~ Journal Entries ~

September 19, 2007

Hi all! Well, Tuesday was rough. Starting around 3 in the afternoon, my back, sides, stomach- everything was hurting. No sharp pains, but I was sore, and my tummy felt all balled up/sore/gassy, etc. Well, I slept for about 3 hours and then was up from about 3-6AM with the same levels of discomfort. I, of course, had no clue what a contraction felt like and definitely did not think that, or labor, or anything was happening. I just finally thought I was beginning to feel the discomfort of late pregnancy.

I was still very uncomfortable when I was getting ready for my appointment, so I was VERY glad I had an appointment so I could see if this is how uncomfortable I was supposed to prepare myself to be for the next few weeks- or if I was dying, well not really, but you know... So, the Dr. came in, did her little "exam" and said I was 3cm. She asked about the pains, asked if I was having contractions, etc. When I tried to describe how I felt and basically convinced her I was absolutely clueless, she decided to hook me up to a fetal monitor. She found my contractions were 7 minutes apart. Well, even then these alleged "contractions" were still a mystery to me. I could feel there was some sort of something moving somewhere, but it wasn't painful and wasn't obvious.

She considered sending me to the hospital then. She said I'm not supposed to go in until contractions are 5 minutes apart (something I actually knew!) but I think she was (rightfully) quite doubtful of my ability to register what a contraction felt like. Between that and now believing I had a high threshold for pain, she told me, "I'm a bit concerned about letting you run free, cuz you may end up giving birth in a McDonald's restroom." I assured her I was going to my parents' house cuz dad was gonna install the car seat.

She told me, excitedly, that my little guy was on his way and to expect to see him in the next couple of days. She told me to call her, probably later today, and let her know when I was off to the hospital. Upon leaving, the receptionist said there was really no point to schedule my appointment for next week cuz I wouldn't be pregnant anymore. So, we were given a very strong impression it was game on.

My stomach kept balling up and tightening and I kept feeling things all day. BUT, I still couldn't pinpoint a contraction. I couldn't time anything cuz I kept feeling things and didn't know if it was one, if it was the start of one, the end of one, or what. I called the office and asked if there was a chance I could come back in before they left for the day, just so I could be checked and monitored again because I really didn't want to have to deal with going through a big production like going to the hospital. They told me to go to the hospital.

So, (it's almost over, promise!) on the way there, things seemed to be getting stronger and a bit more painful in my back and lower LOWER abdomen. They just seemed to be more significant feelings than the constant somethings that had been happening all day. I get a room, a SEXY open-back gown, they hook me all up and...NOTHING! Of course, we had to sit there for about an hour to confirm this nothingness. They did do an exam, however, confirming dilation, so there HAS been activity. We just don't know when this happened because this is the first time the've checked all that in say, 29-30 weeks. I DO think it just happened cuz I really haven't felt a thing until this last day or two of discomfort. THEN, she tells me his heartrate dropped to between 80 and 90 for about 40 seconds. Ya, it's supposed to be between 120 and 160- or something like that- I'm pregnant, I can't retain specifics. She assumed, he just got tangled in his cord, or pinched it, or something temporarily, but then, of course, said she had to observe that now for about 30 minutes. Then they switched shifts, they seemingly forgot us, mom went on a nurse-hunt, and then we were finally allowed to go. Can I ask my doctor to pay that hospital bill for me?

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August 10, 2007

Hi everybody! I've been meaning to write my latest
entry for a few days now, but I've been SO tired, and
deficient of my normal glee (not upset...just tired)
and creativity, that I just felt it wouldn't be worth
it. Me without my horrendous run-on sentences; it's
just wrong! But, I figured that since Mom is leaving
soon, I gotta try to get one out so she can post it
before she goes. Plus, I'm feeling especially RAD
tonight. Speaking of RAD, we official decided on Ryan
Anthony Duarte for little guy's name! Yay! :)

So, our trip to Maui was great. It was gorgeous, we
ate A LOT of great food (highlights-the specialty of
the night, Ono at Tropica at the Westin our first
night there, and our dinner at Roy's- my fave
restaurant EVER AND where Pat took me for my b-day
last year), went snorkeling quite a few times, dove
135 feet underwater in a submarine (no scuba diving
for me, thanks!), took a boat and snorkel trip to
Lanai and had a pod of about 200 dolphins swimming
with our boat at one point- AMAZING!, drove around and
somehow found the secret spots that even with the
"directions" in the book should be impossible to find,
Pat went deep-sea fishing and caught nothing, while I
"caught" plenty while shopping at Whaler's Village
(hehe), went to a luau, went on a dinner cruise (LOVED
IT!!- if you go to Maui, go on The Spirit of Lahaina),
walked on the beach every night (that's enough
exercise for the rest of my pregnancy, right?), and
just enjoyed being able to be alone, carefree, and
together for a week. Best honeymoon/last hurrah
ever!!!!...thanks to my parents, of course!

My current favorite thing about pregnancy? The
complete loss of the ability to use my abdominal
muscles. I know I'm still not huge, but from an
on-my-back position, it is now absolutely impossible
to get up without using all arm-power to prop myself
up, or to just roll of the surface I'm currently
laying on. Just getting out of bed, period, requires
much rolling, arm-power and grunting. But, after all
this time, I LOVE finding something difficult during
this pregnancy. Just like my severe case of pregnancy
brain, I'm enjoying my new inabilities? disabilities?
what's the word I'm looking for? Exactly!!! :)

So, Childbirth 101 was pretty good. Nowhere near our
most enthralling 2.5 hours of our lives, but we
definitely learned a lot. Good enough to keep him
willing to come next time, anyways. :) I have a
favorite new word: fundus. Though, this pregnancy
thing doesn't sound like a lot of fundus to me! Thank
you, thank you very much! I'm here every night, try
the veal! (Uh...do I hear crickets?) :)

Basically, the body's made for it and it's gonna do
what it's gonna do, but it's nice (and frightening!!)
to know exactly what's supposed to happen, when, how,
how long, how painfully (did I just make up a word?)
etc.

The lady had, as props (must clarify), a little fabric
sac, a very scary anorexic baby doll, a funny looking
umbilical cord and a skeletal pelvis for
demonstration.

And that leads me to a story. Now I LOVE this story,
but it may be rather pointless. I'm sure Robin will
let me know. :) Pat's best friend, Chris, was over
today. Well, I was tired (shocker!) and I'm a game-
show junkie, so I went into the bedroom (while they
watched a lame pre-season football game) to lay down
and watch Family Feud. When I decided to emerge and
visit them, I walked in on Pat telling Chris about our
first class. He was telling Chris about the
differences between the anterior and posterior
birthing positions, and how the anterior position is
the ideal-once again-POSITION for childbirth. And
this is where the pointless part may come in...and
that's it. But I found it absolutely adorable that I
walk into "guy time" and Pat's discussing childbirth.

K, so back to class: She went over preterm labor, the
lovely mucus plug (another new fave), "water-
breaking", false labor, and true labor. She went over
the different stages and phases of labor, what would
happen in each stage and for how many hours, etc:
along with pictures of a smiling face turning very,
VERY sour throughout the stages, phases, whatever...I
have the booklet, I still have time to actually learn
all this, right? :) Then she spent about 15 minutes
having us breathe slowly. That's it now, no hoo hoo
hee, hoo hoo heeeeee...just relaxation breaths.

Next class, next Tuesday, Childbirth 102, covers MORE
pain of labor (can't wait!), C-sections, drugs...I
don't know what else. They just assume everyone, like
me, would prefer to get drugged up, so they don't
really do the whole Lamaze thing anymore. But, I
think, we'll probably have to sit there and breathe
slowly again- like that's profound. Bitter, party of
one?

Didn't want to end on a bitter sounding note like
that, so I was gonna add another adorable Pat story.
Tried it twice, but it's just too long. Bottom line,
he's AMAZING! Haven't I mentioned this before? :)
I sure think so! After about a month I knew he was
the one, but with this whole parenting thing coming
up, he's just getting more and more incredible.

Welp, I suppose I've rambled enough. I think, hope-
pregnancy and all- I still got it? Anyways, thank you
for reading. I truly do love writing these, and LOVE
reading your comments. I know I haven't yet, but I
promise to do my best and get back on here and visit
your sites in return.

Til next time...at this point it's definitely gotta be
sooner than later! :)

Jess :) :) :)

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July 19, 2007

Hi, everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since I
wrote last. Although, as I've been checking mom's
blog lately, I see y'all are pretty up to date with
things. I must say, I quite enjoy being featured in
the blog almost daily. What can I say, I love the
attention. I woulda been a perfect middle
child...Marsha Marsha Marsha!!!

So, I'm sure you'll read mom's blog before this is
posted, so you probably already know we went to Babies
R Us today. I went there for the first time about 2
or 3 weeks ago. That was my first anything
baby-related shopping trip and I was, almost
immediately, reduced to tears. There are WAY too many
things in there. So, this morning, when I realized it
was time to get cracking on my baby shower registry, I
brought reinforcements. :)

Well, I was pretty confident that, thanks to my newly
related aunts, we would have almost all the furniture,
swings, bouncers, etc. we would need. (Well, that's
what Pat told me, anyways. What do guys know?)
Although it'd be cool to pick out our own new stuff, I
know they have good taste, and very high quality
things. Plus, I was excited that, instead of having
to ask for all the huge gifts, we could just get
greater quantities of other essentials, like diapers.
I was also hoping we could score some good cash to
start saving for college, etc.

I had Pat call the aunt I thought was going to give us
the most stuff because I want to see or get the stuff
ASAP so I know what I have and what I'm going to need.
He ended up talking to the husband and it sounds like
they have a bassinet, (which I just had to look up on
the Internet- it's what I thought it was. Oy, I know
(almost) NOTHING!)) a swing, and lots of clothes. Of
course, this was the husband, and like I said, what do
they really know? We're all women here, right? Or
should I put a jk at the end of those sentences? :P

We still have another aunt to check with, but it looks
like I MAY need a WHOLE lot more than I initially
thought. Like a crib, changing table, and ya...pretty
much everything. BUT I MAY be wrong. I tend to
overreact and stress way too much way too easily.
I'd like to blame the hormones, but no.

I want to try to get the invitations out before I
leave for Maui (YAY!), which means I want to have my
registry figured out and done before then, too. So, I
hope Mom's ready to shop shop shop this upcoming week,
cuz I can't do this alone. More proof, you ask?
Today I asked mom what a receiving blanket was.

Though, and I'm not sure if she'll tell you this one,
her judgment is a bit special at times. I know
(think?) she was joking (maybe?) when she put a giant
smile on her face, turned to me, and said, "I want
this Moses basket!"

OMG!!!

K, first of all, Really?? And second, it was all
flowery. Old-fashioned flowery!! Spike's way too
macho for that, right Robin?? :) Anyways, it was
really funny. But, seriously, I truly trust her on
all this and would probably be balled up on the floor
of Babies R Us, in fetal position, sucking my thumb,
if she weren't there to help me. K, I'm not THAT bad,
but I need help. :)

So, what else? I looked into classes today at our
hospital. We will be taking Childbirth 101, 102 and
103. 3 classes, once a week, 2.5 hours each, $25
total. There's also a class, Feeding Your Baby, which
I'll probably go to on my own, as to not fully torture
Pat. He's actually really excited about going to the
Childbirth classes with me, so I'm just gonna give him
a Get Out of Jail Free card for the other extra things
I want to learn about. There's also a Maternity
Orientation there, but I want to talk to my doctors
about that first. Since that is my hospital, that may
be what I need to go to, but I want to see if our
doctors have another way of having us do our little
hospital visit thingy.

K, well, I know there's SO MUCH MORE, but I suppose
I've rambled enough. And, since you lose 3 or 5% of
your brain...or something like that, I forgot...when
you're pregnant, I don't really remember what else I
was gonna say. All I know is, I am SO excited, happy
to be showing a bit more, and just clueless,
astounded, and extremely blessed to have found the
most amazing man in the world to go through all of
this with.

Thanks for reading!

Jess :) :) :)

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June 1, 2007

Hellooooooooo!! It's nice to be back and writing to you all again. I also look forward to meeting those of you who weren't around when I was online. Thank you, everyone, for the gifts, contributions to the baby name poll, and interest in my pregnancy!

I still think I'm experiencing one of the most non-pregnant pregnancies ever. OK, maybe that changed a little since I just saw my belly pics!! EEEEEK! It's hardly begun and I'm already horrified! hehe :) But, still, like mom, I'm starting to show VERY late, I never got morning sickness, everything is running pretty smoothly...good genes?

I guess I'm hitting that "Is she fat or is she pregnant" stage. But, where's "the BUMP"??? I'd feel much better if I looked pregnant, if I gained any weight, if I felt him...anything. But, then again, in a few weeks I'll probably be whining and comparing myself to a beached whale. Hormones? What hormones!?! :)

Other than my ultrasound evidence convincing me this is real, not much has changed too drastically except the fact that I could probably eat a house. And I'm not talking about eating a pile of food the size of a house- well, ya, I could do that, too. No, I'm talking about literally eating a house. I can get soooooo hungry, I could eat ANYTHING, so long as it got in my belly!!! Forget cravings, just FEED ME, Seymore!

Pat is progressing pretty decently as a father-to-be. He cooks, he cleans (well, he's always done that, anyways-lucky huh!?!) and everything is done, as he says, "to make Baby 1 (me) and Baby 2 (actual baby) happy." Yes, that's baby's belly name: Baby 2. Pat's stopped going out to save money and to hang out at home with us, and he's working really hard to provide for us as best as possible. He's trying to handle our rent on his own (which is 3 times what he used to pay) and already has an extra month
or two stored away. I appreciate his attempt to be "the man" but I don't want this to wear him out. Plus, he's working 6, sometimes 7 days a week. It's no fun having weekends off when your husband still works until 4.

The whole macho thing can be a bit annoying. To the rest of the world, I seem to be married to a man who thinks none of this is a big deal, he couldn't care one way or the other about the sex of the baby, or this, or that...etc.

PLEASE!!!! I'm proud to announce he's one of the biggest softies out there. (It just only comes out behind closed doors, once it's safe for him to drop the macho persona. I'm sure many of you deal with this.) I'm actually beginning to get a little concerned that baby won't recognize his voice because, once he's in close proximity of the belly, baby-talk is in full force. The best are the kisses, the "I can't wait to see you's" and the "I love you's." But, I suppose baby will hear his baby talk all the time, so I guess it works, huh?

I'm trying to promise myself to start walking and to do some weights and get my arms back. I guess by writing it to y'all, I'm now accountable for getting to it, right? MAYBE I'll slack for a few more weeks and start once school's over. :) But, it IS something I need to do. Plus, Pat started working out again, so I guess if he's trying for me, I gotta try for him. I do have an advantage at this point though; he looks more pregnant than I do! Bruhaha! Wow, he better NEVER read these blogs! hehe :)

Well, I think I've rambled more than enough. Thanks for reading, and I promise I will update more often, and they won't be as lengthy!

Jess :) :) :)

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May 27, 2007

I made this Baby Blog for Jessica. We found out on Wednesday that she is having a baby boy and we are all very excited. Hopefully when Jessica finishes teaching and has summer vacation, she will find time to write a litle bit in this journal. Feel free to post any messages or comments below.

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