Friday, March 7, 2014

37 Weeks!

Woah!  Time has really flown since I last posted an update!  Brent and I have been pretty busy taking advantage of our last couple of months of independence.  In the past 8 weeks, we went to NYC for one last time and hung out in Philly and Princeton with my brother Kyle and sister-in-law Angie, I had a fabulous baby shower hosted by my dear friend Alex and attended by many of my closest Princeton friends, and I went to Michigan for a few days to spend some time with my parents.  Here are a few highlights:

Brent, Kyle, Angie, and I went to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia- a huge indoor marketplace with lots of food vendors.  So, we ate our way through the day and posed for pictures with this bronze pig since Angie and I share a love for the creatures :-)



Alex's chosen theme (which I loved!) was Hip Hop Hooray! She knows I also love bunnies.  She really outdid herself with awesome handmade decorations, fun games (and that's coming from someone who doesn't usually enjoy them!), and tasty treats.


Alex made three kinds of cupcakes- all very good!


I made cardamom and orange star and bunny cookies.

One of the games and some bunny garland!  I've saved it for the baby's corner of our room.  #9 is me!

Everyone was so incredibly generous.  Baby Hill will be very well-dressed and accessorized, to say the least.

My former field ed. supervisor and church friends Robyn and her daughters were able to join us!
Meanwhile at home....

Brent and Fry making the most of their baby-free time.

Somewhat last minute, I went to Michigan to visit my parents and little brother Brett.  We were really missing each other.  Plus, who can say no to a few days of pampering, relaxation, and quality family time?  Not me!  I was spoiled with a massage and pedicure, we explored the new Grand Rapids downtown market, and got to look through my old baby clothes!  It was a nice trip and way too short.  But, I didn't want to be away from Brent and Fry for too long at this point. 

So maybe he's not so little anymore...



Last Sunday night, I attended an annual Oscars Party thrown by friends at our apartment complex.  Even though I only saw TWO nominated films (one foreign and one a documentary available on Netflix no less), it was a really good time and a good excuse to get all dolled up one last time!

Beautiful Alex guessed every single award correctly (seriously, she didn't even miss one!!) and won the grand prize of the evening!

Me and Alex, at our most glamorous.

As you can see, Brent and I have been trying to make the most of these last few childless weeks and the energy that I've had.  We are so excited for Small Fry to get here, but are also very thankful to have some time to spend together and with those we love before everything changes! 


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

29 weeks- Picture!

I'm feeling a lot better today and Brent is home so I made him take a picture.  Seriously, he is the most reluctant photographer ever.  After he snaps one picture, he routinely responds by handing me the camera and saying, "Tell me what is wrong with it."  This is why I want to hire someone to take newborn photos of the babe!



Tuesday, January 14, 2014

29 weeks: Feeling Faint

No pictures for this post- mostly because I look like a zombie.  More pictures soon, I promise.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit extreme in terms of range of feelings.  First, I finally felt some of the magical energy that all of the baby books (curse those things, seriously) tell a woman to expect in the second trimester.  I waited and waited for this burst of energy throughout the second tri, but it never arrived.  Then, during finals and Christmas, I felt so good, but it could have been because I was almost done with school or because of the holidays.  Either way, it was nice.

Fast forward a few weeks and the energy has already been dwindling.  I've been having trouble sleeping when I'm supposed to and then wanting to sleep all of the rest of the time.  Lying awake at 4 AM recently, I tried to figure out what I was feeling and why I could not sleep.  I realized that I was really hungry!  So, now I get up sometime in the wee hours of the morning to eat something and then usually go back to bed.  Even though it is far from ideal in other terms, I am so lucky to be out of school and unemployed right now so that I have one or two less things to juggle!  Seriously moms, how do you do this with a full time job?  The baby isn't even here yet!

Then, Brent and I went to our midwifery appointment today.  The midwife was able to discern the baby's position with her hands, showed her assistant how to feel it, and then let Brent try it out.  The baby is already head-down, which is fantastic.  It could change in the next few weeks, but it is still a good sign!  Although, I'm slightly concerned that this kid has 8 legs because there is no other explanation for the crazy sensations I've been feeling...

The baby's heartbeat sounded great, my labs were all normal (Thank God I don't have gestational diabetes after all.), and we were going over the next few weeks.  All of the sudden, everybody sounded far away and I had the spins.  Mid-sentence, I just blurted out, "Uh, I feel really dizzy."  I felt myself fading fast.  The midwife and her assistant sprang into action.  They gave me water, opened a window (it was really warm in their office), and had me put my head between my legs while the midwife vigorously rubbed my back.  Has anyone ever tried to put her head between her legs while 29 weeks pregnant? Ha!  Not geometrically possible.

When I sat up, I still felt awful and my vision was blurry.  I have never, ever felt like this in my entire life.  I was a bit freaked out and apologetic for being a hassle.  We walked into the waiting room to get more air.  It all started spinning again and we repeated the bending forward.  The midwife brought me a snack but I was suddenly nauseous and couldn't even think about eating.  Brent started fanning me and my blood pressure was taken- it was normal for me.  So, a blood pressure spike was ruled out, as was anemia thanks to my recent labs.  I was likely overheated.  Plus, I only slept 5-6 hours last night with a break for a bowl of cereal at 6 AM.

The midwife had me smell an alcohol pad, which was surprisingly effective.  She also brought out smelling salts and showed Brent how to activate them.  But, she told him to spare me unless I truly fainted, since apparently they are awful.  I joked that Brent may need them too.  He was so worried and completely freaked out, but very supportive as always.  

I perked up a bit and decided that going outside into the cool misty air seemed like it would feel good.  Really, I just wanted to get home and lie down on the couch with Fry pup.  Once we all got down the stairs and outside, I felt much, much better.  I felt even better when we got home.  Eventually, I was able to eat lunch and called the midwives in the afternoon to check in and let them know I was feeling better.  I still feel really weak, so I have been taking it easy. 

Hopefully, it doesn't happen again.  Just in case, those smelling salts are on the kitchen counter.