kapachino

Category: motherhood

  • there’s no normal life, wyatt. it’s just life.

    That’s a quote from Tombstone, in case you were wondering, and in case you were wondering, Tombstone is one of my all-time favorite movies. Anyway.

    I’m checking in to give you a general update on my life, since it doesn’t seem that I’ve done that for awhile. Some things have been happening and I’d love your feedback.

    Pregnancy & Health

    Since my hospital visit a couple weeks ago, I’ve had a bit of a rough time. It took me a week and a half to recover from my cold, and during that time I had absolutely no energy. I just barely started feeling good again this week, and now for two days I’ve had a sore throat that won’t go away. I’m really hoping it doesn’t develop into something more, or my immune system and I are going to have words.

    On top of that, I’ve had some pretty killer back pain. For awhile I had a pulled muscle near one of my shoulder blades, and that was just miserable. But thanks to Epsom salt baths, a massage, Icy Hot, and patience, that has healed up. What I have now is constant pain around my ribs on the left back side that wraps around to the front. Usually it is a dull ache but occasionally it becomes quite sharp. No idea what’s causing this, but as uncomfortable as it is, it is better than the pulled muscle.

    I can feel Meredith moving lots now, and she’s strong enough at times that my husband and family have been able to feel her too. This is really special, because I feel like she’s my little buddy, keeping me company throughout the day.

    More detailed pregnancy updates to come next week after I see my doctor again!

    My view looking down

    Dogs

    Oliver has been so good for over a month now that we really don’t want to give him away. Cleo has been doing fine at my parents’ house, but we are contemplating bringing her home for a visit to see how she and Oliver interact because we miss her a lot (even though I do visit frequently).

    Strangely, Eddie has been the problem child lately. She is ten years old and has been extremely attached to David since she was a puppy. She’s always been prone to anxiety, but it usually comes out during thunderstorms or when the dishwasher is running. Nowadays she’s the only one out and about in the house during the day since Cleo is gone and we keep Oliver in his crate.

    For the past couple of weeks we have noticed things being disturbed in the house, until finally Eddie became downright destructive. She went in David’s closet and completely tore up all the carpet including the foam underneath, spreading it all across our room. We took her to the vet, who said she appears very healthy (bloodwork was normal too) and he believes she is suffering separation anxiety because she senses changes in the family. I don’t know if it’s because she’s lonely during the day without Cleo, if she senses I’m pregnant and is worried, or what. We have her on anti-anxiety medication now, but she is still very needy and driving us just a little bit crazy.

    This is what a crybaby looks like

    Home Improvement

    We finally started working on the house again! Last weekend a bunch of my family came over to help paint. There are several rooms plus a hallway including all the trim, doors, and ceilings to do, so it’s quite a project. So far we’ve completely done the front entryway and the guest room minus the trim and door. We also installed a new light fixture in the entryway. Eventually I’ll get around to hanging art, getting a console table, and retiling, but painting is job #1 for now.

    The current state of the entryway

    Things are up and down around here, but we’re making it!

  • on a quick hospital trip

    I had a fun, random Friday post set to go for yesterday, but the day didn’t go as I expected.

    When I woke up on Thursday I began having a sharp pain in my right side that didn’t feel like the normal backaches that I’ve been getting. I didn’t worry too much, though, because I had been coughing a lot and I figured I pulled a muscle. By the time I went to work it had gone away.

    A few hours later while I was at work the pain returned. It was quite sharp, made me nauseous, and I couldn’t ignore it. My coworkers encouraged me to call my doctor, and although I didn’t think anything was seriously wrong, I called because I’m now responsible for the life of another person and I don’t want to take any chances.

    Thankfully my doctor’s office is connected to the building I work in, so I was able to go see her quickly. By the time I got there the pain had gone again. After being examined and talking with her we were both pretty sure that the pain was a result of my coughing and possibly gas, so she gave me a prescription for a muscle relaxer, told me to take an Epsom salt bath, and if the pain came back I needed to call her again. The thing she was most worried about was that I might have appendicitis. She said if I wasn’t a nurse she would probably be sending me to get scanned right then.

    I returned to work, but within an hour the pain had returned and I was concerned. I went back to my doctor and she decided to admit me to the hospital for observation. I was bummed, but I was a good patient and checked myself in.

    It was pretty interesting being a patient in the hospital where I work. My nurse just handed me the computer and let me fill out my own admission profile. They started an IV with fluids because I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink, drew blood, and had me leave a urine sample. A surgeon came to see me per protocol, although she said she wasn’t too worried about me.

    Although the pain wasn’t near as bad by this point, I was still uncomfortable and had a cough that was turning into a legitimate sickness. There was a lot of time that I was left alone, and I began to feel really stupid for being there, and quite lonely. Finally my husband came and I was so happy to see him. My spirits were raised and he was able to stay with me while I got a complete ultrasound of the abdomen and kidneys. They were focusing on my organs, but we did get to see Meredith a little bit, and we were assured that she’s still a girl!

    By the time the scan was finished it was quite late so David went home to take care of the dogs and I attempted to sleep. It wasn’t easy, and when they woke me up at 5 a.m. to draw blood I stayed awake. I was dreaming of a huge breakfast, and I figured that a doctor would be in to see me soon and let me eat and go home. But everything moved so slowly, and I ended up staying there until the afternoon with only clear liquids to eat and drink. I was so disappointed!

    First the surgery resident came to see me, but he didn’t have much authority. A little later my OB came by, and although she was no longer very worried about appendicitis (they couldn’t even find my appendix on the ultrasound) she did mention a few other things. I had bacteria in my urine, so she prescribed me antibiotics, and she noticed that all my blood counts were lower than she expected them to be. I’ve been on iron supplements for months now and my body hasn’t responded at all. So in a few weeks, once I’m recovered from whatever virus I have that is causing my cough and congestion, she’s going to do some more specific blood tests.

    Even after she came I still had to wait for the surgeon to release me, which took another couple of hours. I was so bored. I couldn’t focus or relax enough to read and I had no one to keep me company except my little girl. The best parts were when they came to check the fetal heart tones, and I got to listen to her heartbeat and hear her moving around.

    Everything took a long time. Finally I was able to leave, and my parents picked me up. As soon as I got in the car, the original pain came back, but by this time I was 99% sure that it was just gas or something – apparently pregnancy changes the way everything feels. Still, that didn’t stop me from consuming an entire Grand Slam breakfast from Denny’s. I came home, took a muscle relaxer, went to sleep around 6 p.m. and didn’t wake up until late this morning.

    Now I still feel sick, but it’s a normal cold-type sickness combined with a groggy hangover feeling from the muscle relaxer (I’m somewhat sensitive to those things). I plan to spend the rest of the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing, since I really need to be at work on Monday for a big audit we’ve been preparing for all year.

    Happy weekend everyone!

  • what’s in a name

    Before David and I knew we were having a girl, we only had a boy name picked out. We hadn’t even considered girl names because we didn’t think we could have one. Then the ultrasound happened and everything changed.

    There are so many girl names that I love, but it didn’t take me long to decide that I didn’t want just some name that I like, but something deeper, with roots. I wanted a family name. In the end, we chose:

    Meredith

    Meaning & Origin: Protector of the sea, English/Welsh
    Popularity: Number 488 in 2009 down from 276 in 1999.

    Why we chose it: David’s paternal grandmother was named Meredythe, and although we think that way of spelling it is beautiful, we both are in favor of spelling names the traditional way for simplicity’s sake.

    Susannah

    Meaning & Origin: Lily, Hebrew
    Popularity: Not in the top 1000 names for the last ten years.

    Why we chose it: Susan is a family name on both sides, including my grandmother’s nickname, my mother’s middle name, and David’s aunt. We changed it to Susannah to add a unique touch.

    Choosing a name was such a hard thing to do, and even now I second guess myself, but I don’t think we will find another one that fits quite so well. In our minds this is who she is, and we can’t wait to meet her. :)

  • twenty-two weeks

    22 weeks

    I got dressed up! For a wedding! Even wore heels!

    Symptoms: Thankfully my headaches have gone away, my appetite is normalizing, and for the most part I’m feeling great. However, after every meal I get extremely uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s because I ate too much and my abdomen feels like it will explode, but mostly it’s an aching upper back. I’m not sure what’s up with that. The newest thing is that every morning when I wake up my hands are asleep. I try so hard to sleep on my side, but I always end up on my back. Apparently pregnant women can develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Recently my hands have also started to tingle when I’m sitting on the bus for awhile. I hope and pray it doesn’t get worse because I NEED my hands to do my job.

    Medical stuff: This past month I only gained two pounds after gaining eight the month before that. Women’s bodies are weird and erratic I guess, but I was happy that I didn’t keep gaining at that rapid rate. Everything is pretty much normal right now, including the baby’s anatomy scan which was a relief!

    Movement: Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes I feel this rolling sensation, and I guess it’s probably baby moving around, but I can’t be sure. My placenta is on the front of my uterus, cushioning the baby’s kicks from my belly, so they said it would take longer for me to feel.

    Clothes: I haven’t bought anything new yet, but there is one pair of scrubs that doesn’t fit right anymore so I’ve retired them. When I’m not wearing scrubs I like to put on outfits that actually make me look pregnant and not just bloated.

    Preparation: We’ve been pricing and even begun touring daycares, since as it turns out my mom won’t be able to retire yet after all. I started reading The Birth Book by Dr. Sears. I posted ads for Oliver on several websites (although no responses yet). I went to a La Leche League meeting and plan to go monthly if I can. We started working on our budget. Two short vacations are scheduled and planned. I spoke to my manager about the maternity leave policy and acquired the necessary paperwork. I’ve done more than I realized!

    Also: We chose a name! Stay tuned to find out what it is. :)

  • on having a girl

    I can hardly believe it, but we are going to have a girl.

    Before this, there have been only boys born in the Forbes family for almost seventy years. It became a joke that they were incapable of producing girls. This was repeated so often as boy after boy was born that I began to believe it.

    In my head, we already had a little boy. We had a name that we both liked, I was melting over my husband’s baby pictures, and picturing them fishing together. Even though he wouldn’t say so, I knew that every man wants a boy. And my husband was terrified at the prospect of having a girl.

    This past weekend he and I went to my friend Sara’s house for dinner. I get to see her at book club, but we don’t usually hang out as couples. Sara has two daughters, aged almost three and one, and David hadn’t ever met them. We had a blast, and the three-year-old took such a liking to David that they ended up playing together for nearly three hours.

    I was so nervous about the ultrasound appointment this morning because I wanted both a boy and a girl. I knew I would be happy and sad either way, but I mainly wanted it to be healthy. It was a long scan, as they took measurements of every little thing. All the parts were in the right place though, everything symmetrical, in the 54th percentile for size–right on. I discovered that my placenta is providing an extra cushion under my belly, which is probably why I haven’t felt any movement yet. And the slightly unusual shape of my uterus was seen, but I was assured that it wouldn’t have any effect on the pregnancy (although it might possibly increase the risk of a breech baby, but that’s still rare).

    Finally, after so much buildup, the ultrasound tech told us that we were having a little girl. I asked if there was any way she could be mistaken, and she said at this point it’s hard to miss. They don’t call it based on the absence of boy parts, but they actually have to see girl parts. The parts were obvious.

    As she continued to get measurements, I surprised myself as tears began welling up in my eyes and then silently sliding down my face. In that moment I said goodbye to my little boy and all the plans we had for him. I didn’t realize how deeply I had felt that we were going to have a boy until we were having a girl.

    I looked over at David and he had a shocked look on his face, but his mouth had a slight upturn to it. He saw my tears and immediately grabbed my hand and kissed me. He told me that he was so happy, that she would be his little girl, and he would take her fishing anyway. He said that God had us go to my friend Sara’s house for a reason, to show him that girls are fun and not so scary after all.

    I recovered myself, finished out the appointment, and now it’s started to sink in a little bit. I love being able to say “she” and “her” when I’m talking about my baby. A whole new world of names has opened up to me that I never considered before. I get to look forward to adorable clothes and fixing her hair and most of all, teaching a little girl how to be a woman. I can hardly wait.