Loch Ness Monster vs. The Belly

Hello, all!

It's hard to believe how quickly the last few weeks have flown by...and here I am again, apologizing for not having posted since earlier this month. To say that time moves at a different and surreal pace these days would be an understatement. : )

It's also time again for a new belly shot......here I am, 4 weeks later, at 28 weeks (taken on Monday):


I have LITERALLY been gaining all of my weight (limited as it has been) in my belly. Already, I cannot see my feet, or bend over much at the waist. Very soon, I will also no longer be able to:

* sit in a car without denting in the dashboard (or drive, for that matter)

* hula hoop

* pull my shoes on while standing, without tipping over

* wear 90% of my current wardrobe

I've come to realize, though.....even though this belly has taken over my body and my life, I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. : ) Sprout has been getting more and more active as the weeks progress.....he usually goes a little crazy when he's hungry (ie. before I am due to eat a meal) and late at night (fun times), and will even kick in reaction to certain noises. I've been really into spicy foods the last few months, which also seem to really get him going. : ) He also has a clearly developed stubborn streak....whenever I try to have Jeff feel some of those kicks, suddenly our little boy calms down and stops moving around. What a little stinker. ; )

Jeff and I have made it through the first three weeks of our 8-week Labor & Delivery class, and so far are not TOO traumatized. (I think the one hit-and-run that Jeff had a couple of years ago with the Discovery Health Channel has made him immune to any sort of panic induced by labor and delivery videos, however.) Actually, the classes have been really awesome.....the other couples are so nice (one couple even shares our exact due date!), the instructor has been amazing and helpful, and the material hasn't made us change our minds about wanting to be parents (haha). In this week's class, we discussed pain management options, which has really made me question my earlier thoughts on epidurals. Everyone always says, "GET THE EPIDURAL. It is a GODSEND." But now that I really evaluate this option, I wonder.....do I actually want to be numb from the waist down? I'm sure most mothers will respond with a resounding "YES", but I'm not convinced. Looks like I have a big decision to make!

We also had a tour of the Birthing Center and Postpartum wards at Fairview Southdale Hospital.....even though we'd been there before when Jeff's sister Kris had her babies, we were definitely viewing it through different eyes this time around. The hospital has made some nice renovations and upgrades in the past year, so we are very happy with our choice to deliver there.

We have our next appointment coming up on March 4th, and from this point on we'll be seeing the doctor every two weeks. I can't believe we've already reached that point! Anyway, they will be taking one last ultrasound, so we are excited to be able to see Sprout again. Here's hoping that this third trimester continues to go well!


Lately I have been stressing about not having any control over when, where and HOW Sprout is going to make his appearance into the world. (Yes, it is shocking that a planner like myself would feel compelled to plan even this moment in our lives.) In particular, I worry that I will be at work, in the middle of a meeting in one of our boardrooms, and my water will break. I realize this isn't a very likely outcome, but you never know! I had a dream last night that Jeff and I were hanging out with my family in ND, and everyone suddenly wanted to take off and head to a beach in California, where a sea creature (I think it was a multi-headed Loch Ness Monster) had been sighted swimming along the shoreline. I was the only one who thought it was a bad idea, but I went along anyway. When we arrived, we saw the sea creature bobbing around in the ocean, with swimmers of all ages climbing all over it. The only problem....the multiple heads on this creature kept attacking and killing those daring enough to hop aboard! And yet, they just kept on coming....it was ridiculous. When I woke up this morning, I was still shaking my head. I looked up "sea creatures" in a dream dictionary online to find out what it might signify, and here's what I got:

You are afraid that something or someone will overwhelm you in your real life, or put you in a situation that is out of your control.

Hmmm....point taken. Obviously, this is one pregnant lady that needs to stop worrying about all of the "what-if's" regarding going into labor! No matter where or when it happens, the end result will be a beautiful, healthy (hopefully) baby boy.....and I can't really ask for much better than that. : )

Jeff and I are taking a 2.5 day weekend starting this Friday as a sort of "babymoon".....we are heading to a B&B along the St. Croix River, where we will spend the weekend relaxing, getting pampered and doing a bit of fine dining. We both can't wait....it has been AGES since we've gone anywhere together, and we know this is our last "hurrah" of sorts before Sprout arrives in May. We can't wait to be parents, but we also know that it is important to nurture our relationship as a couple!

We'll be in touch soon....look for new ultrasound photos next week!

Love,

Jeff, Farrah & Sprout

The Nastiest Drink in the Universe

Hello, all!

Jeff and I had our monthly doctor's appointment last Wednesday, and it was the one I had been dreading for some time......the glucose test. You know, the one where you have to drink a high glucose beverage (provided by the clinic) and they test your blood one hour later to see how it processed the extra sugar. For those of you who know me well, you would probably assume the reason I was dreading this test was because of a needle being in the vicinity of my finger/arm/any body part. But no.....this time it was about the contents of that little bottle. I had been warned about the Nastiest Drink in the Universe by many pregnant pals, the one that some health professionals have the nerve to call "juice". When I sat down to have my blood pressure taken, the nurse handed me the bottle filled with neon orange liquid with a sympathetic head tilt, followed by "I'm sorry that you have to drink this....I know it's bad". (Um....great. Sure, go ahead and take my blood pressure now....I'm feeling nice and calm.) The nurse started my five minute timer (the amount of time I was allotted to chug the juice), and I cracked it open.

The best way I can describe the "juice" is this: You know those Popsicles in a plastic tube that you would eat when you were a kid? Well, take 50 of the orange variety, and let them melt to their original syrupy form; pour into a small glass bottle. Add about a cup of sugar, followed by some carbonated soda water. That, my friends, is THE DRINK.

I managed to power through, sip by agonizing sip....even though I am notoriously bad at having to drink anything quickly. Then, since we had to wait one hour until my blood draw, we met with a nurse practitioner (in lieu of our doctor, who was out that day) for my exam. Little Sprout's heartbeat was at 145 bpm...nice and strong! I am still measuring right on track, though the nurse did mention that I hadn't gained much since our last appointment. Looking at my belly, I tend to disagree....but whatever. Speaking of my belly, both Jeff and I laughed later at how enamored the nurse practitioner (and the student who was shadowing her) were about my belly....they just ooohed and aaaahed over it (I think this is mostly due to the fact that I am so far stretch-mark free!). Anyway, everything is looking great so far.....which is always good to hear. : )

What was also great to hear was that I found out at the end of that hour that I passed my glucose test! I was SO thrilled....not only because this meant that I did not have gestational diabetes (or I'm at least not at high risk for it), but I also would not have to go back for the three hour version of that test (which involved a drink with DOUBLE the sugar content of the last one....EW.)! We are so happy that everything seems to be going so well in this pregnancy for our little one. We celebrated the good news by eating a big bowl of ice cream that night. Hey, pregnancy excuses everything (even for the daddy). : ) And I've been eating very healthy during this pregnancy (for the most part), so there.

Our little guy has been pretty active these days.....and based on what seems to be his "schedule", he is most active before I eat meals (when he is obviously hungry himself) and late at night. He is also starting to respond a bit to noise, now that his ears are fully developed......so it will be fun experimenting. Jeff has already started talking to my belly in the evenings, though sometimes when his head is too close he gets a kick from Sprout (haha). I love that the two of them are already developing a bond! As for me, I talk to our little one at various points throughout the day, as well as play classical music for him while I am sitting at my desk. So far, the music seems to soothe him.....and once we purchase a better pair of headphones, it will be fun to try other types of music to see what he reacts to.

Jeff and I are hoping to paint the wall detail in the nursery sometime this week, and Jeff also plans to paint the dresser we purchased off Craig's List to match our crib (which is still on its way). He already did a great job of painting the base coat on the nursery walls, so it will be great to see everything all put together. Also, tonight we start our 8-week Birth Preparation class at Fairview Southdale Hospital......and we are very excited! We meet every Monday night from 6:30-9:00pm, and it should result in some interesting stories. ; )

That's it for us......take care, and look for updates soon!

Love,
Jeff, Farrah and Baby Boy (aka. "Sprout")