Stories to Tell Hannah

Chris and I have experienced some interesting times since we've been pregnant. There are things that have happened in the last eight months or so that we'll tell Hannah about someday. Maybe she'll find these stories funny or endearing, or maybe she'll wish she had someone else's parents. Either way, it makes for decent blog material, so I'll share.

Crazy Lady Syndrome -
While I know that hormones can make women feel crazy at times, there have been instances where they have taken over my body through this pregnancy. One late night at our apartment, our old noisy, chain-smoking downstairs neighbor was watching his T.V. really loud. It was so loud, we could put our T.V. on mute and clearly hear what he was watching. Ridiculous. I was irate. So I asked Chris if he would politely go down and say something to the guy. As impatient as my husband can be, he picked a very bad time to display patience and he told me no. So I start putting on my shoes to go tell this guy what's up and that he was keeping everyone awake. I mean, I was willing to throw down the pregnancy card if I had to, but I was going to make it very clear he needed to turn down his T.V. Chris starts trying to calm me down and tells me how I'm over-reacting, blahblahblah, and how I'm not to go downstairs. Well I'm pretty sure that was the breaking point for me and the hormones completely took over my body. I walked around behind the couch and began jumping up and down, yelling where our neighbor surely heard me, "TURN YOUR TV DOWN!!!" Yes, I did this. I turned into a 5-year-old and pitched a fit. And right then, the look in my husband's eyes told me that I had completely acted a fool. Utterly embarrassed, I begin to weep for a few minutes... and then out of nowhere, I begin to laugh hysterically at how ridiculous and out of control I had become over a stupid T.V. And now that I think of it, I can't even remember if the guy quieted down or not. But I do know that Chris deserves some kind of trophy for being very patient with me.

There are other instances where my emotions spanned the spectrum in a matter of moments, but this is the best one.

More stories to come this week. :)

Ancy Pants

Well, I’m in the final weeks before Hannah arrives! It dawned on me today that Hannah is due to be here one month from today. At 36 weeks out of 40 (give or take a week or two… it’s not an exact science, ya know), I’d say I’m about ready to pop! I’m constantly asked if I’m just ready to get this baby out. And while I’m not one that’s soooo in love with being pregnant, I do want Hannah to “cook” as long as she can up until her due date. Then I’m gonna have to ask her to vacate the premises, por favor. :)

Being pregnant brings out the strangest behavior in people. For whatever reason, people have been compelled to tell me the most horrifying birth stories known to man. I actually had a lady go into great detail about how she actually died while giving birth and then had to be revived. It’s a pretty amazing story, but maybe tell me AFTER I’ve delivered? Also, I’ve had strangers come up, and not just touch or rub, but actually GRAB my belly. If you ask to touch my stomach, it’s cool. I get it. Baby bellies really are amazing! But seriously, you wouldn’t touch another stranger’s stomach on a normal day, and you certainly wouldn’t grab someone else’s child if it was outside the womb… unless you were a kidnapper. Hmmm… I may need to keep my eye on some folks.

At a wedding this weekend, I had a flower girl come up and stand eye-level with my belly and just stare. For about a minute without saying a single word, she just stared. She was super cute, and I was reminded that most girls dream of having babies all of their lives. I am definitely one of those girls, and it’s quite amazing to think that I’m about to meet a person I’ve dreamt of for so long.

Babycakes!

OK, check out how awesome this cake is! My coworker, Marlo, made this two-tiered cake for the surprise baby shower the office threw for me. Not only did it look good, but it tasted good, too! I have to say, I work with some great folks, particularly a few amazing girls: Hollee, Lindsay and Marlo! Thanks for the shower, ladies!

The Last Leg

On a whim, Chris and I went for a sonogram yesterday at TJC. Debbie said that Hannah is 4 lbs 15 oz!! That's more than what I weighed! She did say that she expected Hannah to weigh around 7 lbs if I make it full term, which sounds OK by me. :) One of the coolest parts of the sonogram was seeing that Hannah's face has enough soft tissue on it, making us able to see her face a little more clearly. I can't wait to see what she looks like in about 5 weeks! Anyway, I was pretty fascinated and had to tell you all. I start my weekly appointments next week and they're going to start "checking" my progression. Oh boy. :)

Just Add Baby

We've got most everything ready to welcome home Hannah Riley. Her room is set up and I think we have everything we need at this point thanks to the generosity of so many of our close friends and family.

My best friends threw us a huge shower at the church a few weeks ago, and I seriously opened gifts for two hours straight. I was so humbled to see how many people came and how much we were given. We are completely blessed by our church family!

Are They Kankles? Or Kneecles?

Ugh, my ankles are kankles... just look at these sock lines!

Actually, I normally have tiny skinny chicken legs, so the swelling makes me have normal looking legs. :) Pleeease don't look at my gross toenails, though! (Chris was so embarassed by them that he actually cut them for me the other day! I love that man.)

I'm 31 weeks along and I had a quick checkup today. I was surprised to be in and out of the doctor's office within 20 minutes! I've now gained 28 pounds - 3 of which I've put on in the last two weeks. She said that my screenings for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia from my last appointment were negative and my levels are "perfect". With how smoothly everything has gone, I shouldn't complain about swollen feet! We're really blessed. :)

I also pre-registered at the hospital this week. Talk about making this feel very real... I just can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone! Hannah is more active everyday, and I just can't wait to meet her!

Swab A Mouth! Save A Life!

Over the holidays, one of my coworkers lost his father to lymphoma. In his honor, a few other coworkers and I decided we would get on the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. And I'm really excited to say that I did so today.

All they did was take a mouth swab, and they'll analyze the cells to see if there's a match in the system of a person needing a bone marrow transplant. Should they ever find someone that is a potential match, there will more testing before undergoing any donation.

Cancer is something that has always scared me. It's hit close to home as I've watched close family and friends battle the disease. But over the past few years that I've worked in health care, I've come to realize that in many cases it's beatable. With advances in technology and early detection, the survival rate is on the up-and-up. That's good news!

One word of encouragement though: take care of yourself! Eat well and exercise. Do your preventive monthly self-exams and take into consideration what your body is telling you. Schedule an appointment to see a doctor if you're feeling unwell. And find a good support system. We can't do this thing called life on our own.

If you're interested in becoming a donor, or are just curious what I signed up for, read more about it all at http://www.marrow.org/.