TheBeanBlog

Yesterday my sisters and my Mom gave me my baby shower. I was a little nervous as the day approached because I’m not one for being the center of attention. Case and point: I specifically asked not to have a bridal shower.

The day was very special, more than I could have ever expected it to be. I was able to catch up with dear friends and family. The food was fabulous, so many delectable Italian goodies. My nearest and dearest were so generous that it was overwhelming.

Then I drove home to my sweet husband, who told me he missed me horribly all day and that he is madly in love with me.

Last night I was overly exhausted from the excitement of it all and had a lot of trouble sleeping. Toss in the fact that Malcolm wanted to cuddle all night and the baby getting a case of the hiccups that turned into ‘gymnastics class’ from 3-6am.

Today as I drove into work it dawned on me that this is the last Monday I will be working. Crazy thought as I’ve worked for the same company for 7+ years. I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a precipice, not sure where I’ll end up after I take the dive…at least I know Joe will be there to catch me if I fall. 35 weeks.

This past week was pretty hectic- multiple doctor appointments and extracirricular activities.

Tuesday night I rushed home early to get Malc’s stitches out at the vets. All went well with that- he was such a good boy.

Then Joe and I went to the hospital for our tour of the maternity center. After the tour, which was impressive and left me feeling more at ease, Joe and I joined a few other couples in a Q&A session with the tour guide (a nurse).

My husband asked the question of the night. In pure Joe fashion, he joked that he was definitely planning on an epidural and he wanted to know how long they lasted. The nurse informed us that the epdiurals were continuous and would not wear off until about an hour after delivering the baby, should we want it that way.

Let me say I applaud and am enamored with the many women that choose to go through their labor and delivery naturally and free of medication. These women have a strength and courage that I do not possess! I do, however; now have a new mantra to chant and keep myself calm and composed and that beautiful word is continuous. Namaste!….nearly 35 weeks.

 

Just arrived home from my 34 week appointment. The doctor’s words-”You could go at any time now…” She went on to say that the baby would be healthy and wouldn’t need much intervention if it did happen to come early. That’s great, holy lord! She told me she had her baby at 34 weeks and that he is doing wonderfully now.

I think my jaw is still stuck to the floor of that patient room, perhaps I should go back and retrieve it….I tried to get a hold of my husband to tell him the baffling news that we could be having a baby any day now and after five unanswered calls I started to go a tad berzerk.

Finally, when I did reach him I asked him not-so-calmly: What if I were in labor and trying to reach you and you didn’t answer?!! Needless to say he’ll be answering my calls from now on :o)

In other news, the bean had it’s first case of the hiccups Saturday night. Poor thing was bouncing for about an hour, I felt bad because she/he obviously was not comfortable and kept trying to change positions to get comfy. This morning we had another little bout of them. It felt as though my bladder was shaking- made for a very productive morning at work….

Don’t get in the way of a pregnant woman that needs to go to the bathroom.

Yesterday, on my way into my craptastic job I was pulled over by a cop. I didn’t tell him the reason had been going 67 in a 45 mph zone was because my bladder is now the size of a walnut and had already reached maximum capacity. (In my defense the speed limit had just switched to 45 mph…)

He was kind enough to waive the speeding portion of the ticket- I think he took pity on me with the baby bump and sad puppy dog eyes I displayed. Now I have a “disobeyed traffic control device” ticket that I have to go to court to dispute. Should be interesting trying to make it to a court date either 9 months pregnant or with a newborn.  Blame it on the babe…

I have issues when it comes to shopping. Sometimes I have this vision of a clothing item I would like to have. I covet the item in my mind’s eye and then I begin an all-out search for said item through multiple avenues: internet, stores and catalogues.

The problem with this is that if I find an item that resembles my vision I will purchase it, but still continue the hunt under the presumption that I might find something better or closer to what I’m envisioning. This leaves me with a wardrobe conundrum. I have ‘multiples’ of cardigans, slacks, dresses and shoes.

Enter exhibit A for your perusing:

This is my latest foray- a hunt for a green maternity dress to wear at my upcoming shower…and I’m ashamed to admit that I’m still looking online. Someone please help me because I can’t help myself…..

Spoke to the surgeon last night as Malc’s biospy results came back from the lab. Fortunately, the second attempt to remove the cancerous tissue from his lip/cheek region was successful- yeah! Also, four of the five other masses that had to be removed turned out to be nothing to worry about.

The last mass on his neck (that I found the night before the surgery) turned out to be another Mast cell tumor like the one on his cheek. It is currently benign, but could turn. Unfortunately, despite the huge margins the vet took (almost a half inch on each side) he didn’t get all the affected tissue.

I have to wait to hear back from the oncologist on next steps (he may recommend Chemo or an additional surgery) but I’m really so thankful for the wonderful news. It’s funny, but I had this feeling one of the other masses on his head wasn’t cancerous when the vets were convinced it was- and I was right. My intuition tells me Malc doesn’t need an additional surgery, especially considering the tumor was benign. But I’ll wait to see what the experts say.

I really feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest.

Since it’s been a while, I thought I would provide an update on my symptoms for posterity of course.

Night-time (it’s getting hard to hold onto any last shred of dignity with the following):

• Sweating like a sumo wrestler in bed. I am waking up to my face literally stuck to the pillow. If I wear anything more than a paper thin t-shirt and shorts I will easily sweat through the sheets.
• Heavy, raspy breathing (not the fun kind) and snoring that can shake the fillings out of Joe’s teeth.
• Sleep position issues due to back pain. The other night I had just found a comfortable position when I started to get some nudges from the bean in my hip. I tried to settle in and rubbed my belly a little to sooth the bean. All was quiet for about 30 seconds and then I got the swiftest kick to my hip that made me literally jump out of bed. Thanks bean, I got the hint and switched positions!
• Peeing non-stop. I’m clocking in more time in the bathroom than the bedroom from the hours of 10pm-7am ;o)

Day-time:

• Something I’d like to call equal-opportunity indigestion. After every meal I get a combo of reflux, nausea and this feeling that the food is creeping back up my throat. I’ve given up on trying to eat less-abrasive foods. I might as well enjoy myself for twenty minutes if the end result is always the same…
• The bean continues to want to hang out on my right side and has gone from kicking/squeezing my bladder to kicking and punching my ribs and hips. Most of the time it makes me chuckle :o)
• Hormone induced rage-The other day I burst into tears over Joe pouring out a bottle of water I had been cooling in the fridge. Today I called him a dope for not eating the fruit I give him in his lunch. The guy is getting a beating…
• “Blotating” all over again (on a whole new level vs. 1st tri). My fingers look like sausages and my rings are going to have to be put away. Also the knee-high boots that I have lived in all winter pop off like a lovely mold where you can see every seam imprinted on my legs when I take them off at night. Today I noticed they were starting to unzip themselves….

A shot of the 33 week belly:

Caution! Next time you catch you wife on the internet hiding her windows from you she may be ‘nesting’ online.

Over the last two months, I’ve found myself having this incredible and sometimes irrational urge to have every-single-item in my home perfectly classified, categorized, sorted and in a neat and tidy spot.

This practice can be dangerous to the bank account when one discovers the amazing world of organizing websites. There are a myriad of choices to bring one’s home into perfect harmony.

So dear husbands, next time you smell something burning, it just may be your credit card from a recent purchase your wife made for an under cabinet storage center, grocery bag dispenser, and a magnetic digital day counter (for food freshness, of course). My recommendation is to keep your mouth shut and let the storm pass…otherwise you may end up neatly catalogued here:

Tuesday was surgery day. Thank God my husband understands my current condition and that I was incapable of bringing Malc to the vet. I felt like my heart was being dug out with a pair of dull, rusty scissors when I heard Malcolm crying as Joe carted him off.

When I picked him up from the vet that night my poor guy was a mess, more than 20 stitches on his little head. As soon as I got him home and into the bedroom his crying stopped and he tried to get as close as he could to cuddle with me. He actually did a belly flop on the bed wanting me to rub his tummy. It was miraculous to me that he still trusted me enough to want comfort, after all that he’s been through. I laid on the bed spooning my kitty for an hour just trying to offer him a small token of reassurance.

Amazingly, Malcolm’s spirits have been high since he’s returned home and, despite nearly losing my fingers trying to give him meds, we are doing great- in a holding pattern, waiting to hear back on the biopsy results. Fingers crossed…32 1/2 weeks.

A shot of Malc five days post surgery. I dare not show what the back of his little head and neck look like…

This afternoon Joe and I were able to get a final look at the bean via ultrasound. As I was walking out of my office I had to laugh because in true bean fashion the baby woke up and decided to migrate to it’s favorite side, my right side.

The ultrasound was a lot of fun. We found out the baby has tons of hair, is currently 3 lbs 9 oz and does not have hammer toes (a trait found on Joe’s side ha, ha). We also saw the little one doing this adorable sucking motion with its mouth. Everything looked healthy and perfect.

Joe and I went out to dinner to celebrate, unfortunately my dinner is not agreeing with my stomach now. But what’s new….

Tomorrow Malcolm has his surgery. I am dreading it, but also trying to keep it out of my mind and plan on just spending some extra time cuddling with him and giving him treats. I hope tomorrow goes by quickly…