Baby Shower Time

My baby shower has come and gone, and it went wonderfully!  My best friend hosted it for me, and she did a great job.  Even though we have different personalities and styles, everything came together for a great party.  It was held in a church coffee shop, so hardly any decorating was needed.  There were already mosaic tables and wrought iron chairs, and the environment was very relaxed and encouraged conversation. 

Food-wise, it was all about what baby and I wanted…which was awesome.  Since it was held in the afternoon, between lunch and dinner, we opted for more appetizer and snack type foods.  There was homemade chicken salad with sesame crackers, cheese cubes and grapes, baby dill pickles, cucumber sandwiches, spinach and artichoke cream puffs, and watermelon.   

In terms of gifts, the husband and I had already purchased the really big stuff, like the crib, dresser, and glider.  And, my mother-in-law (MIL) ordered the car seat, stroller, and swing for us, while my mom got us the breast pump and way too many adorable baby clothes.  So, the shower was really about those smaller and last minute items that we needed.  I was shocked that every single person who attended brought an actual gift; I didn’t receive a single gift card.  I was touched that everyone took the time and effort to do that. 

However, even though we registered at both Target and Babies R Us (BRU), we don’t have a BRU in town.  The closest one is located about 30 minutes away.  So, while we were pretty set for the Target registry, we still had a bunch of missing items from the BRU registry.  Looks like we’re going to have to make a shopping trip soon! 

Baby Classes

Since this is our first baby, we decided to sign up for prenatal classes.  I obviously have never given birth before, and my husband has never been around babies, so we both had a lot to learn.  We’re very lucky that these classes are offered for free through our hospital.  We opted for the 5 week class, with each session lasting about 1.5 hours.  While there was some common sense information that probably wasn’t necessary, I’m really glad that we went.  I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power and that you can never be over prepared.  And, like I said, my husband needed all the information he could get on taking care of a baby!

The classes were broken down into 1) Pregnancy, 2) Labor and Relaxation Techniques, 3) Pain Management, Medication, and C-Section, 4) Newborn Testing and Care, and 5) Post-Partum.  All of the sections were very helpful and contained at least some useful information for both me and my husband.  My favorite part was teaching him how to diaper and swaddle a baby doll…it’s an image that I won’t forget :).  At the end, we even received a certificate that said we completed the course.  Whether we think so or not, at least someone says that we’re ready to have a baby!

5 Years!

The husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this June.  It seems like such an important milestone, and I’m so happy that this is the year we were finally able to start our family.  My husband has been amazing throughout our marriage, and has taken his vows of “for sickness and health,” “for richer for poorer,” and “in good times and bad” seriously.  Along with my pregnancy and every other wonderful memory preceding it, we’ve also dealt with hardship, from medical issues to debt to IF.  I feel so fortunate to have a partner who is so loving and supportive, and who I can count on to stay by my side. 

Graduation!

In May 2011, I finally completed my Master of Public Administration.  It was a long road that required a lot of commitment and dedication.  It took 3 hard years for me to get, even with having some accelerated courses, due to work and other life events.  But, I’m proud to say that it’s done! 

Finding out I was pregnant in my last semester was both exciting and challenging.  I can honestly say that so far, working full time, going to school full time, and being pregnant was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.  The concentration and focus that are necessary in a graduate program were hard to come by, and the exhaustion was sometimes hard to cope with in the middle of it all. 

Despite finishing my program in May, my graduation ceremony wasn’t until June, since my university holds one large ceremony for the graduates of the winter, spring, and summer semesters combined.  But on June 18, I was able to walk across the stage and receive my diploma at 6.5 months pregnant.  It made me so happy to be able to share something so special to me with my baby.     

Registry Madness

Now that we have our gender confirmation, my husband and I finally completed our registry.  I had already begun listing the more expensive, gender neutral items online, but we actually went into the store with the scanner gun and registered for everything else.  Let me be the first to tell you:  that was an exercise in patience.  Even with all of the big ticket items (car seat, stroller, co-sleeper, glider, breast pump) already registered for online, it took a long time and a lot of thought to complete.  Registering for a baby is so different than a wedding registry.  No one worries about safety reviews and personal recommendations when it comes to picking out china patterns and bed sheets.  With a baby registry, I felt like every single thing had to be the best, in addition to being within our budget and style preferences. 

Luckily, I went armed with the Baby Bargains book, which was a huge help.  I also brought a snack and water on the advice of others, which I’m glad I did, since we went to both Babies R Us and Target (which were fortunately right next door to each other) because we’re registered at both places.  Thankfully, we are finally done with this baby planning aspect, and can move forward with decorating the nursery!     

Ultrasound Follow Up

Wow, time has totally gotten away from me.  I had meant to write this post as soon as it happened, but somehow it’s a month behind. 

Anyway, due to our baby girl’s position at our anatomy scan, we were scheduled for a follow up ultrasound to measure her heart.  Baby was finally right side up for once, although still transverse.  The ultrasound tech was able to point out the four chambers of the heart, and how everything looked good. 

The next day, however, my OB’s office called and said that although everything was normal, the tech didn’t get good enough pictures of the left and right ventricular outflow tracts (L/RVOT).  So, I was scheduled for yet another ultrasound at my next routine visit. 

After all of that drama, baby is perfectly healthy with a beautiful heart.  And, after 3 successive ultrasounds that all confirmed the same thing, I’m pretty confident in the fact that she is definitely a little girl! 

Road Trip

Two days after our anatomy scan, my husband and I went on a little road trip for an impromptu family reunion.  We had scheduled the big ultrasound for right before this mini-vacation, so that we could tell all of my family in person whether the baby was a girl or a boy.  There were also a few people who hadn’t been told about the pregnancy yet, because I wanted to take this rare opportunity to tell them in person.  So, we got in the car (along with the dog) for an 8 hour road trip to meet up with some of my family in Kansas.  We had a great time, and I loved seeing so many members of my family in one place.  We also took tons of pictures, and everyone was absolutely thrilled about our baby news! 

However, between a pregnant person and a dog, the trip took much longer than it should have due to all of the pit stops.  Also, even though I was only 21 weeks pregnant, it was already pretty uncomfortable to be in a car for that long.  My leg kept going to sleep, no position was comfortable, I had to pee all the time, and it seemed like stopping so often caused us to make hardly any progress.  Plus, I’d get hungry and wasn’t in the mood for “road food” like chips or snacks, which caused even more unscheduled stops.

But it was definitely worth it.  Next month though, we’re going on vacation to the east coast for my graduation ceremony, and will be flying.  I have a feeling that flying at 27 weeks won’t be any easier than driving at 22 weeks.