Woah Momma!

The baby is now about 5.25 pounds and about 19 inches long. Today the doctor said her head was down. Woohoo! So that’s good news for my hopes of a “natural delivery.” He also made sure I knew the reality of when I would deliver, 15% chance of delivering early, 5% chance of an on time delivery and a whopping 80% chance of delivering late! My thoughts of having her early were nearly smashed except he said I was measuring big! Ah ha, there is hope… or maybe she is just going to be a BIG baby… more than likely she will be big and I will deliver late. Maybe we will have a July 4^th baby after all? Next visit entails the group B strep test… ohhh ahhh. Actually, not that fun, but all ladies who are past 36 weeks need to test for it. If you are wondering what it is and why it’s tested http://www.babycenter.com/0_group-b-streptococcus-screening_1647.bcyou can check out this link. I also discussed a few points in my birth plan more in depth. Specifically who will be in the delivery room. I really only want my husband in there (and of course the nursing staff and him), but I wanted to make that point clear. Too many people will just stress me out, and make me uncomfortable. I am sure I will be uncomfortable enough.

Gus and I enjoyed visiting with Anne, Jerry, and Lyndsey (who came down for the weekend as well), unfortunately, we got them all sick! We ate some great meals and enjoyed our down-time while we were there. We also saw the awesome playhouse they have been working on building for the grand kids.

We had fun kayaking at Shaver Lake and exploring the shores on Saturday. 
Shaver Lake (kayaking and Gus bouldering)

We both really liked hiking around King’s Canyon! Even though our hike was only 5 miles on flat terrain, just being surrounded by the great mountains is awe-inspiring.

On Tuesday Gus’ best friend, Trevor, and Trevor’s girlfriend, Esther, were passing back through from their Alaskan adventure and stayed with us. I cooked up a very nice vegetarian meal (mostly from our farm box) and after we were finished eating we forced them to show us a slide show of their pictures! It was good seeing them again before they move to the East Coast. 


Tonight we had a child care class (as a part of our labor class) that lasted about 2.75 hours. It was a good refresher for some things and taught us some things we never knew! To Gus' delight we bought the Moby wrap! Gus was trying it on and perfecting his wrapping technique with the toy baby in minutes!

The weather is supposed to get up to 101 this weekend… I plan on finding a place to swim for the majority of the day. We also have dinner plans with our friends Chris and Julia, who will be getting married in September! So exciting!

Woah Momma, look at that belly! I gained another pound, I have fully accepted that I gain a pound every week (32 total pounds… the doctor seems fine with it too):

Breaking the 30 pound mark!!!

May 23, 2013 (week 34.5)

The baby is now about 5 pounds and about 18 inches long, and she is still moving well even with the more confined living quarters. I find it most uncomfortable when she is lying horizontally and her legs are kicking through my obliques. I try to change my standing position so that her head drops back down where she “should” be. I am perfecting my waddle now. Before I head over to the pool for my swims during the week I joke with my colleagues, “She’s a penguin on land and a manatee in the water… It’s Erin, the largely pregnant woman.” 

On Saturday, my cousin Rikki and her daughter came by the house as I was baking Gus’ cake. They brought over some 2T, 3T and 4T clothes (I went through and organized the age groupings) that we will be keeping in “storage” until the appropriate age for Sierra. Gus’ apple/blackberry birthday cake and chocolate covered fruit came out well (although I wish I took it out about 3 minutes earlier). Everyone seemed to enjoy it at the BBQ that evening (most importantly Gus did).

Our Sunday birthing class focused on interventions and medications during labor, all very informative. The class had very good information for the “just in case” scenario.  The class is primarily focused on natural birthing (without medications or inductions) which is what we want, but it is good to know what there is out there, just-in-case.  We also toured the Sutter Davis hospital… it’s too bad our insurance doesn’t cover delivery at this hospital because it’s very nice! Birthing tubs too. Oh well! Afterwards we had a nice b-day dinner for Gus with Lyn in town.

By Sunday evening I started feeling sick and by Monday morning it was official. I stayed home from work. We had several nanny interviews that evening, so I pulled myself together and we met and interviewed 3 lovely women. We already had interviewed one person the previous week, and wanted to continue interviewing throughout this week. I had made a job posting through www.care.com and “joined” for 1 month for $28. This put me in touch with about 15 people who were interested in our posting for the fall (M-TH 3hr/day), and of the 15 we chose to interview 3 and interviewed one other woman we were referred to.  By the end of the evening we were fairly confident we had found the nanny we wanted to watch Sierra in the fall. The woman happens to be very familiar with cloth diapering, using breast milk, and proper swaddling techniques.  You may be wondering what “proper swaddling” is, here’s a website that gives you some insight: http://www.hipdysplasia.org/developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip/hip-healthy-swaddling/ . Essentially you want to leave enough room for her legs to move around. Our fall nanny has 2 little girls (one is 1.5 months now and one is 1.5 years) who will be coming with her to watch Sierra, which Gus and I find will be great socialization for her.

On Wednesday we went to our baby class (2.75 hrs) on breast feeding. I was glad Gus came too, because it is important that both of us understand what’s actually going on and also knowing I have a great person to support me if things get tough. It was very informative and helpful on what positions work best etc. I also brought up questions about drinking beer and breast feeding. Luckily, I had done some research before so I could be more directed with my question. Here’s a great journal article about the topic http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-0080.2006.00056.x/abstract . I came away concluding it takes about 2 hours to clear the alcohol from your system (from one drink) and I don’t have to pump and dump. Another piece of interesting information that I looked up was about light drinking during pregnancy here’s the link to the journal article: http://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2010/09/13/jech.2009.103002.abstract . I won’t state my opinion on it because I think the journal article itself is very much in line with what I believe, so if you want to read it you will come away with my opinion on the article in the results section.

I did also ask our instructor about a few carriers, mentioning one I bought off craigslist (The Ergo), one we were given as a hand-me-down (The Bjorn) and a sling. She loves the Ergo, but is very much against the Bjorn. I was surprised because at first glance you would have no idea what the big difference is between them… the risk of hip dysplasia apparently… http://www.hipdysplasia.org/developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip/prevention/baby-carriers-seats-and-other-equipment/... Here is the link to a mom that uses some of the pictures and diagrams from the previous link … http://www.mtwholehealth.com/2012/12/baby-wearing-safely … And finally here is a dad that is a bit skeptic of all of these claims… http://skeptoid.com/blog/2013/01/25/will-the-babybjorn-endanger-your-infants-health/ . Either way, it looks like we will be putting the Bjorn up on craigslist and sticking with the Ergo (and maybe even getting a Moby wrap). The sling we have is a pocket sling and really can’t be used until Sierra has the ability to sit up (risks of asphyxia before that), and even then she has to have her feet coming out the bottom and not tucked in straight (risks of hip dysplasia). There is SO much information you have to comprehend on this baby front… And we thought cloth diapering choices were complicated!

Gus and I are excited to have a 3 day weekend together! We are heading to his hometown to see his mom. We plan on driving through King’s Canyon Saturday and going kayaking at Shaver Lake on Sunday. The dogs are excited too, they just won’t know it until they smell that we’re getting close.

I gained 2 pounds this week!!! I made up for not gaining anything last week (putting me at 31 pounds of weight gain):

Papa's Birthday

May 16, 2013 (33.5 weeks):

The baby should be over 4 pounds now and over 17 inches long… no wonder why her little feet get caught under my rib cage when she kicks. She hasn’t actually settled into position yet, but when she is head down I sure can feel the pressure!!! I have been napping after work for at least an hour lately… Last weekend I napped for two hours on Sunday. Prenatal yoga went well, but I really don’t have the Sunday availability to do it until I am in my last month… if I am already this big and have to make so many adjustments to my poses I can’t imagine how I will feel in 2 more weeks… Getting bigger every day now. “They say” the last 6 weeks are the most uncomfortable… I think “they” are right.

My lifting work-outs for the week have changed because of this exact discomfort “they” speak of:

Goblet Squats 4(60lbx6); Incline DB Bench 2(70lbx6), 2(80lbx6); Pull-ups/Chin-ups 5x6; DB Shoulder Press 4(60lbx6); TRX Inverted Row 4x6; Lateral ALT Lunges 3(35lbx8e); SL RDL 3(40lbx8e)

I had to change up my routine again... No more Back Squats or Reverse Lunges after last Friday. Well, at least I am still doing something 3x/wk. Not to mention my swimming 5x/wk. It’s not Erin’s usual, but nothing is “usual” Erin anymore.

Monday’s doctor’s appointment was great (my doctor is in a much better mood later on in the day). We started to go over my birth plan, which he was on board with completely. He said this is your experience, and I just want to make sure it’s safe. His only “requests” are that the baby is monitored the whole time and that he has IV access. When we were listening to Sierra’s heart beat she started moving around a lot (like usual) and her heart rate jumped up, and my doctor actually started laughing. He loves that she moves around so much, he said it was very good. So in 2 weeks from today I have another appointment with him.

Wednesday I met with my HR lady and we went over the “final” plan. I will be taking sick leave (paid sick days) for 5 days, and July 1 – August 12 I will be on maternity leave and come back on a part-time basis starting August 13 (taking paid vacation hours for the time I am not there).  A bunch of paperwork needs signing and all of my hours need coding, but it’s basically all figured out. I asked Gus to go in early to work because there was a “surprise” (that my athletes slipped) baby shower for us from my teams and coaches that I work with. The best part was having all 6 of my teams in one space at the same time. It gave my husband, the other teams I work with, and me a better scope of how many kids I work with on a weekly basis. I loved it! Luckily there weren’t too many gifts to open (the embarrassing part). We were given BOXES of diapers and wipes from Costco and a gift card to Target. Even though we plan on using reusable diapers, I am thinking about using the free diapers we were given first… Still I know I will be contributing to the horrible environmental consequences of diapers in landfills, but it would be wasteful not to use something we were given. Also the first week after the baby is born you don’t actually want to use reusable diapers because their excrement comes out like tar and makes it extremely difficult to get out of the reusable diapers. Oh the dilemma!

Papa turns 32 on Sunday!!! It’s quite exciting for me, as I love to celebrate birthdays. Especially my favorite person’s birthday! Gus doesn’t really care that much about his birthday though. I have already given him his birthday gift and he gave himself one already too, so that “exciting” aspect of birthdays won’t be happening this weekend. He’s heading out to do an all-day mountain bike ride on Saturday and on Saturday evening we are heading over to Lisa and Jeremy’s (who only live 1 mile away) for a BBQ! While Gus is on his ride I will be baking a cake and waiting for our internet to get installed… WOOHOOO! Skype with Sierra here we come! It feels strange to get looped into another “contract” though… Gus and I don’t really like the idea of being tied to a bill. We’re going to have challah bread French toast on his birthday morning, baby/labor class, and then we are going out to dinner of his choice in the evening. It will be a happy birthday I’m sure.

 

I didn’t gain any weight this week, which is a first (29 pound total weight gain). I am beginning to resemble the hallmark basketball shape of being very pregnant:

Mother's Day

May 9, 2013 (32.5 weeks):

Everyone remembers Mad Libs, right? The silly fill in the blank game that most everyone used to play during road trips. Well, I’ve got one… Mad Libs: _______ ______ ____ because I am pregnant. It seems like I am saying this more and more the later in the pregnancy I get. My hips are starting to hurt now because I am pregnant. I had heart burn so bad on our canoeing trip that I puked because I am pregnant. I don’t run anymore because I am pregnant. I stopped power cleaning and deadlifting this week because I am pregnant. I have gained 29 pounds because I am pregnant. I now waddle instead of walk because I am pregnant. I am more emotional now because I am pregnant. Can you do that for me because I am pregnant…You get the picture. It’s strange because it all feels a little like an excuse, but since it is clearly visible it doesn’t at the same time.

My lifting work-outs for the week have changed:

KB Swings 3(20kilosx8), Back Squats (45lbx5); (95lbx5); (115lbx5); (135lbx5); 4(155lbx5), Assisted Pull-ups or Chin-ups 8x6, Overhead Press 5(80lbx5); TRX Inverted Rows 4x6; Reverse Lunge 3(75lbx6e); Machine Incline Press 4(50lbx6)

I had to change up my routine. Not only because my mom and colleagues were expressing concern, but also because I knew it was time to. My hips are changing… they actually hurt now (getting wider I imagine). Elevated, weighted push-ups seemed to be “looking dangerous” too.  Power cleans and deadlifts were getting to be more uncomfortable, and generally just caused too much intra-abdominal pressure. So for this week I have been doing the above routine, but I fear it may have to change again soon because of the pain I have been experiencing from my growing hips. The worst part about the pain is that it is aggravating my old herniated discs causing sciatica.

My life has really taken on the life of the baby now, and I am starting to understand all of the mothers who tell their kids, “You won’t understand until you have a child of your own…” Did I hear that from my mom growing up… you bet!  I have this love building inside of me that grows with every movement my baby makes, and strangely with every pregnancy discomfort that I have. It is completely unconditional and indescribable. It’s not just me now; it’s me and the baby, doing everything together. Gus asks Sierra at the end of the day, “Did you have fun with your momma at work today? Did you have fun swimming with her?” These questions really sum it up. I was asking him this week, if I was talking too much about all of these crazy changes that seem to be happening to me on a weekly basis. He, of course, said no but the pregnancy is different for him than it is for me.  It’s hard not to talk about the changes, because the pregnancy IS you for 40 weeks. You have some aspects of your old life, but it’s no longer about your old life it’s about this new and changing life you have.

Going back to work after my maternity leave is a major topic of concern for Gus and me. In the early months, it was what I worried about most. Now that we are this far along we have figured out somewhat of a plan to go on, but this same topic is a huge concern for many women who want to continue their careers and have children. It’s difficult for the fathers too, they want to be an active part of their children’s lives and maintain their normal work-life too. Many times the fathers aren’t even given any paternity leave. The balancing act is a hard one that is well-covered in this NPR article and interview: http://www.npr.org/2012/06/21/155498926/the-impossible-juggling-act-motherhood-and-work.  Women don’t always get the luxury to make that choice anymore. It seems like for more and more couples the ONLY way you can make it is to have two incomes, but then again the cost of daycare almost surpasses the paycheck you make every month. For some soon-to-be moms (and current ones) this is a hard pill to swallow, especially when you are only given 1.5 months before you have to come back. Moms can’t always have both.

Moms are the lifelines and the whole world of these crazy developing babies within us for over 10 months, and the main supply of food for quite a few months after they are born too. No wonder why there is a Mother’s Day.  Even though, I am not technically a mother yet. I still think of this Sunday as the beginning of my mother’s days to come. Next year may be “the real” Mother’s Day for me, but for the past 32.5 weeks I have been feeling more and more like a mother every day.  Mother’s Day is a sensitive time for my family, especially my mom, as it was the day my brother passed away unexpectedly in his sleep 4 years ago. He was only 29. This year it makes me think about what a good uncle he would have been. It was one of those things I always thought he would be there for. I will have to tell Sierra about her Uncle Karl, even though she will never meet him I will make sure she knows who he was.   

Gus and I will be touring the hospital that we will be delivering at today after work and we plan on asking many questions about their skin-to-skin (http://pregnancy.about.com/od/caringforyourbaby/a/6-Reasons-To-Be-Skin-To-Skin-With-Baby-After-Birth.htm) and their rooming in (http://pregnancy.about.com/od/hospital/a/Rooming-In.htm) policies. Both of these policies are of utmost importance to the both of us. I want her to have a minimum of 1 hour of skin to skin with me after she is delivered and at least some skin to skin with Gus before they start doing measurements and shots etc. Luckily, I am pretty sure I already know that our hospital supports this, but I want to be 100% certain so I will ask a rhetorical question, who cares?! This is all a part of the birth plan I have just started to outline.

On Friday after work, Gus and I will bust out the canoe again (without the heartburn). On Saturday Gus will be doing a 10K that his work is sponsoring, and Auntie Lyn will be doing a 2 mile walk too. So for this race (perhaps for my first time), I will be the support crew and not the racer. Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday to all of you mothers… and if all goes well Lisa and I will be trying out prenatal yoga in the evening on Sunday.

I gained another 1.5 pounds this week… the doctor may not be happy on Monday (29 pound total weight gain):

Baby shower extravaganza!!!

May 2, 2013 (31.5 weeks)

What a great weekend!? On Friday night Anne (mother-in-law), her friends from home, Gus, Lyn, and I all met up for dinner in town before the “real” prep work of Saturday morning began for the BBQ. Gus and I woke up Saturday to clean more and set up. Soon after Anne was over helping with the decorations that Lyn had thought up (I am glad someone thought of decorations and theme). Anne and Lyn are both supporter of Martha Stewart and they regularly use ideas they see in magazines for their house and parties. We were covering tables, blowing up balloons, putting up handmade streamers, and generally organizing. Soon after Anne went back to Lyn’s to get ready Nancy and Robin (Anne’s friends) came over to help. They brought delicious salads over and helped with last minute details. 12:30 rolls around and people start making their way over. 

Gus was working on building a table for all of the food to go on for most of the morning. Anne and Jerry had brought beer over and so had Gus and I, so there was plenty of variety for the guests. Lyn came over at about 12:45, toting with her several appetizers, and a well-organized sunflower cupcake display! Gus was manning the two grills (vegetarian grill and meat grill) for a solid hour or more. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves and all of the great food we had. The amount of generosity and thoughtfulness of all the gifts we got was truly overwhelming for both Gus and I. All I can say is that Sierra will be one good looking baby!!! Here are some of the pictures of the event:

The decor.

Jamilie and Robin (who helped make the story time quilt) made the long trek from Prather.

Nancy also made the long trip up for the weekend (tie died about 12 baby shirts for Sierra as well as one for Gus and I).

Anne and Jer-bear, happy as can be! Anne made 4 blankets of her own for Sierra and plans on making another quilt for her too!!! A very crafty mother-in-law!

Not only did Lyn help with nearly every aspect of the baby shower she also got crafty with her gift! She made a mobile out of topographic maps of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. So personal! Gus will be teaching our baby all the places in no time!

The sunflower cupcake display...straight out of Martha Stewart! 

The other pregnant ladies at the baby shower, Jill and Lisa.

Someone had to take a picture with the pregnant lady! Catie, my good friend from high school, drove over from SF to make it.

Opening one of my favorite gifts for Sierra, an animal backpack, from Nancy. I started tearing up... maybe it's the hormones but all I could think about was toddler sized Sierra carrying that around with her where ever she went.

Another favorite, from Anne and Jerry was the barnyard animals that each made their own sounds.

Robin, wanted to make sure Sierra had workout clothes to wear to match Mommy! Not shown was the dumbbell baby rattle that we were also given!

This is a running skort (that may top any of the ones I have in my wardrobe) and an ADORABLE Humboldt State onesie (perfect for the two alumni parents) from Anne and Jerry.

The story blanket/quilt that Anne, Robin, Jamilie and Pat made together.

On Sunday Gus and I went to our 3 hour birthing class and Trevor and Esther went into Sac to meet some friends and (Trevor) to get a tattoo. Gus and I both agreed the 3 hours went by very quickly. There was a 15 minute video following a few pregnant women and at the end they videoed the birth and I just started crying when one of the women gave birth. I had no intention of crying but there I was actually weeping in our birthing class. It just becomes more and more emotional the closer we get to having this baby! After the class we drove into Sac to meet Esther, Trevor, Trevor’s friend and her boyfriend for dinner. It turned into a long night for a Sunday and we were all pretty tired when we got back.

On Monday I had my appointment with my primary care physician (but I actually met with the PA). I got the Tdap shot, which made my arm sore for the following 2.5 days but more importantly I was told I could take Claritin (without the D). My life has been SO much better since I started taking it! I don’t know why I didn’t figure that one out earlier because my allergies were literally making me miserable. Also I have taken to wearing my compression socks (that I used to wear during ironman training) to keep my calves from swelling so much. It has been very helpful too. Swimming 5 days/wk is great too. There were many positives in my small little world this week. One thing I thought would be a positive was showing my mom what a power clean was and show her that I am not getting close to hitting my belly:

I usually do this weight (60 kilos) for 3 sets of 3 reps at the end of my warm-up sets. Here I do it once for demonstration. My mom did not like this one bit, and suggested I stop doing this lift... So I may be adding Power Cleans to the list of lifts that I don't do anymore starting next week. Do I have to say adios to Cleans too?!?!?

On a positive note, Trevor is having us babysit his canoe while he is on his east coast adventure (he is moving to NY for a job, but not before he journeys to Alaska and all over the country). On that note, Gus and I will be canoeing on Putah Creek this Saturday and going to our baby birthing class on Sunday. 

I gained 1.5lbs this past week (thank you baby shower), about half of that weight is going to the baby now (27.5 lbs total):