kicking schedule and did not like being woken up early this morning by Fernando barking at the cat.

 Food cravings: I miss Lolita's food so desperately, but that really has nothing to do with pregnancy.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.
Gender: GIRL
Labor Signs: No, thank god.
Symptoms:  After lugging this big ole gut around, my feet definitely ache at the end of the day. Otherwise, besides looking very pregnant, not really anything- no swelling, not too much lower back pain, etc.
Belly Button in or out?  In-ish but not really.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy but very very very sleepy.
Looking forward to: Like I explained before, I am happy with each day that passes without bleeding. I want her to stay in there as long as possible so every day I look forward to making it through the next. Also, annoyingly, my glucose test came back a little high so I have to go to the hospital Saturday morning (after fasting for 14 hours... 14 HOURS!!!) and have a 3 hour glucose test to determine if the first test was a fluke or if I have gestational diabetes. I am actually extremely frustrated by this as I have been eating right, exercising as much as the placenta previa allows, relaxing as ordered, keeping at a healthy weight: everything I am supposed to be doing. I am really hopeful that the test comes back normal because I cannot handle adding a second type of high-risk pregnancy to my already high-risk pregnancy. The test should suck and I will be starving, but fingers crossed that I will not have to add daily finger-pricking to everyday of the rest of this pregnancy.  ALSO, after the test, we are taking Fernando to the new dog park that opened in town, so I am very excited about that!

Austin’s weekly reflection:

Sleep? I need more.

Best moment of the week? Getting to see the belly move was awesome!

Food cravings? dirty Chinese food.

Looking forward to: I am looking forward to finding out that Sarah does NOT have diabetes!

Austin's mom surprised us with our car seat!!! We are so excited because without this, we would have no way to bring Mila home (and as we are not totally sure when she is going to make her grand debut, this was a bit nerve wracking!) So kind of her!!

We stared at it for a long time, imagining a tiny person sitting in it... very surreal!

In other news... it is finally warm in Pullman!!! Which means: beautiful flowers everywhere (tulips grow wild here)...

...and suntanning for the Nando.

Week 25

How far along?  25 weeks and 4 days

Size of Baby? 13 inches long and 1.5 lbs.... though I have a feeling she is a little bigger than this by the force of her kung-fu kicks and punches

Maternity clothes?  most definitely

Sleep: she has been waking me up at 7am every morning to practice her morning punch and kick routine.

Best moment this week: finishing the semester (my last ever class taken unless I decide to go back for a second doctorate), but also, making it through to week 26 is one of our big landmarks so I am very happy about that. We got a new car this week (a family car that will be much safer) so that is exciting!

Missing anything:  I am missing not having to be paranoid about bleeding at any moment and having to have an emergency c section. I also miss being able to lift things on my own and not having to ask for help.
Movement: we have a definite routine going and she is showing some distinct sass with her kicks

 Food cravings: not really

Anything making you queasy or sick:  the smell of Austin's mildewy towel
Gender: GIRL
Labor Signs: most definitely NOT!!! The goal is 10 more weeks MINIMUM!
Symptoms:  luckily, I am not having any swelling or most of the nasty symptoms I read about in different blogs, sites, and books. My feet definitely get sore if I walk around a lot.
Belly Button in or out?  In, but only just barely... we are basically dealing with a flat bellybutton with a slight indentation
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy! I worry a lot about bleeding again and the cost of the c-section, but otherwise, floating on a happy sea.
Looking forward to: We have established some landmarks, so right now I am looking forward to: a doctor's appointment on Monday, an ultrasound in 2 weeks, and then, that weekend,  road trip to Portland/Vancouver to spend time with Austin's family and have a little baby shower!! We'll discuss the other landmarks as soon as these are passed successfully!

Austin’s weekly reflection:

Sleep? it's been off and on.

Best moment of the week? Buying a car with my baby! Our first big purchase together!

Food cravings? Indian food...some type of curry. (and then he made a weird eating noise)

Looking forward to: summer in Pullman!!!!!!!!!! Roadtripping to Portland (and really hoping there are no issues so Sarah and Mila can come)...