Graduation

Last night was our last night of the prepared childbirth class! I guess we are officially ready to become parents--that was what we were told anyway. We even have the certificate to prove it:

Last night's class was all about taking care of baby and mommy post-delivery. So many things I never even thought about. I thought out popped baby and then boom you were all better. Haha, yeah right. I guess I wanted to live in a fantasy world and believe bibbity bobbidy  boo I would be right as rain the minute after. However, we were given a baby to practice on:

He was not a very cooperative baby, in fact, he was kind of stiff. Vlad learned how to use an aspirator and NOT use it on the nose before using it on the baby's mouth. Very important lesson if I do say so myself.

As soon as class was over we high-tailed it out of there and went to find food. I was starving and I seem to be more hungry as time goes on. I thought that was supposed to taper off, but in my case its ramping up. Oh well, soon I will have our baby. Yay!

36 Week Appointment

I had my 36 Week appointment yesterday and all is well. Blood pressure is great, weight jumped a bit. My doctor said it's fine since it looks like all the added weight is in my feet. Funny, funny! My feet have started to swell in a major way. I feel as if I have elephantitus or some such things going on in my feet. She is not concerned with it since my blood pressure remains stable. I would take a picture of my feet to give you an idea of just how hideous they are, but even *I* have a little bit of vanity.

Next week is the more exciting appointment--I get to have an ultrasound to gauge baby's size and position. I am primarily excited because this means that I get to see him (sort of). It has been a very long 17 weeks since our 20 week ultrasound when we found out that he was indeed a he. Now for the photos: 37 weeks and counting...

What's the verdict? Am I massive? I certainly feel massive! Only 3 more weeks!

Update

So there has not been a post in a week--mainly because there has been nothing to really post about. Life has been a bit crazy, but it's important to realize that family is everything and things can change in the blink of an eye. Make sure to appreciate everyone and everything in your life.

The last 4 weeks Vlad and I have attended our Prepared Childbirth Class. Our last class is this Thursday. They really should have called this the "Prepare for Pregnancy" class. The breakdown of classes go as follows:

Class 1: You're Pregnant! (no kidding, right??)
Class 2: Labor (i.e. How much pain you are going to be in, but not to worry! You get a baby out of it)
Class 3: Tour of Labor and Delivery Unit (including triage, etc)
Class 4: Medical Interventions (and by this they mean pain medications--I don't see this as intervention, I see this as a medical necessity!)
Class 5: Taking Care of Mommy and Baby post-delivery ( I will wait and provide my assessment after the class)

As you might have noticed, I am not a huge fan of the class. First, it does not offer anything that I haven't already read. In this instance it is being shown to me in a powerpoint presentation. The tour was nice in the sense that I got to see the rooms in which I will be delivering but my association with hospitals at this point in time is not a positive one, I would rather just have seen it once I was actually delivering. All in all, I wished I would have saved the money and continued to read my books.

This weekend was quite enjoyable, especially the part in which I got a pedicure. Very nice and relaxing for my feet that currently feel as if they are the size of footballs. Only 3 weeks and some off days to go. I am not counting or anything. I am just really read to not be pregnant anymore, while still enjoying the remaining time I have with my hubby--just him and I.

It's a Bittersweet Symphony

Today Kat and I finished the blanket we had been working on for the baby, made of my mom's clothes. It was really bittersweet to have it completed. I try my best to not think about my mom too often or too long because its still really hard to deal with. This week Vlad and I took our tour of the maternity rooms at North Florida and after the year we have had, the hospital is not a welcome sight--even knowing that we will be welcoming the baby.

I miss you Mom, today and everyday that you are not here to guide me through this.

34 Week Appointment

Went for my check up this morning. All is well, blood pressure is great, weight is okay, and heartbeat sounds great. Doc says baby is also in the head down position. Seems like we are moving along closer and closer to D-Day (Delivery Day). I am so glad as my ankles are starting to resemble Fred Flintstone's. No bueno!

Baby Items

It's truly amazing the amount of "stuff" that can accumulate as you are expecting a baby, especially your first baby. What do I need? How much of what I think I need DO I actually need? What if I don't have it? The answer of course is to just go out and get it all. That is not really an answer, but more of the unintended answer. There are differing opinions on the must-haves for a newborn: Parenting.com, Amazon, and of course Babies'R'Us. Who better to tell you what you need than commercial retailers??? So what did I do, you ask? I listened to the advice of experienced mom's and the result of that was that I had many, MANY opinions to choose from.

Given my own experience with babies and the advice I was given, here are just some of the things I decided that I had to have. In a few months I will report back and see if they were actually necessary:

Travel System
Pack N Play --By the way, I do need this for daycare :)
Crib
Glider
Swing
Bouncy Seat
Rock N Play Sleeper
Music Thingy for the Crib
Boppy Pillow
Nursing Cover

There are the odds and ends like pacifiers, burp cloths, clothes, diapers, wipes, etc. However, one thing I learned from my Mom is that there are some things that secondhand is great for. The pacifiers are new of course, but I also utilized the local baby consignment store to purchase burp cloths and clothes. I can't argue when I walk out with a bag that is stuffed with clothes and I paid less than $20 for it.  I have also taken hand me downs--in fact I am quite thrilled and grateful for them.

I went on what I hope was my last trip to pick up "the essentials" for the baby at Target yesterday. It took me over 2 hours to get through the store. It is done and so is the nursery. My wonderful husband put together the swing yesterday and I put together the bouncy seat (I am very proud of my effort). Now to wait for the little guy to make his appearance. :)

Nursery Complete

We are just about there. The nursery is just about done, or as done as it can be before the little one gets here. I have a few things to do once he is born, but I can't put a rush order on his delivery nor do I want to. The nursery has been an adventure. I had an interesting time deciding on what to do with the nursery. Did I want to do something that was modern looking? More cutesy? Or did I want to go a more traditional route? I was not quite sure. I realize that I do not really fit into any one category. There were things I wanted and things I didn't. I mentioned in previous post that I wanted to incorporate alligators, but I could not have gators without some other animal. Enter the monkeys, turtles, and frogs.

This is what we have come up with. The pictures are not the greatest and I promise to get better pictures to post soon.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the nursery what it is. A special thank you to my sister for the baby necessities and the Kelly Family for the immense care package that considered not only Baby but Mommy as well.  What would I do without these family members who have already spoiled this Baby? Not to mention my Dad who has supplied the pak-n-play and travel system.

This weekend we are going to be setting up the baby monitors and unpacking the stroller and car seat to have those ready. I am also told that now is the time to pack my "oh no" bag in case little man decides to come early. I do not think that will be the case, but better to be safe than sorry. I am always prepared in any case. 

6 weeks and counting...

Maternity Photos

This past weekend Vlad and I went out and took some pictures--I wanted to make sure that I had pictures to remember this time in my life. Pregnancy thus far has been an amazing experience and now that I am approaching the end of it I wanted to make sure that I had it captured in photos. A very good friend, Stacey Steinberg, took the photos and here is a sample of them:

Thank you to Stacey for such memorable photos. You can view the entire album at http://photographybystacey.smugmug.com/Births/Jenifer-Vlad/21759291_LzfQH8

Password is Jen P

Things No One Told Me

Tonight Vlad and I start our 5 week Prepared Childbirth class at North Florida. This is the part where Vlad would groan and roll his eyes at spending 2 1/2 hours in a class. He is not one for classroom settings nor spending that long focused on one thing. But start we will and I am very interested to know what kind of information will be divulged at this class.  I know the basics--baby in and baby out. Okay, I know a bit more than that, but I am still interested to know what they are going to tell us because I have to admit there is quite a bit about being pregnant that no one told me and some things that were told to me that have not happened.

Can't wait to see our little man wearing this to cheer on the Gators!

Thus far, I have not:

• Had a true craving
• Used the phrase "I am eating for two"
• Used being pregnant as an excuse
• Stopped any of the activity I have done before becoming pregnant---I just do them slower
• Not been able to sleep on my back
• Developed stretch marks
• Not been able to get off the couch
• Over indulged in shopping
• Been over emotional (I dare you to tell me differently, hehe)

Things I was not told:

• Your ribs are sore from the aerobics going on in your stomach
• Boys clothes are really adorable (see photo for example)
• There is a lot of grossness ( I won't go into details)
• Your feet really can swell to twice their size if not enough water is consumed
• Foods I normally love would become the devil
•  Doctor appointments are truly anti-climatic
• Pregnancy is not 9 months of sunshine and rainbows--9 months is a LONG time
• There are things to really think about now: life insurance, college tuition, staying healthy, etc ) afterall, this is a different ballgame all together when a child is involved
• I would become even more sensitive to matters involving children
• I would love my husband even more than before which I did not think was possible

In any case, I am interested to know what I don't know about childbirth and learn more about what I do already know. I am also curious what Vlad's take-away will be. I guess I will find out tonight. For those that are interested, here is the hospital where we will be having the baby.