The Peanut Rumble

I grabbed my camera and taped Peanut situating himself.

Saturday afternoons at the Hardt household

Adam reading "The Expectant Father" and listening to his music.

Last day of work

Yesterday was my last day of work for 5 months! It was a bit of a weird feeling but also a huge relief knowing that I can spend the remaining time just focused on getting ready to be a family. For the third time in our relationship, Adam brought me flowers to celebrate! I should have bought him flowers for the level promotion he just received at work!

January showers bring February Peanuts

On Wednesday, 16 ladies at work threw me a surprise baby shower. I thought I was having a final touch base with my manager before going out on leave, only to be taken into a room complete with lots of smiling faces, a bag of goodies and a cake! It's amazing to me how thoughtful and generous everyone is - I truly feel so lucky to have such great people in my life.

In addition to opening presents and eating cake, all the ladies also guessed Peanut's gender, due date and weight. I also put in my own guess - a boy, born on 2/9 and weighing in at 8 lbs 3 oz. Let the games begin!

Oh me, oh my

"So much to do and so little time before mommy kicks me out of my 'house' "

Let's get this party started

Just went to the OB and she said I'm 1 cm dilated. Only 9 to go!

She also felt my belly and said "You're probably having a contraction now." Apparently when my belly is really hard, even if I don't feel anything, that's a contraction!

Peanut is keeping me busy today

8:30 am - Weekly OB visit

1:00 pm - Weekly ultrasound visit

4:00 pm - Visit to lawyer to have wills written

7:00 pm - Hospital tour

That's a lot of check marks on my list!

37 week update

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain? 27.2 lbs. I have actually dropped very slightly, which is common as the due date nears.

Maternity clothes? Yes, still going strong and don't even get me started about how uncomfortable wearing a bra is, even though they are theoretically big enough.

Sleep? No complaints here, other than the weirdo dreams I'm having. The latest one had Adam getting his drivers license taken away for 1.5 years.

Best moment this week? Knowing that if Peanut were born today, he would no longer be considered pre-term.

Movement? The ultrasound last week showed why there is so much action in there. Basically, Peanut his his rump jammed into the right side of my belly, leaving the entire left side for his little legs and feet to kick as much as he wants.

Gender? Hanging tight to the boy theory, so if it's a girl, then it's safe to say I may have no motherly intuition.

Labor signs? Not really! And the ultrasound tech confirmed last week that although Peanut is heads down, he hasn't really decended.

What I miss? The earlier part of the pregnancy when I was blissfully ignorant of the actual "giving birth" details. Good thing they don't make you take birthing classes before you actually get pregnant, or this blog may not exist.

What I am looking forward to? Meeting Peanut, of course! Hard to believe that it could literally be any day (rather than month or week).

Weekly Wisdom? Wanting an epidural does not make you any less of a woman. It may make you a bit of a dirty birdie since you can't shower immediately afterwards, however.

Milestones? Full-term baby at 37 weeks, of course!

Open letter to Peanut

Dear Peanut,

You are officially a full-term watermelon! In addition, your poppy made it through a hellish week at work last week, I only have one planned week left in the office, we went to Target again today and bought 3 more bags of diapers (great sale combined with great coupons) and some gas drops just in case you need some "help". All of this renders us totally prepared for your arrival (minus the whole labor part). We are really looking forward to meeting you!

Besos,
Your mommy and poppy

"Look at that belly!"

This has been Adam's favorite thing to say to me and I can't say I blame him. I've finally measured my "width" and it's a solid 42 inches around my belly button. I have no idea what it was before, but I think it's safe to say this belly is BIG. Just for comparison, I've included a picture of the day I found out I was pregnant.

January 19, 2010 - 36 weeks

June 12, 2009 - 5 weeks

Peanut's room

So Peanut has pretty much taken over the living room and he isn't even here yet! I can't even imagine what this place is going to look like in a month.

Peanut's cradle just waiting for him

Peanut's corner of "stuff"

Epidural update

I found out today that an epidural may in fact be in the cards after all. My OB didn't seem to think it would be a problem and my back surgeon confirmed that my fusion only went down to the 3rd lumbar, leaving levels 4 & 5 for an epidural. Guess we'll find out once we get to the hospital and the anesthesiologist starts "poking" around. My OB said there is no reason to talk to the anesthesiologist now, since we don't know which one it will be all they all have their own "tricks."

By the Numbers Fun

1 - Number of bags packed for the hospital
2 - Number of names we have chosen; 1 for a boy, 1 for a girl. These are final. I hope.
3 - Number of "hees" you're suppose to say before "hoo" when breathing during contractions (e.g., hee hee hee hoo)
4 - Number of Peanut related appts I had this week - Ultrasound, OB, Car seat installation, Childbirth class (topic is c-section)
5 - Number of days until Peanut is "full-term"; also number of months I am taking off of work
6 - Number of garbage bags (each bag holds 180 diapers) we bought on Sunday for the diaper pail
7 - Number of blocks to the hospital
8 - Number of days I have left of work
9 - Number of times I've been to Target in the past month (or at least it feels like it)
10 - Target number of "kicks" I'm suppose to feel each day. I think I feel that many in an any given hour.

Bad news bears - epidrual style

Adam and I went to our second birthing class tonight. Last week we learned about natural childbirth, which was interesting, but I was even more interested to learn about pain management (e.g., epidurals) tonight. I've been pretty sold on having as much pain medication as necessary since I'm pretty much a big baby. Adam has also been a fan so he wouldn't have to deal with me in such a state. That came to a screeching halt when I learned that I may not be able to have an epidural due to having had scoliosis surgery when I was younger. The teacher/RN recommended that I check with my OB and the anesthesiologist to get the final say, but basically told me not to hold my breath.

What happened to my "easy" pregnancy?

We were further disappointed when the couple that is a week away from their due date and apparently 2 cms dilated had to leave the class due to contractions. I think Adam was hoping a live demonstration was a part of our class fees.

T-1 month

We are officially ONE MONTH away from Peanut being due. To celebrate, we went to have his weekly biophysical done. Ok, so it was actually part of the diabetes monitoring, but was looking forward to it since I knew there would be ultrasound pictures involved.

I think I got a good dose of what this baby is going to be like today! As I've said many times before, this is a constantly moving baby, and if I didn't know better, would even think that Peanut is being paid for each kick. One of the four things that is measured in a biophysical is the baby's movement. And so it was only fitting that Peanut was sound asleep today with his arms crossed in front of his face. and. he. refused. to. wake. up. The tech prodded, poked, turned me onto my right side, turned me onto my left side, until 20 minutes later, he finally gave a tiny little kick to say "ok, now leave me the hell alone." And so, away we went with our four little pictures of Peanut with his arms covering his face. Honestly, they're not even worth posting!

Peanut's First Professional Photo Session

For my 30th birthday my mom gave me a gift certificate to Little Nest Portraits in Wilmington. I've been to their store front and if the studio is anything like that, it will be great! We're looking forward to taking Peanut there hopefully within the first couple of weeks so we can capture that "scrunched up" look.

Valentine's Day baby?

A soon-to-be mommy friend recently gave me the baby parody book titled "What to Expect When You're Expected: A Fetus's Guide to the First Three Trimesters." Needless to say, one does not learn anything by reading this book, but it is laugh-out-loud funny. The author is a senior producer of the Jon Stewart show.

The book is written by a former embryo to fetuses around the world and this is the advice it gives to any fetus thinking about being born on Feb. 14:

"If you're confident in your love life, go for it. Otherwise you're in for an annual double whammy of loneliness."

Peanut, you might want to think twice about when you decide to show up especially with the last name Hardt.

It's a small world after all

I've met a couple of mommies in the past week that are worth mentioning:

First, my gestational diabetes doctor has the same birth date as me, has the same OB/GYN as me and delivered at St. Francis in August. Thankfully, she was very happy with the doctors and with the hospital, even though she works at the "other" hospital in the area.

Second, Adam and I went to dinner in Philly on Sat night and another pregnant couple ended up sitting right next to us. Apparently this restaurant has a "prego" section. We started talking and that mommy-to-be used to be a Pharma Rep in the area that knows the doctors of my practice well and was telling me how good they are. They are also not finding out the gender and showed us their ultrasound pic of their bambino sucking his/her thumb!

Glad I keep running into these knowledgeable ladies!

Head full of hair

I spent most of the day today at doctors appointments. First, I had my regular ob/gyn 34 week appointment, an ultrasound (due to the gestational diabetes), and then an appointment with a doctor at the diabetes clinic. Here is an executive summary:

• Peanut is in a heads down position, so no longer breech! Of course he could decide to change his mind and flip back around.
  
• The ultrasound tech commented (again) on how much hair he has and how active he is. Adam was right when he said he felt feet on the left side of my belly, because that's exactly where they are.
  
• Peanut's estimated weight is 6 lbs 12 oz right now. This is a bit higher than the 4-5 lbs that I read 34 week babies should be. Needless to say, Peanut will likely surpass the 50th percentile in this area.
  
• My blood sugars look good so no need for insulin at this point. Just need to keep monitoring my blood.
  
• If there has been one good thing that has come out of having gestational diabetes, it's been that I've gotten another opportunity to see Peanut via ultrasound. Today she even made it 3D for me and took some pictures. Without further ado, here is my bashful Peanut who kept putting his hands in front of his face.

Although it appears as though Peanut has a giant hole in his head, this is apparently only due to the marvels of technology.

Adam thinks Peanut has a nose just like Andra did when she was a baby. Maybe time to start thinking about revisiting those girl names.

Stop taking pictures of me, por favor!

34 Week Update

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain? 25.6 lbs. Less than a pound over the past 3 weeks, like due to the change in diet.

Maternity clothes? Not adding anymore to my collection at this point, so if you see me wearing the same shirt in the same week, you'll know why!

Sleep? Not too shabby. Most nights are just filled with switching from side to side, but I do occasionally go and sleep in the living room chair for a bit.

Best moment this week? Learning I had gestational diabetes! You don't believe me? Ok, fine. Probably celebrating New Year's with Adam and knowing how crazy 2010 is going to be for us.

Movement? Two nights ago Peanut punched (or kicked) me so hard it not only woke me up but took my breath away. I had to get up to try and give this baby some room to move around for awhile.

Gender? People will say to me "You're carrying low - it's totally a boy." Others will say "You're carrying low - it's totally a girl." Would be nice if we had our Old Wives tales straight! Which one is it?!?!

Labor signs? Have felt a few Braxton Hicks contractions here and there, but nothing intense.

What I miss? Eating whatever I want. What I don't miss? Knowing that could be causing this baby to be HUGE!

What I am looking forward to? The real baby classes begin on Thursday this week, although I'm going tomorrow night to the hospital to learn more about breastfeeding. In Adam's words - "how hard can it be?" Such a boy response!

Weekly Wisdom? Eat peanut butter, even if it feels like it's going to suffocate you. It's a good way of getting protein in the morning.

Milestones? I think we have almost everything we need if Peanut were to show up tomorrow. Car seat, diapers, wipes, some clothes. I think the only thing we're missing is a name.

Registry

People have asked where we are registered. We've put most of the Peanut Paraphernalia on Amazon.com, but we're also registered at Target.

Amazon.com: Click here

Target.com: Click here

Marijuana Pepsi Jackson

Baby names, particularly boy names, are a can of worms that we can't seem to close. I'm hoping that before we go back to work on Monday, our names are final. In the meantime, we do know that we will not be naming our child Marijuana Pepsi Jackson, like this girl that went to UW-Whitewater at the same time as Adam.

(Pre) Push Present

I've been teasing Adam that after these 10 months (it really is 10, and not 9, by the way) that I've been carrying Peanut around should result in some sort of "Push Present." Of course he thought it was a sham excuse to get a nice present, just like me marketing my "golden birthday" last year. Low and behold, when we were at Domaine Hudson for dinner on New Years Eve, he gave me a new watch for a "Pre-Push Present." This was his way of making the "Push Present" idea his own. He also said that he recognizes the next month is probably going to be pretty difficult. Little did he know when he bought it that I was going to be pricking my fingers daily. This watch perfectly complements the new diamond earrings he gave me for my 30th birthday. Too bad Peanut's 529 college plan is going to have to wait now.....

Checking blood sugars: Day 1

I went to my gestational diabetes class on New Years Eve to learn more about what I should be eating, how to test my blood sugar and how to give myself insulin, if that time comes.

The bottom line is I need to eat a diet rich in protein, fiber and complex carbs. Adam's candy stash doesn't fall into any of those. Neither do Oreos. Or vanilla wafers. This is all a good excuse for me to clean up my diet, however.

I also need to check my blog sugars frequently during the day. For the first three days, I'm pricking my fingers 7 times per day to get a measurement. On the fourth day until Peanut is born, I need to test 4 times. Yesterday was my first day of checking and all readings were good except for one that was pretty high.

The last thing I need to do is pee on a stick before each meal to check my ketones. I'm not sure I completely understand what this does, but it is another factor that determines whether I may have to take insulin.

I will only have to give myself insulin if I/my body can't regulate my glucose levels on my own. The nurse actually made me practice giving myself a shot in the stomach at the hospital to prove I can do it. I was waiting for myself to pass out (like I did when I had needles inserted in my arm for allergy testing), but no such luck. Giving yourself a shot of insulin, although nothing one aspires to do, is not painful at all. In fact, I would argue that it's easier than the finger prick. In any case, let's hope it doesn't come to that.

And that, boys and girls, is the most detail I'm ever going to bore you with regarding gestational diabetes. I'm off to the doctor on Tuesday and also to get an ultrasound and biophysical to make sure Peanut isn't 20 pounds yet.

All my testing equipment lined up like little soldiers.