These can start on Sunday, right?
I just finished planting all the vegetables that I started planting back on...Mother's Day. So there were a few that had been sitting in their 6-packs for quite a while! It's nice to have everything taken care of. Now I just have to wait for them to create food! My parents generously surprised us today with 2 blueberry bushes, which I am SUPER excited about.
What's everyone else up to this week?
I meant to plant a little herb/flower garden in the raised bed on our back patio, but the weather was never right when I was feeling up to it, and now I'm just... not. So it's growing whatever was there last year. I'd be super excited about blueberry bushes - I just bought a pint of blueberries at the farmer's market today, and it's going to be hard not to eat them all in one sitting.
This week I have a birth center visit tomorrow (Monday) and an ultrasound/perinatology consult on Tuesday. I'm hoping I'll be able to relax a little once I take a look at our little dude and hear that he's ok/my placenta's ok.
I found out Friday I am also a carrier for the MTHFR mutation my mom has. It can have affects such as blood clotting issues and interfere with folate absorbtion. I have a perinatalogist consult a week from tomorrow. I was upset but after some googling it sounds like it usually doesn't cause too many issues. I think they need to test my homocystine levels to see if I would have any blood clotting issues. I am just hoping that this doesn't cause any issues/interventions at birth. Also, our NT scan was normal but I feel bad if I had low folate levels this whole time :(
God, I am 31 weeks and getting SO impatient. I think it has something to do with baby being due AFTER I am supposed to go back to teaching for a week in August. I really am starting to think I will take that week off even if I have to do it without pay (I am planning on taking the whole first quarter off, no matter what, which is about 9 weeks, but my short-term won't last that long). I keep going back and forth on this and wondering what will happen if baby is overdue and I'm just sitting at home waiting when I "should" be working, but starting a school year is stressful and I don't know what I'd teach or prepare for one week when then the sub would take over. I will be going back July 26 for two days and the entire following week for the kid-less prep time. But actually teaching is another matter.
bootsvalentine, I hope your consult is reassuring and that you don't have any blood clotting issues. I know it's easy for me to say don't feel bad about your folate levels...but don't feel bad! You didn't know.
I'm 30 weeks on Wednesday. I passed my glucose test but I found out that my hemoglobin levels are still low (8.8) so my doctor has put me on some high dose iron supplements. Yippee. Our last fetal echo is on Thursday. It seems weird to say this but I think I'll miss the perinatal clinic. I've spent more time there than I have at my OB's office.
We're taking a childbirth prep course at the hospital. The lady teaching it is...interesting. But I wanted to get some idea of the vibe of the hospital and how supportive the hospital will be of natural childbirth. I just read a book about hypnobirthing and it's odd how off-putting talk of "pain" and "pushing" is now. I'd rather not make any assumptions about how much "pain" I'll feel and "pushing" out my baby seems somehow violent. Anyway, maybe I'm a delusional first-time mom but I'm feeling remarkably calm about the birth.
Eluethia, I hope you have a great appointment.
Boots, I hope your consult goes well and that everything turns out well.
Keuriweo, I'm with you on feeling calm about the birth. I think a lot of it does have to do with mindset and feeling prepared and ready for the birth experience, and how you feel you will approach it.
Also, planting: we just planted some jasmine along our back fence and trained it to the wire, as it grows it will hopefully provide some more privacy in the backyard and smell wonderful. We also started a compost pile this weekend, and I know we are probably a little late getting started, but I'm excited to start a garden. FIL just bought a tiller and we have super hard clay ground, so he is going to come up and help B prepare a little patch of land in the back. B also discovered a blackberry bush along the side of the house, which I am super excited about since I've been downing blackberries like crazy.
pennywhistle- I love blueberries, what a treat!
eleuthia- good luck with your appointment
boots- As a fellow teacher I definitely commiserate with you on the teaching for one week front. Those first weeks are all about setting norms and building community. It seems strange to start the process only to have to leave, although maybe it would be good for the kids to become acquainted with you so that your transition back would be easier? I myself am taking a year off as we are moving states and it seemed unlikely anyone would hire me knowing I would need maternity leave right away (plus for most schools I would not yet qualify), but if I was teaching next year, this sort of decision would definitely be a stressful one. Do you have to make this decision far in advance or could you decide closer to the date?
keuriweo/ veritas vitae- As a first time mom I too feel this way. Of course there is a little bit of nervousness, but overall I'm looking forward to birth and the process.
AFM, things here are getting crazy. We spent the weekend packing up our entire house into a moving truck. DH left early this morning for Oregon where he will be (hopefully) finalizing a job offer and finding us a place to live. I'm stuck here in Chicago (by myself without ANYTHING but a birthing ball and a futon mattress) until the end of the month when I graduate from my Masters program. By the time I leave I'll be nearly 35 weeks along. Right now we're trying to figure out if I should fly or drive (with my husband) back to Oregon. Flying presents risks if I were to go into labor, but driving does as well since it is a 2300 mile trip and will take 5 8-hour days of driving. I'm not really sure what to do. Once I get to Oregon I'll need to unpack our house (assuming we have a house by then), get all of our birth supplies ready (we're hoping for a home birth although we have an appointment at a birth center as a plan b), and finish collecting items for the baby. I'm looking forward to all of this being done so I can let out a big sigh of relief. Thankfully we're moving to where my parents live so we'll have family support and a place to live if things don't go as planned. Mostly, I'm just trying to stay calm and trust that things will work out. 
Justchanti - I completely understand! I hope this month passes quickly for you. If your MW ok's you to fly, I would go with that option, that drive could get looong. But really, you know your body best and what will work best for you. Lots of luck w your move and home-hunting!
VV & Penny - Your gardening projects sound great! I really hope I have a place to garden next year. We tried herbs from seed this spring. They're growing but by the time they were large enough to trim from, they had also gotten some kind of pest (little white spots on most leaves). Yuck! I just don't have the patience to battle tiny bugs right now. I'll just have to try again next year. 
Keuriweo - I feel the same way. I'm doing Hypnobabies home study course. I hate hearing all of the stories about 'horrible pain', pushing, etc. As if there's no possibility of a positive experience, just pain to be managed. I guess we're fortunate to be going into this w positive expectations. I'm feeling very calm about the birth itself. Its all of the other stuff that is giving me anxiety! :)
boots - I hope all is well w your test results! If it were me, I think I'd definitely want to take that week to just be w baby and get ready for this big transition. But not being a teacher, its hard for me to say what's best in that situation. I'm sure the decision will be easier as the times gets closer.
AFM, we had a great weekend. We celebrated our 12th anniversary Sunday. It's a special one, being the last before our family grows and also our first after a bit of a separation (we have a very long, winding story). :) So it was a nice time to let it all soak in. In an unrelated topic, we saw Promethius. Good movie if you like sci-fi but...be warned! I'll just say 3 words...alien baby c-section. Enough said.
I'm off to learn to use my blood sugar monitor. Yay. Happy Monday!
Aha! My husband saw it Friday night. I asked him how it was, and he just said "you are NOT allowed to see it" but wouldn't say why. Now I get it! 
good morning everyone! will come back later, but just wanted to send a hello your way! 
Hey everyone! 32 weeks yesterday, which is crazy.
I hear everyone on being relaxed about birth. It could just be that I have no idea what I'm getting into, but I feel really prepared. I plan on reading the Dr. Sears birth book once our Bradley classes end, but not doing much else to prepare other than setting up a birth plan and hospital bag.
Speaking of Bradley classes, this week is our last week of Bradley classes. Woot! I really liked the people, but I'm just not sold on the instructor. Either way, it was worth the money and I feel more prepared than I would have otherwise. I'm also a "what if" kind of person, so if I hadn't done the class I would be a wreck thinking of all the things I could have learned but didn't.
We had our "young person" shower (as my parents put it) this weekend, which was a BBQ/Beer/Baby shower that involved squirting diapers with super soakers and (everyone else) drinking lots of beer. It was a great time, but people stayed until midnight (it started at 4). Usually I'm a late night partier, but I had a cold and while I hate to admit it, watching everyone else drink beer is not that fun. I was exhausted when it was all over. And I'm still cleaning up the aftermath. But it was great to get all our friends together one last time before everything changes and we got some really beautiful and thoughtful gifts (bamboo swaddles! And baby slings! And diaper bags!). My friend who threw the shower for us wrote us a song for the Fetus and it was the sweetest most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me. 
DH finished the last of our crazy home improvement projects this weekend too and we have a painter coming in to finish the final touches on the study, so if I can get DH to finally put his tools away in the garage, I'll have my house back! It feels really good to look around and know that the house is pretty much ready. Of course, we don't even have a crib or diapers yet, so I guess we still have some work to do.
Finally, I'm so jealous of everyone's plantings! I'm thinking of just putting in some herbs in the one empty raised bed we have left. Our strawberries came up great and the squirrels got all of them. DH was so mad. I also planted two little cherry tomato plants on either side of our front door, so hopefully we'll get some good ones from there. Other than that, we hired a friend of DH's do clean up the garden and mulch and now that it is 90 degrees today, I cannot say I feel at all bad about not doing it myself. So we won't be getting many veggies from the garden this year, but I'm ok with that.
ah penny! I was just debating about buying a blueberry bush today. I love them and they are so hard to get here. :) instead I did a small herb garden but then I sort of lost my energy this week as well eleuthia, never managed to finish much beyond my window planters of herbs but its better then nothing.
boots oh, I am right there with you- I am so impatient, mostly because I am so uncomfortable and just want to be able to start thinking about doing things again without pain and awkwardness or at least have an ETA of when that might be.. not that I can do that right after birth but at least a month or so later.. right? Im anxious to go back to work.. but thats a whole other thread.
keuriweo- the iron should give you an energy boost if nothing else, it helped me a lot for a while but Im really tired again.. I found if I take it in the morning its better then the evenings.. are you on a high dose?
justhanti- oh wow.. that sounds like a lot and I mean a lot. I hope you can take it easy before birth a bit? I wish I was moving to Oregon.. I miss my family there.. ! It will be great to have them around.
leann- happy anniversary!
lilytiger- i wish I could have a shower.. sounds so lovely right now.. ! Esp. BBQ sounds amazing!!
AFM- I had a doctor appointment today-- everything is normal. The twins are both measuring almost 4.5lbs already 
which means my poor stomach must be holding about 15-18lbs of fluid/babies/placentas at 33/34w? crazy right!? My new doctor gave me some acid reflux medication so I'm hoping this mean I will stop waking up with a burning sore throat every morning..
I am super excited that we found a stroller we can borrow and I found someone else with some infant car seats we can borrow.. so at the very least now I feel like I have the option of leaving our apartment 
I was really panicked about the idea of being stuck inside with so many kids in so little space..
I also have been trying to make freezer meals- so far I've managed a few lasganas, veggie burgers, lots of smoothies/frozen fruit slush things (I figure in August when its 100 we have no AC, lots of cold frozen things will be all I will want). This week I am going to try to make a few more 'hot' dishes then just stock up as much as I can on frozen fruits and such for smoothies but oh man, I am EXHAUSTED.. I took the whole weekend off from any exercise but it doesn't seem to have helped- all I can think about is sleeping right now.. I'm really not used to being so low energy.
ithappened: wonderful news that the babies are well. Your body rocks! Isn't it amazing that you are capable of carrying two kids at once??
boots: I am with you on the impatience. I was doing so well, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks, that I am so ready for this pregnancy to be over. I can't imagine you will want to do the one week of school. Is there anyway you can get out of it ahead of time?
justchanti: that is so much going on! I feel for you. My last pregnancy was very similar. Moved to our current location at 36 wks. Surprisingly, once we were here, the last 6 weeks went by pretty slow (baby was born 41.5)
lily: sounds like a fun/although exhausting shower. Glad you got lots of fun stuff!
well, made it thru last week and all the heartbreak and sadness. Thanks for all of your well wishes last week. We spent the weekend totally vegging out. I am 31 weeks this week and I am so excited to meet this kiddo. I have no clue if it is a boy or girl, and everyone keeps inquiring about names. We have none.
My dd turns two next month and I would love to throw her a big party, but I will be 38 weeks on her birthday. Maybe I will plan it anyways, since it seems like the last weeks can take forever!
My biggest complaint is how hot my house has been getting. I long for my childhood days when summer = air conditioner. But, our little house by the bay just doesnt have one, or insulation for that matter. I am just started to get swollen feet too. Poo.
My mother claimed: "It looks like you could go today" last week. Thanks mom.
poppy yeah the comments are horrible.. like 'gee thanks, really? I had no idea I was huge. thank you so much for pointing that out for me!"
pennywhistle - Lol! Good man you've got there. After the movie DH was chuckling and shaking his head, then he just looked at me a said 'wel happy anniversary to you!' and gave me a hug! Really, I'm glad it didn't bother me as much as I would have thought but I also closed my eyes a lot. 
LO was bumping around like crazy for the last 30 mins of the movie. I think she could tell it was scary.
Lily - Your shower sounds like so much fun! But midnight?! Oof, you're a trooper. I'm glad it was so nice, your friends song sounds like it was awesome!
ithappened - Thanks! And whoa mama, that's a lot going on on one belly! I know it might not feel like it right now, but your body is amazing. Sometimes I still can't believe this is how babies come into the world. Way to go on all of your prep! Freezer meals, etc will have to wait for us. I'm sure we'll be at the mercy of Chef DH, luckily he's pretty handy in the kitchen. I'm down about missing out on having a shower and esp a Mama Blessing, too. That support would feel amazing right about now. Hugs to you!
poppy - I'm glad you're feeling better this week. Ugh, no AC. I feel for you! I'd be in a cool tub constantly. I think your Mom's comment is right up there w my Gma's "I hope this baby doesn't cry all the time like you did". Um, thanks. And for the record my Mom says my brother cried constantly(milk allergies), I projectile vomitted. 
Leann/Poppy- haha. . my mom said I NEVER slept.. which is apparently where DS1 gets it... awesome. 
I keep hoping the twins get DH '14 hour a night' gene.
Hey Everybody!! Well, I've got insomnia tonight... in two days or so I should know whether or not we'll be moving back to the US or staying here, and I can't stop mulling over everything tonight. Rats. I also had a rotten little bout of food poisoning last night and a very rough night with my two little kiddos (they were just... in rare form). So, I'm exhausted, but not. :)
Can't believe we're this far into the pregnancy! 31 weeks on Thursday. I'm hitting a bit of a 'wall' now in terms of just feeling slower - and can't wait for work to ease up a little next week. My kids are starting to feel my absence and we all need a little more time at home and a more relaxed schedule.
Here's wishing everyone a wonderful week - no matter what it brings!
Does anyone have any thoughts on whether you tend to carry as long as your mom did? I seem to remember a thread about this somewhere, but I'm too tired to look it up. At any rate, my mom said that all three of us were born between 38 and 39 weeks (my sister and I at 38 and little bro at 39) and we were all normal weights (7lbs plus). Sooooooooo, since I have nothing else to go on, I keep hoping this babe pops a little early.
And LizBiz, that's a big change! Whoah. No wonder you couldn't sleep!
I actually just asked my midwife about this the other day. She said that it depended more on how the length of your menstrual cycle compares to your mom's. If your cycle is on the shorter side, there's a greater chance your baby will be earlier. I was hoping the same thing as you--me and all of my siblings were early, so I was hoping this baby might be early too. But then I found out that my mom's cycle was around 22 days, whereas mine is 32-35 days.
Lizbiz - That was me last week. The last days of waiting to know are the worst. I'm sending peaceful vibes your way.
Lily - I don't know if there's any correlation. They typically say that pregnancies of sisters will often have a lot of similarities, more so than mother to daughter. But recently I have the feeling that this LO is going to come around 38/9, too. No idea why, just a feeling. I really would rather shoot for 41 considering all of our moving madness but we'll just have to wait and see when the babe decides to pick a bday.
I just googled it and I found this. Looks like it could be an indicator but they also point out how inaccurate the date estimates were for our mom's generation (infrequent ultrasounds, etc).
Sarah - That's so interesting. Mine is 27/8 days...so I'm pretty much running right on time then. :)
Interesting! Thanks for all the info, Sarah and LeAnn! My cycles are 26 days now (they used to be closer to 28), so I'm hoping that means something. I keep reminding myself that FTMs usually go a little late. Our Bradley teacher said average gestation for FTM is 41 weeks 1 day. Soooo, I'll be planning either six weeks or nine weeks from now. Argh! The anticipation is killing me!
On a totally separate note, I finally looked over the onesies people decorated at my shower. My sister drew a picture of Jupiter on the front of one and on the back wrote "I'm a gaseous giant". Hilarious.
I hope everyone survived their Monday! I'm cleaning and writing for the rest of the duration over here, so you'll be seeing a lot of me from here on out. My apologies in advance. 
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