This past week will not go down as my favorite week of pregnancy. Last Sunday morning I left church after communion rather than waiting till the end of the service (bad form, I know) and broke lunch plans with Nicole because I felt congested and tired and just wanted to get home and get some rest. Little did I know that was the best I'd feel all week. Oh, and Kevin was still in Seattle so he was halfway across the country while all of the week's events transpired.
I napped much of the afternoon and headed out to meet Jenelle for dinner and the Mavs game with a bit of a headache. I felt a little lightheaded during dinner but thought it was just hunger. But during the game I still felt bad and left after the third quarter.
I didn't feel dizzy on the drive but once I got home I discovered my walls were spinning. In short order, my tummy decided it wasn't getting along with my dinner, or with the crackers I tried to eat after that (which, incidentally, were leftover from the first trimester and rather stale). I crawled up to bed hoping I'd be able to sleep and that this would all go away overnight.
The next morning was even worse. I couldn't even keep down ginger ale, the room was still spinning, and the morning light coming through the windows made my head hurt worse. I called my mom in Austin and asked if she could come up to take care of me. In the meantime I figured since I was supposed to be eating for 2 and I wasn't even keeping down food for one, it was time for medical attention.
I called Marta and she left work right away and within 5 minutes we were off to Las Colinas Medical Center. We started out in the ER then I was moved first to a regular room then to a room on the labor and delivery floor for an overnight stay. Most of the time, I had to have a shirt over my face and the blinds drawn because the light was bothering me. I was hooked up to an IV machine, fetal monitor and a heart rate monitor on my finger. The medical staff decided that between the vertigo, sensitivity to light, nausea, and headache, we were likely looking at a migraine. Imitrex helped immensely and that evening I was successfully able to keep down crackers and juice.
Fortunately through all this Daniel was kicking pretty vigorously. It didn't necessarily feel good being kicked with everything else going on but I was relieved that he seemed to be none the worse for wear. His heartbeat was still strong and he looked okay on the sono they did, though they thought they found a fluid pocket near the placenta. I was concerned when we went to L&D...I didn't recall anyone telling me that we were going to have to deliver early but then I had been pretty out of it so I thought perhaps I had missed this crucial detail. But fortunately they just wanted me on that floor for fetal monitoring and an OB.
Marta stayed with me all day and was joined by Marko around noon. They were awesome, keeping a very worried Kevin informed, giving my mom directions as she drove in, keeping track of what the medical staff was saying and doing. And apparently the room was rather cold, so they were huddled freezing in the dark all day, and I was pretty out of it and sleeping most of the day so I'm sure I wasn't the best of company.
Marta and Marko had plenty of company in the "awesome friends" category that day. Jenelle rented a car to come out and visit me and kept my mom company while they watched a shared favorite show (Castle). Marinda and Elaine both came by with flowers. David Miller, my seminary graduate friend, came by to offer well wishes and a prayer before heading back to Dallas for work. And Lisa went over to the house and fed the cats for me. Countless more friends sent well wishes, thoughts and prayers by phone and email. As craptacular as the whole hospital experience was, the silver lining was seeing how great my friends are. Marko and Nicole and Marko's mother, who was visiting them, even brought us dinner the next night, chicken tacos with homemade tortillas and salsa, even though it meant taking little Alejandro out when he was feeling fussy. Kevin and I are very, very blessed to have such wonderful friends!
My mom arrived Monday evening and stayed overnight in my hospital room on a foldout couch that can't have been too comfy. The constant beeping of my IV machine and interruptions as the nurses came in to check on me didn't make for a restful night for either of us. But finally morning came and I was able to keep down breakfast. Everything but the dizziness was better so I got discharged from the hospital.
And since Tuesday morning I've been dizzy, and it is now Sunday night and the room is still rotating. We went to my primary care doc who agreed that there was likely a migraine but also independent vertigo, caused either by a viral infection or a calcium deposit in the inner ear. Given that I've been pretty congested and tired all week my money's on the viral infection theory. Mom was great, she cooked several tasty meals, cleaned the house, and chauffered me everywhere I needed to go. She even dried my hair for me one day when I was too dizzy to do it. The results were...interesting ;) Aside from the dizziness and hospital unpleasantness it was nice spending the week with her. Kevin got home yesterday morning and has picked up where she left off, minus the hairstyling.
I had to take the whole week off work and it remains to be seen whether I'll be able to go in tomorrow. Sure hope so...tired of sitting at home and burning through all my sick leave. I'm supposed to take a day trip to New Orleans on Tuesday for some trial prep, but it's quite likely I'll have to reschedule that. So, every night I go to bed and hope the next morning will be the one when the dizziness is gone and I'm back to normal. Next week can only be an improvement, right?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Entering the 3rd trimester: the final countdown!
Here we are, 27 weeks down, 13 to go, give or take. The due date is 3 short, or long, months from today, though of course baby Daniel doesn't know the due date, he'll come when he's good and ready. Since it will be July in Texas, I'd be fine if he decided to come a little on the early side. Not right away mind you, but a week or two early would be just fine.
I've been fortunate all the way through that I've felt pretty good most of the time and symptoms have been relatively mild. If the worst thing in the 1st trimester was queasiness, the worst of the 2nd trimester would have to be the acid reflux. Like the queasiness, it made nearly daily appearances but was seldom very bad. Alas, the reflux isn't likely to get any better as the belly gets bigger and bigger and crowds the stomach and esophagus more and more. Also not likely to improve is the mild swelling in my ankles. I look like I've got 2 sprained ankles. No pain, just annoying. Oh, and sometimes I feel like I may as well live in the bathroom as often as I have to go. So, I'm sure I have 3 more months of all of those things to look forward to. But, if that's the worst I have to deal with, it's still not too bad compared to the horror stories I've heard.
The Williamsons go to Washington
Kevin and I took a 4-day trip to Washington, DC last week for one of our last "just the 2 of us" vacations. DC was great and we had a wonderful time, but it was a Waterloo of sorts for me as I realized that well, I'm almost 7 months pregnant, and I can't quite do everything I could before. I had to take several breaks during the day from all the walking and standing but all in all I did pretty well and we had a great trip. Here are a few pictures:
The Supreme Court and a few cherry blossom trees. What you can't see just to the left of this frame is the tv cameras that were out that day. We didn't know why right away but then learned that Justice John Paul Stevens had announced his retirement that day. We didn't see him or any of his 8 colleagues (or, for that matter, the President, First Lady, or any congressmen that we recognized) but did enjoy touring the building and seeing the courtroom where the Justices hear oral argument. It's really an impressive room. If I ever get the opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court I'll definitely have to go look at the room again as a tourist first so I don't get too distracted with all the decorations during the 30 minutes I have to make my case!
The Washington Monument from across the reflecting pool, with the FDR memorial behind us. There's an interesting story about the Saturday night I took this picture. We had toured the Capitol and done the Smithsonian Air & Space museum that day, gone back to the room for a nap, then gotten dressed up for a nice dinner at Kinkead's. We had been planning to walk around all the memorials the next day then noticed it was a 3 mile loop. I thought that would be too much for me to take on at once so we decided to split it up by going to the FDR and Jefferson Memorials after dinner Saturday, leaving a much smaller loop for Sunday. Sounds good in theory, right?
Our map showed FDR and Jefferson to be pretty close to each other so I thought I'd be fine to do that walk in my dress sandals. The memorials were both really impressive and it was great to see them at night all lit up, and without big crowds. After visiting both, we walked out of Jefferson to find a cab and call it a night. And this was, it turned out, the flaw in the plan. There were no cabs coming to the memorial but we thought if we walked a bit along the road leading to it we were bound to see some cabs. We saw several, but none wanted to stop because it was a high-speed road, so we kept walking...for about an hour and 2 miles, until finally a little after midnight we successfully hailed a cab. That would have been quite a walk in those shoes even if I wasn't pregnant and hadn't been on my feet all day, but fortunately a soak in the hotel room tub once we got back helped a lot and I didn't get any blisters and wasn't sore the next day. Lesson learned: cabs are almost everywhere in DC, except by the Jefferson Memorial late at night, when your feet hurt and you really, really need one!
One image I didn't record on camera but that will stay with me from the trip came as we were walking up Capitol Hill (which lives up to its name, it was an uphill walk) on Friday. We were admiring the landscaping in the gardens adjacent to the Capitol when I noticed a man, possibly one of the gardeners, kneeled on a mat in the garden grass. I realized he was praying toward Mecca. He was quiet and not in a particularly conspicuous spot, so it was obviously a moment of personal piety rather than any public demonstration. Had I not been looking closely I would never have seen him. It would have seemed intrusive to me to take his picture, but it struck me as a picture that captures well the idea of America, that a member of a minority faith could freely practice his religion in the shadow of the seat of our national government, without anyone harassing him. A small private moment, but one which could not happen in many parts of the world. It was nice to see and appreciate.
We got home Monday night and Tuesday morning Kevin was on a plane bound for Seattle, aka "the other Washington" for almost 2 weeks for work. I'm looking forward to him coming home, but am very glad that he was able to take this trip now rather than later in the year when I'd have to play single mommy. I'll be traveling soon for work myself, back to New Orleans, first a one-day trip later this month than 3 days in May for a disaster fraud trial. I got the go-ahead to travel from our midwife and doctor, but after the DC experience I know I'll take it easy on the walking. I will however enjoy eating for two in the Big Easy!
Ready for the big day?
Kevin and I start 5 weeks of Bradley childbirth classes this Thursday (I'll have to go solo to that one). The classes will prepare us for the labor and delivery, teaching me helpful positions to labor in and relaxation techniques and teaching Kevin how to help me through the process and play an active role. The class is taught by a Bradley instructor and her husband in their home and will just be us and 2 other couples so it should have an informal feel and plenty of opportunity for questions.
2/3 of the way through, as mild as this pregnancy has been, I'm looking forward to the end of it. First and foremost to meet little Daniel, hold him and kiss him, feel his little fingers curl around mine, hear his cries, see whose features he got. I ordered our first batch of all-in-one cloth diapers this week, after a friend tipped me off that they were on sale, and they arrived yesterday. I can't believe the little guy will be here, going through a dozen of them a day, in just 3 months, and looking at the different sizes they adjust to (these fit birth-9 months, the next size up goes 9 months-3 years) it's amazing to think that as big as the biggest size looks, in about a year he'll be outgrowing them. The crib mattress we bought looks so big now, he'll just take up a corner of it at first, but within a few years he'll outgrow that too and need a "big boy bed." It'll be fun to experience all his milestones and watch him grow up (not too fast, I hope!).
Second, I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. I can't wait to be able to get out in beautiful weather and enjoy a bike ride, run, or rollerblading, to being able to fit into my regular clothes and put my shoes on with ease (short arms+big belly+long legs=physical challenge), sleep on my back again, eat raw sushi, have a glass of wine or a beer, and not have swollen feet, acid reflux, or a frequent flier card for the restroom. I've heard women say they loved being pregnant, and once it's over I'm sure there are some things I'll miss, like feeling him kick, but while it hasn't been an unpleasant experience I am looking forward to getting back to real life, albeit a "new normal" which will feature a newborn.
And finally, strange as it may sound, I'm actually looking forward to the labor process itself, much the way I look forward to a triathlon, bike rally, or the half-marathon I'm planning to tackle in December. With the physical endurance events I've done before, they took a lot of training and effort and there were challenging moments, but finishing them brought a great sense of satisfaction. Much as I enjoy the athletic events (and look forward to being able to do them again), I'm sure that successfully bringing a child into the world will bring a far greater sense of satisfaction than any other accomplishment. I am so impressed with my friends who have run marathons and I think whenever they face a challenge in life, they can remember "hey, I've run a marathon before, I can handle this." I'm sure as challenges come along after Daniel's birth I'll be able to remind myself, "hey, I delivered a baby, this is nothing." So labor, bring it on.
I've been fortunate all the way through that I've felt pretty good most of the time and symptoms have been relatively mild. If the worst thing in the 1st trimester was queasiness, the worst of the 2nd trimester would have to be the acid reflux. Like the queasiness, it made nearly daily appearances but was seldom very bad. Alas, the reflux isn't likely to get any better as the belly gets bigger and bigger and crowds the stomach and esophagus more and more. Also not likely to improve is the mild swelling in my ankles. I look like I've got 2 sprained ankles. No pain, just annoying. Oh, and sometimes I feel like I may as well live in the bathroom as often as I have to go. So, I'm sure I have 3 more months of all of those things to look forward to. But, if that's the worst I have to deal with, it's still not too bad compared to the horror stories I've heard.
The Williamsons go to Washington
Kevin and I took a 4-day trip to Washington, DC last week for one of our last "just the 2 of us" vacations. DC was great and we had a wonderful time, but it was a Waterloo of sorts for me as I realized that well, I'm almost 7 months pregnant, and I can't quite do everything I could before. I had to take several breaks during the day from all the walking and standing but all in all I did pretty well and we had a great trip. Here are a few pictures:
Here we are on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the reflecting pool, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol building behind us. With 20 pounds of pregnancy weight, the belly is definitely showing more and more. Several of my coworkers have commented on "that cute little belly" (do they know what "little" means?) and last weekend both the stock clerk at CVS and the guard at the Hirshhorn Art Museum complimented it too. Always nice to have people compliment you when you're 20 pounds above your normal weight, so I'll take it! :)
The Supreme Court and a few cherry blossom trees. What you can't see just to the left of this frame is the tv cameras that were out that day. We didn't know why right away but then learned that Justice John Paul Stevens had announced his retirement that day. We didn't see him or any of his 8 colleagues (or, for that matter, the President, First Lady, or any congressmen that we recognized) but did enjoy touring the building and seeing the courtroom where the Justices hear oral argument. It's really an impressive room. If I ever get the opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court I'll definitely have to go look at the room again as a tourist first so I don't get too distracted with all the decorations during the 30 minutes I have to make my case!
The Washington Monument from across the reflecting pool, with the FDR memorial behind us. There's an interesting story about the Saturday night I took this picture. We had toured the Capitol and done the Smithsonian Air & Space museum that day, gone back to the room for a nap, then gotten dressed up for a nice dinner at Kinkead's. We had been planning to walk around all the memorials the next day then noticed it was a 3 mile loop. I thought that would be too much for me to take on at once so we decided to split it up by going to the FDR and Jefferson Memorials after dinner Saturday, leaving a much smaller loop for Sunday. Sounds good in theory, right?
Our map showed FDR and Jefferson to be pretty close to each other so I thought I'd be fine to do that walk in my dress sandals. The memorials were both really impressive and it was great to see them at night all lit up, and without big crowds. After visiting both, we walked out of Jefferson to find a cab and call it a night. And this was, it turned out, the flaw in the plan. There were no cabs coming to the memorial but we thought if we walked a bit along the road leading to it we were bound to see some cabs. We saw several, but none wanted to stop because it was a high-speed road, so we kept walking...for about an hour and 2 miles, until finally a little after midnight we successfully hailed a cab. That would have been quite a walk in those shoes even if I wasn't pregnant and hadn't been on my feet all day, but fortunately a soak in the hotel room tub once we got back helped a lot and I didn't get any blisters and wasn't sore the next day. Lesson learned: cabs are almost everywhere in DC, except by the Jefferson Memorial late at night, when your feet hurt and you really, really need one!
One image I didn't record on camera but that will stay with me from the trip came as we were walking up Capitol Hill (which lives up to its name, it was an uphill walk) on Friday. We were admiring the landscaping in the gardens adjacent to the Capitol when I noticed a man, possibly one of the gardeners, kneeled on a mat in the garden grass. I realized he was praying toward Mecca. He was quiet and not in a particularly conspicuous spot, so it was obviously a moment of personal piety rather than any public demonstration. Had I not been looking closely I would never have seen him. It would have seemed intrusive to me to take his picture, but it struck me as a picture that captures well the idea of America, that a member of a minority faith could freely practice his religion in the shadow of the seat of our national government, without anyone harassing him. A small private moment, but one which could not happen in many parts of the world. It was nice to see and appreciate.
We got home Monday night and Tuesday morning Kevin was on a plane bound for Seattle, aka "the other Washington" for almost 2 weeks for work. I'm looking forward to him coming home, but am very glad that he was able to take this trip now rather than later in the year when I'd have to play single mommy. I'll be traveling soon for work myself, back to New Orleans, first a one-day trip later this month than 3 days in May for a disaster fraud trial. I got the go-ahead to travel from our midwife and doctor, but after the DC experience I know I'll take it easy on the walking. I will however enjoy eating for two in the Big Easy!
Ready for the big day?
Kevin and I start 5 weeks of Bradley childbirth classes this Thursday (I'll have to go solo to that one). The classes will prepare us for the labor and delivery, teaching me helpful positions to labor in and relaxation techniques and teaching Kevin how to help me through the process and play an active role. The class is taught by a Bradley instructor and her husband in their home and will just be us and 2 other couples so it should have an informal feel and plenty of opportunity for questions.
2/3 of the way through, as mild as this pregnancy has been, I'm looking forward to the end of it. First and foremost to meet little Daniel, hold him and kiss him, feel his little fingers curl around mine, hear his cries, see whose features he got. I ordered our first batch of all-in-one cloth diapers this week, after a friend tipped me off that they were on sale, and they arrived yesterday. I can't believe the little guy will be here, going through a dozen of them a day, in just 3 months, and looking at the different sizes they adjust to (these fit birth-9 months, the next size up goes 9 months-3 years) it's amazing to think that as big as the biggest size looks, in about a year he'll be outgrowing them. The crib mattress we bought looks so big now, he'll just take up a corner of it at first, but within a few years he'll outgrow that too and need a "big boy bed." It'll be fun to experience all his milestones and watch him grow up (not too fast, I hope!).
Second, I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. I can't wait to be able to get out in beautiful weather and enjoy a bike ride, run, or rollerblading, to being able to fit into my regular clothes and put my shoes on with ease (short arms+big belly+long legs=physical challenge), sleep on my back again, eat raw sushi, have a glass of wine or a beer, and not have swollen feet, acid reflux, or a frequent flier card for the restroom. I've heard women say they loved being pregnant, and once it's over I'm sure there are some things I'll miss, like feeling him kick, but while it hasn't been an unpleasant experience I am looking forward to getting back to real life, albeit a "new normal" which will feature a newborn.
And finally, strange as it may sound, I'm actually looking forward to the labor process itself, much the way I look forward to a triathlon, bike rally, or the half-marathon I'm planning to tackle in December. With the physical endurance events I've done before, they took a lot of training and effort and there were challenging moments, but finishing them brought a great sense of satisfaction. Much as I enjoy the athletic events (and look forward to being able to do them again), I'm sure that successfully bringing a child into the world will bring a far greater sense of satisfaction than any other accomplishment. I am so impressed with my friends who have run marathons and I think whenever they face a challenge in life, they can remember "hey, I've run a marathon before, I can handle this." I'm sure as challenges come along after Daniel's birth I'll be able to remind myself, "hey, I delivered a baby, this is nothing." So labor, bring it on.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Good news!
We fly out to Washington DC early tomorrow morning for a long weekend vacation, so this will be a quick update with more details to come later. But to bring this up to date, there are 2 good news items to report. First, my glucose screening test went fine last week so it won't be necessary for me to do the more-involved 3 hour glucose tolerance test on an empty stomach. While that was good news, today's was better.
How do you spell relief? N-O-R-M-A-L. As in, the maternal and fetal medicine specialist at Presby Dallas saying, "your level 2 sonogram results look perfectly normal." To recap, the 20 week sono detected a few bright spots on the heart and brain, echogenic intracardiac foci and choroid plexus cysts in doctor-speak. Don't freak out, they said, but we want to look again at 24 weeks to see if they've gone away. At 24 weeks they looked again and the heart spots were smaller but not gone. This time it was "these are encouraging results, should be fine, but we want a specialist to take a look too", so they referred us to the folks at Presby so their higher resolution ultrasound machine could look in better detail.
So today we went to Presby hoping for reassuring news. First we met with a genetic counselor who talked about what the spots could mean (they are "soft markers" for chromosomal disorders such as Downs, but in isolation seldom are a cause for concern) and discussed options for further testing. Then it was time for the sono when we got to see all the structures of the organs from head to toe. Long story short, the doctor reviewed the results and said everything appeared to be developing just fine. The brain spots weren't there anymore and the spot on the heart was pretty faint. Given all of that, the doctor said he considered the spots to be "normal variances" and no cause for worry. Needless to say, we were quite relieved to know that all is well.
Here are some pictures:
That first one is his face from the front, the others are profile shots. With the dark eye sockets and the prominent nasal bone and mouth he could play a number of villain roles: Skeletor, Hannibal Lecter, and Voldemort for a few. But he hasn't put on most of his birth weight yet so once his face fills out it will no doubt be cute and cherubic by his big debut.
Here we have continued proof that it's a boy, another face shot, and proof that Daniel has inherited his daddy's wide feet rather than mommy's narrow ones.
Off to finish packing!
How do you spell relief? N-O-R-M-A-L. As in, the maternal and fetal medicine specialist at Presby Dallas saying, "your level 2 sonogram results look perfectly normal." To recap, the 20 week sono detected a few bright spots on the heart and brain, echogenic intracardiac foci and choroid plexus cysts in doctor-speak. Don't freak out, they said, but we want to look again at 24 weeks to see if they've gone away. At 24 weeks they looked again and the heart spots were smaller but not gone. This time it was "these are encouraging results, should be fine, but we want a specialist to take a look too", so they referred us to the folks at Presby so their higher resolution ultrasound machine could look in better detail.
So today we went to Presby hoping for reassuring news. First we met with a genetic counselor who talked about what the spots could mean (they are "soft markers" for chromosomal disorders such as Downs, but in isolation seldom are a cause for concern) and discussed options for further testing. Then it was time for the sono when we got to see all the structures of the organs from head to toe. Long story short, the doctor reviewed the results and said everything appeared to be developing just fine. The brain spots weren't there anymore and the spot on the heart was pretty faint. Given all of that, the doctor said he considered the spots to be "normal variances" and no cause for worry. Needless to say, we were quite relieved to know that all is well.
Here are some pictures:
That first one is his face from the front, the others are profile shots. With the dark eye sockets and the prominent nasal bone and mouth he could play a number of villain roles: Skeletor, Hannibal Lecter, and Voldemort for a few. But he hasn't put on most of his birth weight yet so once his face fills out it will no doubt be cute and cherubic by his big debut.
Here we have continued proof that it's a boy, another face shot, and proof that Daniel has inherited his daddy's wide feet rather than mommy's narrow ones.
Off to finish packing!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
What a week!
This update is a little overdue, but it's been an exciting week for us with much to tell.
Getting our kicks
Last Tuesday I felt my first unmistakable kick and since then I've been feeling him more and more throughout the day. Either he's becoming more active or stronger or both. The kicks haven't kept me awake or woken me up yet but they have kept me from taking full advantage of the snooze button the past few days, as the alarm apparently wakes baby up too and he starts kicking.
Last week baby was limiting most of his kicking activity to the late afternoons when I'm still at work, so Kevin wasn't able to feel the kicks. I think the first and only time he's been jealous of me during this pregnancy was when I told him that I'd gotten to feel kicking and he wasn't able to yet. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long though and was able to feel the little guy kick for the first time on Saturday, and most days since.
Alejandro
Friday our good friends Marko and Nicole got a wonderful, life-changing phone call. They've been hoping to adopt a baby for awhile and got the wonderful opportunity to do just that when a birth mother in Arlington chose them from among several potential adoptive families for her newborn baby boy. They had to rush out to get a carseat, bassinet, and all the other baby essentials, but on Sunday they got to take little Alejandro home.
We had already asked them to be godparents for our child, and they returned the honor by asking us to be Alejandro's godparents. We got to meet the little guy Tuesday and he's beautiful! We'd have been excited for them whenever they adopted, but it will be really fun and special that our sons are so close in age. No doubt they'll get into plenty of mischief together!
How do you spell relief? Wish I knew...
I've had a few episodes of heartburn recently but today's has been especially painful. I haven't read Dante's Inferno but I'm beginning to suspect one of the layers of hell might involve severe heartburn. I've taken Pepcid and Tums (practicioner-approved) and the heartburn's better but still there. Very much hoping this is an occasional thing and not a sign of what I have to look forward to for the next 16 weeks. 16 weeks could feel very, very long at this rate!
Making introductions
We've had a name idea for awhile but were still mulling over it, but now we've decided to make it official. Our little boy will be Daniel Scott Williamson. Why did we pick that, you ask?
Daniel is my maiden name so it honors my dad's side of the family (Mom's side is covered since her maiden name was Williams and our last name is Williamson). In particular, the name will be a special connection between our little boy and my paternal grandfather, DadDad, who served in World War II and was called "Danny" or "Daniel" by the men who served with him. I've looked up to him since I was little and remember choosing him as the subject of an essay on "someone I admire" in junior high. He's 92, so our son probably won't get to know him well, but I hope he'll be proud to hear about his namesake.
The family connection aside, we also like the name Daniel for its meaning. It's Hebrew for "God is my judge" (the "El" suffix being the Hebrew name for God), and in the Old Testament Daniel was a Hebrew prophet who rose to great success as an advisor to the Babylonian court because of his skill in interpreting dreams. Eventually he was persecuted for his faith in God and sentenced to death by being sealed in a lion's den, but emerged unscathed because of God's protection.
Scott is Kevin's brother's name. Kevin and Scott's middle names both honor an uncle, so we're continuing that tradition with our son's middle name and honoring Kevin's side of the family.
So, our baby is Gunior no more. From now on, he's Daniel.
Next week
Monday we have our next appointment with the midwife and it'll be an eventful one. In addition to another sonogram, I'll also have to take a glucose tolerance test to screen for gestational diabetes which will entail drinking a sugar solution then having a blood draw an hour later to see how my body is processing the glucose. Good news is I don't have to fast beforehand. Hopefully I'll pass the test with flying colors and won't have to take the more rigorous followup, which involves a series of blood draws over 3 hours after drinking the solution on an empty stomach.
We're looking forward to seeing Daniel on sonogram again, it was so neat to see him moving around last time and get that glimpse into what his life is like right now. I hope he'll let us get a good view of his face this time, last time he had his hands in the way. Come on buddy!
Getting our kicks
Last Tuesday I felt my first unmistakable kick and since then I've been feeling him more and more throughout the day. Either he's becoming more active or stronger or both. The kicks haven't kept me awake or woken me up yet but they have kept me from taking full advantage of the snooze button the past few days, as the alarm apparently wakes baby up too and he starts kicking.
Last week baby was limiting most of his kicking activity to the late afternoons when I'm still at work, so Kevin wasn't able to feel the kicks. I think the first and only time he's been jealous of me during this pregnancy was when I told him that I'd gotten to feel kicking and he wasn't able to yet. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long though and was able to feel the little guy kick for the first time on Saturday, and most days since.
Alejandro
Friday our good friends Marko and Nicole got a wonderful, life-changing phone call. They've been hoping to adopt a baby for awhile and got the wonderful opportunity to do just that when a birth mother in Arlington chose them from among several potential adoptive families for her newborn baby boy. They had to rush out to get a carseat, bassinet, and all the other baby essentials, but on Sunday they got to take little Alejandro home.
We had already asked them to be godparents for our child, and they returned the honor by asking us to be Alejandro's godparents. We got to meet the little guy Tuesday and he's beautiful! We'd have been excited for them whenever they adopted, but it will be really fun and special that our sons are so close in age. No doubt they'll get into plenty of mischief together!
How do you spell relief? Wish I knew...
I've had a few episodes of heartburn recently but today's has been especially painful. I haven't read Dante's Inferno but I'm beginning to suspect one of the layers of hell might involve severe heartburn. I've taken Pepcid and Tums (practicioner-approved) and the heartburn's better but still there. Very much hoping this is an occasional thing and not a sign of what I have to look forward to for the next 16 weeks. 16 weeks could feel very, very long at this rate!
Making introductions
We've had a name idea for awhile but were still mulling over it, but now we've decided to make it official. Our little boy will be Daniel Scott Williamson. Why did we pick that, you ask?
Daniel is my maiden name so it honors my dad's side of the family (Mom's side is covered since her maiden name was Williams and our last name is Williamson). In particular, the name will be a special connection between our little boy and my paternal grandfather, DadDad, who served in World War II and was called "Danny" or "Daniel" by the men who served with him. I've looked up to him since I was little and remember choosing him as the subject of an essay on "someone I admire" in junior high. He's 92, so our son probably won't get to know him well, but I hope he'll be proud to hear about his namesake.
The family connection aside, we also like the name Daniel for its meaning. It's Hebrew for "God is my judge" (the "El" suffix being the Hebrew name for God), and in the Old Testament Daniel was a Hebrew prophet who rose to great success as an advisor to the Babylonian court because of his skill in interpreting dreams. Eventually he was persecuted for his faith in God and sentenced to death by being sealed in a lion's den, but emerged unscathed because of God's protection.
Scott is Kevin's brother's name. Kevin and Scott's middle names both honor an uncle, so we're continuing that tradition with our son's middle name and honoring Kevin's side of the family.
So, our baby is Gunior no more. From now on, he's Daniel.
Next week
Monday we have our next appointment with the midwife and it'll be an eventful one. In addition to another sonogram, I'll also have to take a glucose tolerance test to screen for gestational diabetes which will entail drinking a sugar solution then having a blood draw an hour later to see how my body is processing the glucose. Good news is I don't have to fast beforehand. Hopefully I'll pass the test with flying colors and won't have to take the more rigorous followup, which involves a series of blood draws over 3 hours after drinking the solution on an empty stomach.
We're looking forward to seeing Daniel on sonogram again, it was so neat to see him moving around last time and get that glimpse into what his life is like right now. I hope he'll let us get a good view of his face this time, last time he had his hands in the way. Come on buddy!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Today's song dedication: Alive and Kicking
We had an exciting milestone today. This evening, about 5:20 or so, I was sitting at my desk at work, hand resting on my belly, and it happened. I felt an unmistakeable kick from the little guy. I would have felt it from within even if my hand wasn't there but I was able to feel it on my hand too. Hopefully he'll do it soon when Kevin's around so he can feel it too!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
News from the front line: 22 weeks in
Used to be when I was out somewhere I didn't really notice babies, unless I heard them crying. Now every trip to the grocery store, mall, or anywhere else is a chance to do some homework and check out strollers and infant car seats live and in action. It reminds me of starting driver's ed: all the traffic signs and signals had always been there but I had seldom paid attention to them. But once I started learning to drive, I couldn't help noticing them every time I was on the road (which is a good thing!). Now with a little one on the way, every trip out is an opportunity to see what works and what doesn't in the land of baby gear.
Tonight's trip to Kroger provided an example of each. First, I saw a couple with their baby in an infant car seat in the grocery cart. I kept sneaking furtive glances to see what brand the car seat was and how it fit in the top of the cart. It looked like our car seat brand but I couldn't ever get a good view of the label. I also saw a mom schlepping her big travel system through the aisles and carrying her groceries in her hands. Needless to say, that didn't seem like a very good system!
Speaking of car seats, we pulled the trigger and bought one today after much research. We were out running errands and were near Buy Buy Baby. The car seat we want isn't available in store at Babies R Us so we thought we'd see if BBB had it and if they'd take our BRU 20% off coupon. Yes on both counts, and the helpful sales guy (who seems to have a Masters in strollers and car seats!) even carried the floor model out to our car and showed us how the base attaches to the backseat of the car. This car seat will hold our little guy till he's 30 pounds and is top-rated for safety. So, cross one big item off the list. Here's what the kiddo will be riding in:
Last weekend we went to a wedding reception celebration for our friends (and next-door neighbors) Marinda and Brian. It was a great party and a chance for me to wear my cute new maternity dress, which I bought at Kid to Kid, a local consignment shop, for $5. With Amy's wedding in San Fran coming up in May, I'll have at least one more opportunity to wear this one or another I bought. This one's so cute, I'm actually disappointed I won't be able to wear it post-baby.
Here we are all dressed up:
In other news, the belly continues to get bigger. I suppose being short-waisted, there's not much place for the belly to go but out. But looking at pictures for the last few weeks, you can really tell that the belly has really started showing and growing within the past month or so. Weight gain is still pretty reasonable, about 13 pounds, and seemingly pretty much all of it in the belly area.
Here we are:
Tonight's trip to Kroger provided an example of each. First, I saw a couple with their baby in an infant car seat in the grocery cart. I kept sneaking furtive glances to see what brand the car seat was and how it fit in the top of the cart. It looked like our car seat brand but I couldn't ever get a good view of the label. I also saw a mom schlepping her big travel system through the aisles and carrying her groceries in her hands. Needless to say, that didn't seem like a very good system!
Speaking of car seats, we pulled the trigger and bought one today after much research. We were out running errands and were near Buy Buy Baby. The car seat we want isn't available in store at Babies R Us so we thought we'd see if BBB had it and if they'd take our BRU 20% off coupon. Yes on both counts, and the helpful sales guy (who seems to have a Masters in strollers and car seats!) even carried the floor model out to our car and showed us how the base attaches to the backseat of the car. This car seat will hold our little guy till he's 30 pounds and is top-rated for safety. So, cross one big item off the list. Here's what the kiddo will be riding in:
Last weekend we went to a wedding reception celebration for our friends (and next-door neighbors) Marinda and Brian. It was a great party and a chance for me to wear my cute new maternity dress, which I bought at Kid to Kid, a local consignment shop, for $5. With Amy's wedding in San Fran coming up in May, I'll have at least one more opportunity to wear this one or another I bought. This one's so cute, I'm actually disappointed I won't be able to wear it post-baby.
Here we are all dressed up:
In other news, the belly continues to get bigger. I suppose being short-waisted, there's not much place for the belly to go but out. But looking at pictures for the last few weeks, you can really tell that the belly has really started showing and growing within the past month or so. Weight gain is still pretty reasonable, about 13 pounds, and seemingly pretty much all of it in the belly area.
Here we are:
At my office we have a tradition of celebrating birthdays, holidays, and sometimes just Fridays with a food spread. This past Friday was a coworker's birthday in my area so we celebrated SBA-style with tons of food. I made a fruit salad with fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and bananas, and another coworker brought in fresh pineapple. The token healthy selections went over quite well but were outnumbered by the breakfast casseroles, quiches, and desserts. Everything was delicious, but the hit of the day was a fantastic homemade sopapilla cheesecake. It was so good I wanted seconds. Since everyone expects the pregnant lady to eat a lot anyway (as if "eat for two" means "eat for two linebackers") and I was, after all, wearing elastic waist pants, I splurged and went for that second piece. While I wouldn't want to eat so heavy every day, may as well play the pregnancy card to splurge once or twice, right? ;)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
You've got male!
We had our sonogram yesterday morning and got to see the baby for the first time since week 8. And we can stop referring to the baby as s/he or it, now we know it's definitely a he. At first he was a little shy to show his boy parts but with a little coaxing the sonographer was able to get a good view. He has long legs and wasn't shy about kicking them. We also saw him wave his hands around, yawn, touch his feet, and suck his thumb, and I think he might have even given Mommy a Gig'em sign ;) He had his hand in front of his face a lot so we couldn't get a great profile shot of his face but hopefully we will next time.
We met with an OB afterwards (the practice requires one meeting with an OB, the rest can all be with midwives), and he noted a few spots on the sono which he said were not of great concern, but that we will follow up with in 4 weeks with another sono. At that visit I'll also do my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes. All in all, the doc said the sono looked very good. The baby's size and weight, my weight gain, the amount of fluid, and my blood pressure all looked good. Given that, we expect that all will be good on the next sono. He said he saw no reason why I can't travel up until the last month (which means we will be able to go to Amy's wedding in San Fran in early May!) and also that I was a great candidate for a natural birth. So, good visit all in all.
I think Gunior must not have cared much for the sonogram though because ever since then, he's been camped out right under my left ribcage. It must be comfortable for him, but not so much for me. I'm hoping he will realize soon that he has lots of other real estate to enjoy and will decide to spread out some!
We met with an OB afterwards (the practice requires one meeting with an OB, the rest can all be with midwives), and he noted a few spots on the sono which he said were not of great concern, but that we will follow up with in 4 weeks with another sono. At that visit I'll also do my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes. All in all, the doc said the sono looked very good. The baby's size and weight, my weight gain, the amount of fluid, and my blood pressure all looked good. Given that, we expect that all will be good on the next sono. He said he saw no reason why I can't travel up until the last month (which means we will be able to go to Amy's wedding in San Fran in early May!) and also that I was a great candidate for a natural birth. So, good visit all in all.
I think Gunior must not have cared much for the sonogram though because ever since then, he's been camped out right under my left ribcage. It must be comfortable for him, but not so much for me. I'm hoping he will realize soon that he has lots of other real estate to enjoy and will decide to spread out some!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)