Icons; Zoey; Peeved

First, the nice:

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day - October 15 icons

Then the shocker:

Zoey is six months old today, my God. I'm really just... blown away by this. I need to update her LJ with things, I will after her appointment on the 8th.

Now, the not-nice:

It pisses me off so much to go back to Delphi and see myself removed from private forums that had stupid posting requirements. Nothing says unwanted more than being accepted and having friends there and then finding yourself booted out because you didn't spam the forum with posts. I'm not about to go begging to be let back in if it's THAT important to some people to monitor my usage of a forum meant for extracurricular use. It's not a job, I'm not getting paid to post, I was there to make friends and such and have a place that was parenting-centric. There is nothing more uninviting than finding you've been shut out because you were actually, you know, parenting a new baby, which always takes people time to adjust to doing, and didn't have the time to sit and read forums for hours a day - and really, Delphi forums TAKE hours a day to get through if they're active because of the format. My online time does not revolve around locked Delphi forums, sorry to say. At this point, I'm sort of discouraged and may only go to PIL:MoA to post about those icons.

I like LJ better, I sort of wish there was a decent LJ community for parenting that I wouldn't have to spend years weeding through various ones to find people who have my same views/have advice on the ways I choose to do things.

Ugggh

I think I just had pain almost, if not definitely, worse than the labor pains that immediately led to my c-section - that's saying a lot since that sensation of my whole midsection and back locking up is not something I'll soon forget. I know they were gas pains despite still being way higher than normal gas, but I seriously felt like I was both going to explode and was being squeezed to death around the ribs and stomach. I think I alternate laying on the floor, standing up, throwing up and sitting on the toilet for a good 25 minutes before I finally threw up enough to relieve whatever pressure it was, but the time felt much longer because of how excruciating it was.

Add that to the frequent knife-stabby breast pains that are apparently normal and "should" fade and today was not a happy day for my body, even if I did have a productive pump day. :/ Poor Zane though, I think he might have thought I was dying - I know I wondered if that was the case! - and couldn't do anything for me.

Update - 4/26/07, 20 days old

Zoey came home the afternoon of the 18th (yes, I lose at timely updating, I'm sorry *hangs head*) at 12 days old, weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces (she was born at 5 pounds and dropped to 4 pounds, 10 ounces before working her way back up from there). While it was a roller coaster of ups and downs from isolette to bassinet (her first failed attempt at the open air test she maintained her temp but lost weight) and lengthy days and evenings at the hospital, waiting for the next day and new decisions about her progress, we're grateful she only experienced issues with temperature control and weigh gain and was able to remain in the hospital nursery the whole time (instead of being transfered to a hospital with a NICU).

At her appointment on Monday the 23rd, she weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces, so she easily did the ounce a day they wanted her to do. Everything else was great so all she needs to do is keep up her weight gain for her appointment on Monday the 30th. :D She's an absolute doll, fusses but hardly ever cries. Even when she does it isn't for more than a few seconds. We're waiting to see if she is just this sweet-tempered or once she's a little bigger she'll learn how to use those lungs to their full capacity. ;) She is steadily increasing her alert awake periods, so we joke she's finally figured out what her eyes are for and have been able to enjoy seeing her looking around. Phoebe, our dog, thinks she's the greatest thing ever and is very protective of her – I think she gets less sleep that we do, waking up at every little noise Zoey makes! Tigger, our cat, has been curious about her but has only peeked in the pack-n-play a few times to check her out.

Zoey's solely on breastmilk now, for now most of it still by bottle after I pump (pumping is going really well for me, I was surprised). We had been using a fortifier for the breast milk in the hospital to maximize the calories she received and used that for the first few days at home but now that we know she's gaining without the constant use of the fortifier, we don't add it in. The weight gain also means I'm less worried about her intake (it's amazing how worrisome that can be with a small-weight baby and how reassuring knowing the numbers was to both Zane and I), so now we're working breastfeeding (with the nipple shield to aide her small mouth/growing muscles and my flatter nipples) back in. I had stopped most of my evening attempts the first few days home when she'd completely wear herself out trying to suck and then not want to take her bottle, even though she needed the food to grow. Now when she's at her most alert, we work on it and she's doing really well. I'm hoping to transition solely to breast in the next two weeks before we have to rent the pump another month, but if it takes longer, I'm okay with that too - she's getting my milk and that's my goal.

As for me, my excessive swelling is finally gone (disappeared about a day after we were home permanently), so it's nice to see my ankle bones and knees again. I'm healing well, apparently all that walking i did with a wheelchair (as I didn't have a bassinet to push), as well as all of those days of walking back and forth from car to hospital to car really helped with c-section recovery, even if it made the swelling persist longer. The only thing is my BP is still high, so I'm on the meds from pregnancy for two more weeks. Hopefully by then it'll be down permanently and I can stop taking them!

Hospital Journal

COMING SOON!

Zoey's Birth Story

COMING SOON!

So swollen (34w3d)

OMG I am so swollen :( Beyond my hands, which have been on-off for the last two weeks, I hadn't had much swelling but that changed a few days ago. The first time it was after a late dinner at McD's that I think was just too salty. That swelling, which was just the tops of my feet, went away but then it flared up again yesterday because I was on my feet so much between doing Manda's bridal shower with my mom and then later shopping for wedding stuff. Last night was pretty bad and my ankles joined the whole mess in a BIG way, but when I woke up this morning it was almost down to normal, just the tops of my feet. Unfortunately, after being out today, the swelling is all back. No pain elsewhere, no facial swelling, no dramatic changes as it's all been activity-related, not random, so I think it's just normal but I have an appointment tomorrow so I'll discuss it with him.

Actually, I think my gums might be a tad swollen, my one wisdom tooth feels weird - not painful, just weird. I'll be glad when I can get them out, it was supposed to happen in Janaury but that was planned before I got pregnant.

We got a bunch of things today from one of Zane's relatives but we still have a lot to get on our own - it's getting so close!

Updates (30w6d) [picspam] [linkspam]

Appointments:
They've all gone really well - I'm down to every two weeks until 36 weeks, when I'll go to every week, and I'm now in the circulation cycle to see as many of the other five docs in the practice as I can before I deliver. The first I decided I like, she was pleasant and informative and didn't have a demeanor that rubbed me the wrong way. Zoie/Zoey's heartbeat was great each time, nice and varied without being too weird (in the 140-130s, depending). I'm still not above my pre-preg weight, but that doesn't seem to be an issue since I am gaining back the weight I lsot initially.

Baby Shower:
The baby shower my mom, with help from Manda and my MIL, threw for me on the 3rd was really nice. I was glad to see so many show up and we received some really great, useful stuff, a few things we really wanted (I got my glider rocker!) and some lovely handmade things. Pics later when I get them from my sister.

Pictures:
New pics from the day of the baby shower (30w2d, pink-colored shirt) plus my last pic for comparison (26w, purple shirt). You can see Zoie/Zoey's room color in the new pics, as Zane finished painting it before the weekend of the shower. It turned out really well, he even did the windowframes/sills white, which I'm really happy about. :D




Linkspam for me:
31 weeks - StorkNet
31 weeks - About
31 weeks - American Baby
Month Seven - Parenthood
31 weeks - Amazing Pregnancy
March - Pregnancy.org (altered date to line up)
General Calculator - gives week count for any day

Appointment update (26w) [picspam] [linkspam]

My appointment:
Everything looks good. I didn't gain any weight since last time so I'm still under my prepregnancy weight and my BP was higher than it had been, but not by much and still acceptable. The baby's HR was 148 and once again she was not loving the Dopplar, to the point she kicked me to let me know about it when it was over. :D I'm moving up to every two weeks visits, which makes me realize May isn't all that far away.

Also, I'm in DOUBLE DIGITS. That's right, only 98 more days to go. *dances* Wait... we still haven't cleaned out the second bedroom to get it ready for painting and to house all the baby shower stuff in a month. *stops dancing* I need to get motivated to do that!

Pictures:
I haven't been posting them and skipped the one at 24ish weeks because I didn't feel any bigger. But here's one from 22w4d and 26w (today).



Linkspam for me:
26 weeks - StorkNet
26 weeks - About
26 weeks - American Baby
Month Six - Parenthood
26 weeks - Amazing Pregnancy
February - Pregnancy.org (altered date to line up)
General Calculator - gives week count for any day

(25w) [linkspam]

Month/week conversions:
Month 1 = Weeks 1 - 4
Month 2 = Weeks 5 - 8
Month 3 = Weeks 9 - 13
[Month 1-3 is first Trimester]

Month 4 = Weeks 14 - 17
Month 5 = Weeks 18 - 21
Month 6 = Weeks 22 - 26
[Month 4-6 is Second Trimester]

Month 7 = Weeks 27 - 30
Month 8 = Weeks 31 - 35
Month 9 = Weeks 36 - 40
[Month 7-9 is Third Trimester]


Linkspam for me:
25 weeks - StorkNet
25 weeks - About
25 weeks - American Baby
Month Six - Parenthood
25 weeks - Amazing Pregnancy
January - Pregnancy.org (altered date to line up)
General Calculator - gives week count for any day

Yay kicking! (24w5d)

Zane felt the baby kick today, he's so excited. I thought it would be a longer time still because of my belly fat and the fact she's really mostly been kicking at the middle of my stomach below my belly button, but I was laying on the couch on my right side and she kicked the left side of my stomach and I felt it just as much from the inside as I did from the fact she kicked my wrist. I called to him to get him to come over to the couch and he got his hand on the spot just in time to feel one nice kick (well nice and strong to me, less so for him) before she shifted back to her normal position.

:D

Registry done! (24w3d) [linkspam]

We did the registry today (err, well, technically yesterday since it's 2:30 a.m.). It was pretty tiring, just because I get worn out when I'm shopping too long, but we got everything on it we needed and I added the online-only stuff when I got home. I'm THRILLED that one Wal-Mart close by has the Graco SafeSeat, which we will be getting if no one gets the Graco (w/ snugride) travel system for us. I'm not in love with the bedding set theme we picked, but I do like that the headboard is 3D. I'll get to use the wall paint color (a light green) I had in mind so it works.

Linkspam for me:
24 weeks - StorkNet
24 weeks - About
24 weeks - American Baby
Month Six - Parenthood
24 weeks - Amazing Pregnancy
January - Pregnancy.org (altered date to line up)
General Calculator - gives week count for any day

Blah... (23w2d) [linkspam]

I am so tired lately but I sleep HORRIBLY! What is that? I'm not sure what the change is going on, but I wake up frequently now out of a dead sleep, I'm not able to stay in bed and sleep 12 hours though my body wants 12 hours of sleep like it has been getting and my heartburn is FEROCIOUS, even on bland food!

On the fun side, Zoie/Zoey (is that ever going to get annoying typing repeatedly until we decide) is moving pretty regularly now and even though it's still mostly light, now that I know what I'm feeling is kicks and such and not weird muscles spasms, it's fun. She definitely seems to wake up (or at least get very active) right about the time Zane gets home, so I think that's cute.

Linkspam for me:
23 weeks - StorkNet
23 weeks - About
23 weeks - American Baby
Month Six - Parenthood
23 weeks - Amazing Pregnancy
January - Pregnancy.org (altered date to line up)
General Calculator - gives week count for any day

Jan. 8 u/s update (22w5d)

credit: eyesthatslay

Yep, tech was pretty certain, as soon as the right angle came up she went "oh that's definitely a girl!" She also seemed pleased with the shots of the heart she took, so hopefully they'll be clear enough for my doc to be happy with, as I really don't think the baby is too fond of u/s (or dopplar for that matter). She kept moving away from the dopplar at my last appointment and during the u/s she kicked the transducer square-on more times than I was actually counting! She's so active... everytime someone makes that observation, it's in this surprised-like voice that makes me go "please let this mean she's working up to taking long naps when she's born" because really, now that I'm feeling things I can definitely say are kicks, etc., she really does move A LOT. There was also more of the "hands to face/ears" action every time the u/s tech tried to get a good shot of her face, so it really does look like she's completely protesting being looked at or monitored in any way.

No pics to show you, as these ones were not nearly as awesome and clear as the first, so I haven't scanned them yet. Also, despite being absolutely horrific at choosing names (what, it took us months and months - from back during when we were TTCing - to pick a boy's name and we still hadn't BOTH liked any girl names until recently!) we have picked one name we BOTH like. Amazing. xD The glitch, however, is deciding between two spellings of it - Zoie or Zoey. I'm pretty certain it's going to take until May to decide on which one it will be. ;)

Teaching myself to knit is coming along really well, I am definitely liking it much more than crochet. Online videos are helping quite a bit, as I am usually very good with book instructions but the book my husband's aunt rec'd as the one to buy me (he got me the book and needles for Christmas) has some really iffy parts in it. For now, I'm just practicing stitches to work on my technique before I attempt any projects.

ETA: HR was 150 at the u/s

Tickers and misc.

So I like having my appointment tickers as a reminder to myself I have an appointment, but I'm getting kind of tired of changing them out in my sig, so I'm sticking them here along with other big event tickers.

Tickers:



May 10 - My EDD


April 28 - Sister's wedding


March 31 - Sister's wedding shower


March 3 - Baby shower


Feb. 15 - Doctor's Appointment
Feb. 1 - Doctor's Appointment
Jan. 8 - U/S
Jan. 2 - Doctor's Appointment
Dec. 11 - Big U/S
Dec. 4 - Doctor's Appointment
Nov. 6 - Doctor's Appointment
Oct. 13 - Doctor's Appointment
Oct. 3 - U/S

Appointment Update (22w) [linkspam]

God, I am so lazy - I didn't even update last week for even my links list *headdesk*

My appointment:
My BP was great and *drumroll* I finally gained some weight! Still below my pre-preg weight, but now I have finally gained 6 pounds since my last appointment. I can thank the holidays and my ravenous appetite as of late for this, I'm pretty certain. Guess I'm normal, my cousin (who gave birth last week, 5 weeks early, baby is doing just great!) apparently did the same thing when she hit 20 and some weeks.

Baby's HR was 144 but damn did he have a hell of a time getting it. It took forever to find, which was freaking me out, but then he did and it was so loud and strong... for about 5 seconds before the baby moved. He had to chase the baby five or six times to get a solid reading of any length. This kid is SO active, I'm kind of worried. :D

U/s on monday *crosses fingers for a good shot of the heart AND the gender!*

Linkspam for me:
22 weeks - StorkNet
22 weeks - About
22 weeks - American Baby
Month Five - Parenthood
22 weeks - Amazing Pregnancy
January - Pregnancy.org (altered date to line up)
General Calculator - gives week count for any day