sniderkin

On Christmas night as we were settling into bed, Shannon felt Cavan kick for the first time. Cavan has been very insistent with his kicking lately, and it was just a matter of timing to get Shannon to finally feel it! Our baby boy packs quite the punch these days!

Yesterday I had several contractions, not really bad ones and they weren’t set at certain times so we’re not worried - it seems I get them more when I strain to do things and with the holidays my body has been screaming at me to relax a little. I suspect they’re coming more frequently because Cavan is running out of room to grow and is pushing me in 3 different directions at once, as uncomfortable as I am we just want him to wait a little longer until he’s put on some more weight.

Our next doctor appointment will be for a check up and another ultrasound to check on Cavan’s growth. That will happen on January 4. We should have some more ultrasound pictures to put up then!

Last night Cavan decided to give me the jolt of my life. Usually he’s pretty calm and not really forceful with his kicking, but as Shannon and I were relaxing on the couch last night I suddenly got hit really hard in 3 places at once. It was such a jolt from the lazy movements he had been doing that it made me jump about a foot off the couch and Shannon was immediately in front of me asking “Are you alright? What was that?!” It took me a second to figure out what it was myself, but it was best described as a karate chop. I guess Cavan wanted more room, and by goodness he was going to get it - even if it meant attempting a breakout.

In other news, people keep asking me what we still need for the baby. We’re pretty well set on things, so at this point most of the items are “luxury items.” Even so - here’s the rundown:

Burp Cloths/Cloth Diapers
Tummy Time Mat/Gym
Avent Bottle Sterilizer
Avent Bottle Warmer
Diaper Genie
Boppy Slipcover
Dishwasher/Drying racks for bottle accessories
Grooming kit
Healthcare kit
Sleep positioner
Diapers & Wipes
Board books and toys (can you ever have too many?)
And of course, little gizmos and gadgets that make life easier or more comfortable for baby and clothing (3+ mos).

We’re registered at babies r us as well, it’s only a guideline - not a rule!
We also don’t really have anything really for 6 months plus, so anything in that range is safe.

So, there you have it - “the wish list” hopefully this helps you folks who keep asking “what do you still need?”

Yesterday we had an appointment to check the progress of the Bells, as well as just check in with the doc.  The Bells seems to be fine, for the most part I don’t even notice it, just my mouth won’t smile correctly.

Cavan’s heartrate was in the 140’s, perfectly normal.  The doctor said I’m measuring at 35 weeks and Cavan is growing exactly on target.  Then she proceeded to inform us that we need to make sure we get our hospital bag packed, and that we should have everything ready because after January 2nd - “anything goes and he could come at any time.”  She said he’s developing perfectly, and anytime after the 2nd he could be born without problems.  Eeps!

The new ultrasound pics are up top, make sure to take a peek!  I can’t believe how close we are to having Cavan here, 7 weeks until my due date, and according to my doctor, 2 weeks until we need to be in alert mode for labor to start.

Today we had an ultrasound to see how Cavan is doing. He’s growing right on par, he’s in the 52nd percentile (which is pretty much perfectly average) for his growth. He weighs approximately 4 pounds 4 ounces and will be gaining about a half a pound per week for the rest of the pregnancy. His heart rate was at 150, which is perfect - nice and strong.

During the ultrasound he was being pretty sleepy, he kept moving his hands around up by his head, yawning, making sucking motions with his tongue, and sucking on his thumb. His head is up against my cervix (so he’s head down) and he kept snuggling into it - it’s cute until you realize that this snuggling is the reason I have to pee every 30 seconds. I guess 11 am is too early for him, all he wanted to do was go back to sleep!

We have a couple new ultrasound pictures to put up, which we will do later today or tomorrow so check back!

Tomorrow I have a check up for the Bells - it didn’t get as bad as it did last time because I was able to get on meds right away, so I feel fine. The only thing I really notice is that my smile is … well… not. I’ll be done with the steroids at the end of the week, and done with the antivirals tomorrow. I’m pretty confident that it’s not going to get any worse.

Well, here’s news:

It’s Bells… again.  My doctor put me on some steroids to help combat it (with the added bonus that they will help Cavan’s lungs develop in case he should decide to make an early appearance.)  She also put me on an antiviral medication, even though my tests came back negative for viruses, the antiviral is safe for Cavan and might kill off any virus that’s hiding inside of me and causing the Bells to keep coming back.  She also informed me that I get the reward for “unluckiest person in pregnancy” of the year.  Yay me!

Cavan’s heartrate is in the 140’s, right where it should be.  He was sleeping when the doctor did my exam.  Turns out that what I thought was a foot in my ribs is actually his butt, and his head is down in my pelvis, so when I feel that bumping up in my ribs - that’s him stretching or shaking his booty.

My doctor also confirmed what I suspected - the other evening I had a real contraction.  Not a braxton hicks one, but a real one.  She says that’s not uncommon as my body prepares itself for labor so we don’t need to worry, but if I start getting lots of them or them at certain intervals, I need to go in.

We go back next week for an ultrasound to take measurements, and also to check on the progress of the Bells.

All in all, Cavan is doing just peachy!

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!?

Today I woke up with what appears to be Bells Palsy again, but this time on the opposite side of my face.  What are the odds of that happening?  Crimeny, I just can’t get a break.

I go into my doctor for another prenatal check up later today, and I’ll have her check out my face as well and see what she thinks, but I’m pretty sure it’s bells… again.  I was just starting to get better from the last episode!

So, I’ll update later on after I see my doctor, but for now, I just can’t believe this is happening, again!

We started our prenatal classes on Monday, there are three sets of classes - third trimester changes, labor and delivery, and newborn care.  The first class was completely useless so we’re hoping that the others will be more useful.  We did get a book that covers pregnancy and birth though, and that’s pretty neat.

Our next doctor appointment is on Tuesday.  Cavan is getting to be more aggressive with his kicking.  Last night when I was laying in bed trying to sleep he decided to play Dance Dance Revolution on my spleen.  I also think I may have felt a contraction, a real one - it felt like someone put a belt around my stomach and tightened it to the point where it hurt and I couldn’t get a breath (my exact words to Shannon were “What the heck was THAT?!”).  There was just one, so I’ll have to ask my doctor about it when I see her Tuesday.  In the meantime, Cavan is kicking all day long now and yesterday he was kicking me up by my ribs, which was less than comfortable.  I guess he’s trying to make room!  He’s still got a lot of growing to do, which is really scary!

I’m trying to be very careful to drink lots of fluids since I’ve been having issues with fluid levels being low.  I read that low fluid levels can cause pre-term labor and as much as I’m ready for Cavan to be here, I really want him to be 100% fully baked when he arrives!

We also have a tour of the Mother Baby Unit and Sparrow Hospital on the 19th, that should be really interesting.

Everything has been going along just as it should be since my last update.  I am a little upset that the Bells Palsy seems to have left half of my face “different.”  I still haven’t regained total muscle control on that side, though I don’t think it’s too noticeable, I just hope my muscle control comes back because I notice the difference and it bothers me.

We had a check up with the doctor yesterday, everything is right on track.  Cavan’s heart rate was 150, exactly where it should be at this point.  He’s getting a little more forceful with his movements, and sometimes I can watch my belly move when he’s moving which is really neat.  He’s still afraid of Daddy though, and every time Shannon puts his hand on my belly Cavan stops moving and stays still until he removes it.

I am now officially in the Third Trimester, and Monday we start our first prenatal class.  As of Wednesday, we’ll only have 10 weeks to go until Cavan’s due!  There’s still a lot of things we need to do, and things we need to purchase, I wonder if we’ll ever actually be ready!

I’ve only gained 13 pounds so far, but this trimester I should really start packing it on - as if I didn’t already feel like a walrus!  Cavan is expected to double in size this month alone, which leads me to wonder… exactly where will he be growing into?  My tummy is so tight right now, and I’ve been incredibly uncomfortable - I just can’t imagine how it’s going to be in another month!