Todd Finally Gets a Day Off

It has finally happened. Todd got to take a day off. It was his first day off since Aug 2. He was home from 6 am Tuesday morning until 11 am today (Wednesday morning). We will have to see how bad things are screwed up when he gets back to STEIN's.

Of course his day off involved spending 90 minutes at the doctor with me (they are always behind) and his extremely stubborn son who would not move at all for the ultrasound technician, and he has to move a certain number of times or he fails the wellness test. The more she poked and pushed the more he became like a statue. Stubborn. Stubborn. He finally did it, but just enough to pass.

It also involved a trip to Sam's, bill paying, and dealing with a car accident in front of our house (all while I was at work). Mrs. Larew (from behind us) hit an oncoming car on the curve. It was bound to happen sometime. Luckily no one was hurt, but the cops didn't come very fast, so after an hour Todd called Rhett, the cop next door, and he came by and took care of it.

Well, I am finally off to work. I think 2.0 dropped a little last night (shooting crotch pain - book says sign of baby dropping) and suddenly I was starving for the first time in a month, and oddly the more I ate, the lower my blood sugar got. It was low this morning too, so I stayed home til it straightened out.

Glad to have the rain, but I hope it rains on the weekend, all weekend. Bad weather = increased bar sales.

Good Baby

Today I learned that when your child actually behaves the nonstress test only takes 20 minutes versus the 45 minutes for a crabby, stubborn baby. My main agenda for this weekend is nap, nap, and nap some more.

Tuesday Apptmnt

Today's appointment went well. Todd came home after close last night so he slept at home, went to the doctor with me, and took me out for lunch.

2.0 is still perfectly healthy. They didn't measure him since he was just measured Friday. Got another 12 pictures! He was being stubborn on the non-stress test and kept moving around but they were able to get what they needed. Next appt is Friday.

Not much else new, I am prepping at home and Todd is prepping at work for the employees to run the place without him. I am spending a lot of time in the recliner.

Ok, that was scary!

Friday was a long scary day. I went in for my OB appointment and my first non-stress test. The test monitors his heartbeat and whether I am having any contractions. The test is 30 minutes long. Of course, 2.0 is stubborn and kept moving, so it was difficult. I noticed that several times the heartbeat dropped from 140 down to 65 or 72. The nurse didn't act like it was a big deal. However, the dr was concerned - she said she couldn't tell if the 65 was 2.0's heartbeat or mine, so I could either go to the Perinatal Center or the hospital to repeat the test and do a BPP ultrasound. I chose the Perinatal Center (that's where I do all my ultrasounds) and was shocked to find out that they could get me in for the test in an hour. (Side note - I later found out that they didn't get me in so fast because it was an emergency - they just happened to have an opening then.)

Of course this freaked me out, so I started calling Newton. It further freaked me out when the manger at Subway (I had to eat) came over to my table and asked if I was ok. Well, it took about 30 phone calls before Todd finally woke up. He threw on clothes and rushed to Des Moines. By the time he got there they were just finishing the ultrasound, but they had a student doing it over just for practice, so he got to see 2.0. It was a relief to have him there with me. Then they hooked me up to the non-stress machine again for 30 minutes.

The results: the baby can get up to 8 points on the BPP ultrasound, which measures how healthy the baby is. There are 2 points each for fluid, movement, tone, and breathing. Our baby got a perfect 8. 2.0 must have figured out I was worried, because during the second non-stress test he did not move around too much and his heartbeat didn't show any problems. Apparently, the first test was just a fluke or the first machine wasn't working properly. From now on, all my tests will be at the Perinatal Center and I will be having weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests twice a week. It was a relief to find out that nothing was wrong. I was terrified that I would be having a c-section Friday afternoon.

Oh, one more thing. 2.0 is not going to be small. With 7-8 weeks to go, he is already 5 pounds, 2 ounces!

Dead Brain Cells

In addition to not sleeping, heartburn, etc., I have discovered that 2.0 is killing my brain cells.
I lost my ATM card and had to cancel it, and I keep redoing the same !@#$ numbers at work.

So Much for a "Real Meal"

Well, my home-cooked meal didn't work out. I rushed home last night and discovered the only thing I could make for Todd was a box of mac n' cheese or scrambled eggs. So, he took me to Red Lobster instead! We had a great time, and his steak was cooked perfectly. That is so weird that the only place in Des Moines that can cook a steak is a seafood place. I also showed him all my shower gifts and he was shocked at how many there were! It was great to see him. Things in Newton are going well (knock on wood) so he will be home more now.

My shower on Saturday went really well. A lot of people came, and Kathy and Heather did a good job of planning it. Sandy's cupcakes and mints were a hit as well. It was very enjoyable. When we got home with my gifts, it was an unpleasant surprise to find I was locked out of my house. 45 hot, sweaty minutes later, the locksmith finally came and unlocked my car so I could use the garage opener to get in the house. I was very proud of myself because I did not get upset. Apparently our house and even my 11-yr-old car are more secure than Fort Knox.

After that, Mom took Heather and me to Joe's Crab Shack for supper, which was very nice. It is always fun when the Schweitzer women hang out. 2.0 moved off my stomach for a few hours, so I cleaned my plate and was the first one done, which never ever happens. I am always poking along.

Sunday Mom and I went to see The Constant Gardener, and later she planted my Goatsbeard and geraniums (they had been on back-order and just came in the mail) and moved my strawberries because they were getting too big. I hate requiring help, but I can't really bend over.

I am now 33 weeks, and I have gained only 14 pounds. I have been lucky to have a very pleasant, uneventful pregnancy. I have just now started to feel miserable when I walk and when I try to sleep. Supposedly you carry boys low, but this one is right under my rib cage which makes it hard to sleep and breathe. I think he must be really long because he can kick me in the ribs and in the crotch simultaneously. I can't believe that I only have 7 weeks to go. I figured it up, and that means 1,302 shots down and only 294 shots left to go! Whoo-hoo!

Today I bought some Dreft and a package of diapers, so it is time to start washing things and packing for the hospital. I want everything ready to go by October 1. Then what will I do?

Todd's Coming Home!

Todd's coming home! Todd's coming home! He just called and is on his way home for the first time since August 14!!! I'm heading home to cook him a "real meal". I'm so excited!

Photo Hogs at Walmart

I had a frustrating trip to WalMart last night. I wanted to print out about 20 pictures. So I get there, and this lady with a cute hair cut was ordering pictures on the machine. For each picture, she would adjusting the lighting, cropping, order different sizes, etc, which is reasonable. BUT After adjusting each picture she would run her hand (with big long nails) through her hair and fluff it, and then touch the screen again. Ick. So I went and did my shopping. 30 minutes later, I come back and she is still cropping and fluffing her hair every 10 seconds. It took everything I had to not tell her she was a disgusting germ spreader and if she would stop fluffing her hair, maybe others could use the machine. I waited another 15 minutes and asked her how many she had left. She said tons. They were from her honeymoon and she was only on picture #169, but they had another machine. So, I go to the other machine, and the lady ahead of me was printing pictures from 10 different XD cards!! So, I ended up printing my 20 pictures on the Kodak machine, which costs double what the other machine costs. Sigh... I finally got home at 7:15 pm and I got there at 6:00 pm. !@#$ Wal-Mart!

Update

Things at Stein's seem to be going well. There are new challenges every day though. Todd is gearing up for his big grand opening on Saturday. Hopefully he can start spending more time at home.

Saturday is also my shower, which I am looking forward to.

I spent last weekend at the farm. My mom came and got me so I didn't have to drive. I mostly slept and ate, which I hadn't been doing much of at home (I lost 5 lbs during weeks 30 - 32; not so good for 2.0), and she did some alterations to my maternity clothes for me.

Only one dr. apptment this week, then I start doing non-stress tests two times a week until the end. Luckily my job is very understanding!