30 Weeks

This week didn't start off well. Paul called me Monday night to tell me that his friend Stan had passed away. I couldn't believe it at first and thought that maybe he'd been in some sort of accident. It was even more tragic than that. Stan was only 34 and he died of heart failure. I don't know all the details but what I've heard is that he had been born with a genetic heart defect that was never detected. Apparently the walls of his heart were too thin and although he had been complaining of chest pains for a short while, the doctors never found anything wrong. The only thing they seemed to be concerned about was a slightly elevated cholesterol level. They told Stan to exercise a couple times a week, and he did. While he was playing squash with a friend, he collapsed and the paramedics spent about 20 minutes trying to revive him. I'm not sure when they pronounced him dead but he was taken to the hospital and his family was notified. Paul & a couple friends went over to see Sally, Stan's mom and to offer help with anything. She had her sister over but was thankful for the visit. I wanted to go with them but I couldn't. I had already made plans to get my gestational diabetes test done.

I had heard lots of things about this sugary drink but it was definitely not what I had expected. I thought it was going to be a shot of some super sweet orange syrup but it was more like half a can of sweetened orange crush. I drank it and had to sit in the waiting room for an hour before they could draw my blood. It was a little boring since Paul wasn't with me but I did bring a book to read. That only made me sleepy and I decided to close my eyes for a little. There weren't a lot of people coming in and out so I didn't feel to awkward sitting there with my eyes closed. After an hour, I wasn't feeling too good. All that sugar was making me a little queasy and it had left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. The nurse then called me in and she took my blood. It wasn't long before I was out the door and heading to Tim Hortons for a coffee and bagel. I felt much better after that.

Easter was coming up and I had promised my mom I would make a lasagna for lunch to accompany her roast beef. I thought I had everything I needed but when I started cooking friday night I realized that I didn't have enough pasta and could only make the meat. I got up early Saturday morning and quickly made my way to Giant Tiger. I never took any notice during the morning but, after cooking the lasagna I sat on the couch to rub my soar feet and was surprised to see that they looked like potatoes. Apparently my socks were making my feet swell and I started cursing them. I flung them across the room and tried to keep my feet elevated until we had to leave which was only for a half hour or so. They got a little better as the day went on but didn't go back to normal. It wasn't until the next morning that they deflated to their normal size. But ever since that I day I've been folding my socks down and that seems to help a lot. My feet still swell a little because I'm on them all day but they haven't been that bad since.

Well, even though it was Easter weekend, Paul & I picked up the crib. We'd had a difficult time agreeing on which one we liked and when we saw this one we knew it was the one. It's still in the box since we haven't cleared out a room for our lil' bean but at least we're one step closer. Unfortunately the dresser wasn't available so we're still waiting on it. And since I forgot to mention it before, you'll be happy to know I now have a baby registry. It was really a daunting task but we managed to pull through. Most of the stuff we need probably won't be purchased but at least we've been through it all and if push comes to shove, I can pick up the necessities knowing Paul won't be unhappy.

Easter Sunday was also baby oriented. My sister-in-law brought over the bassinet we're borrowing and it's great. At least if we don't get the nursery done in time our lil' bean will have someplace to sleep. The other thing that happened that day was me being able to see my shower invitations. They are too cool. I decided on "monsters" as my theme and my sister-in-law came up with such a great design. They are felt monsters, sewn together with a flat stuffing to make them sort of soft. The actual invite will be placed on top of the felt monster. They are so adorable.

At 30 weeks my lil' bean is weighing in at about 3lbs. roughly the size of a cabbage. There is about a pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounding him, which will decrease in volume as he gets bigger. The soft lanugo hair that was protecting the skin is now starting to fall off. He is keeping active by moving around and this can be seen and felt. He is also practicing his breathing movements by moving his diaphragm which could lead to hiccups.

29 Weeks

It's been 4 weeks since I last saw my midwife and from now on, I'll be seeing her every two weeks. At this weeks appointment we reviewed wether or not I wanted to have the gestational diabetes test. She went through the problems that may occur if it goes undetected and also made a note of mentioning that I didn't fall into any of the categories that put me at risk except for being over 25 years old. I also found out that Hamilton doesn't even recognize it as a proper screening test and doesn't test pregnant women. I told her I would think about it and she gave me a sheet to read so I could make the right decision for myself. After reading the info and thinking about it over the weekend, I think I'm going to have it done. Being aware of having gestational diabetes would prevent a lot of problems that could arise if it went untreated.

The visit continued with the usual blood pressure check, fundal height, external palpation and fetal heartbeat. My blood pressure is still nice & low. This along with lack of swelling and a good BMI keeps me in the clear for preeclampsia. My fundal height is measuring one week ahead, as before. Not a big deal as long as the measurement stays consistent. When the midwife checked the position of my lil' bean she had good news to share with us. He is now head down, but of course this could change in the next 11 weeks. She pointed out the head, spine, hands and feet. I of course had my suspisions that he had been in this position for a while now. It seems that all the movement I feel has been concentrated to one side of my belly. And now that she has confirmed the fact that he is head down, I can confidently say that he loves this spot. He hasn't really moved from this position and that's OK with me. The last thing I want is a breech baby.

Oh...I almost forgot. Paul & I also got an excellent surprise the same morning I had to see the midwife. It was about 9am when I heard Kane walking around, and it sounded like he had stuck his nose in the bathroom garbage, which he's not supposed to do. That's what really made me pay attention to him. He then walked into the office and didn't walk out. He likes to hide under my desk when he's scared so my first guess was that he had pulled some garbage out of the bathroom and was chewing on it in the office. I waited a few minutes to see if he would come out, but he didn't. I then got up and sure enough, he was hiding in the office. That's when I smelled it. A little confused and still half asleep I first thought he had farted, and I headed for the bathroom to see what he had done in there. Half way down the hallway I stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn't a fart I smelled. Right in front of the bathroom door was this puddle of mud, only it wasn't mud. I walked a little further and noticed another "mud puddle" in front of the toilet and on the wall tiles. My jaw dropped. As I peered around the corner and into the kitchen I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was "mud puddles" everywhere. Kane had been lying in his bed and for some reason felt the need to have explosive diarrhea in the living room, kitchen, bathroom and hallway. It was all over the floor, rug, tablecloth, toilet & walls. I almost cried. I was about to start cleaning it up but I knew I couldn't do it by myself. I had to wake up Paul. He wasn't a happy camper. We started with paper towel and picked up as much of it as we could. I took the rug and tablecloth and put it in the washer. Then I got out the mop and washed the floors while Paul cleaned the doors, walls & toilette. I let the dogs out after that and opened all the windows. Our clothes went into the hamper and then we both needed a good shower. It took the two of us about an hour to clean up that mess. And as much as I wanted to go back to bed, it was off to the midwife's for our appointment. The house still stunk when we got back but at least Kane hadn't had another episode. I never want to experience that again.

And now that you've had a good laugh, at my expense, I can continue with other, more enjoyable happenings. Over the weekend Paul & I picked up the rest of the stuff for the closet. It's coming along nicely and I can hardly wait to see it done. I'll finally have all the storage space I need and hopefully things will be a little more organized in the house. Here's a few pics of the progress.

So all the framing, drywall and mudding is done. The doors have been hung and the trim added. Next weekends adgenda...the inside. I know we'll be busy with Easter, but Paul will surely squeeze in some time for it.

And on to my lil' bean. This week he weighs 2 1/2 pounds, about the same as a butternut squash, and is 15 inches long. His bones are fully developed but will stay malleable in order to get through the birth canal. His lungs are maturing along with his muscles and of course he is still gaining fat. His head is also getting bigger to accommodate his brain. Only 11 more weeks to grow!