Halloween

Peanut and I are participating in Halloween this year. This year I'm using my baby belly as part of the outfit and dressed up as Juno from the movie of the same name. Jourdan is going to be dressed up as the boyfriend Paulie Bleeker later tonight, he didn't seem to want to wear running shorts to work. So today at work he's the evil network administrator.

We'll post pictures of our outfit later tonight. Oh and Jourdan says since next year is his pick for Halloween, he's going to be Indiana Jones, I'm going to be Lara Croft and Peanut is going to be a monkey. Oh and Josie is going to be a wild panter.

Baby Shower Photos!

Tonight was the baby shower my office threw for me! It was incredible! There was tons of great food--tamales, enchiladas, burritos, veggies and dip..AND TWO CAKES (red velvet cupcakes and a yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting)!

Pictures from the baby shower are here.

The only sad thing was due to a cold that is circulating the office many of the people who have been working to plan this party weren't able to attend. Jeanne and Andrea as well as Adam were at home with a nasty cold virus that seems to be going around. We missed them all!

Midwife Appointment

Another visit with the baby midwife; everything is looking good! Peanut has a strong heartbeat and all the measurements are as they should be.

Today we talked about pain management during labor and Jourdan and I are both unanimously that anything and everything is an option. We also talked about my recent heartburn and the midwife wrote me a prescription for something that can help.

Our next appointment is in two weeks; hopefully by then Peanut will be situated in the right position (head down) for the upcoming delivery in December.

Telecommuting: Day 3

Today I went home at lunch to telecommute. I was feeling fainty all morning and just tired so I opted to go home, which was for the best since I had another episode in the car on the way home. I also had another two minor episodes that night. I was really hoping that I was getting over this but apparently..not so much. 

On the upside tomorrow is our office baby shower for me!! I am v. excited!

It's so hard to stay home...

Jourdan and I just got invited to our friend Sandler and Tomoko's Housewarming Party in the Bay Area on November 8th. I really want to go but Jourdan reminded me of the last trip to Berkeley and how tired I was. I tried to convince him I could make this trip but later on I realized I'll be 36 weeks by that point and I really don't want to go into labor out of town. Right now, we've agreed to play it by ear, which is for the best, but I didn't realize how hard it would be for me to keep to our 'in-town' agreement.

Heartburn

Friday night, I woke up from bed with this horrible burning sensation in my throat. Peanut was pressed high against my ribs which gave me heartburn like I have never known and shortness of breath. I got up from bed, took a few TUMS and drank some milk to no avail. I started walking around which helped a bit but eventually got tired again and rested in the chair. 

But alas Peanut was quite comfy in his/her spot and so the assault continued. I was becoming desperate and started crying from the pain and just the desire to go back to bed. Jourdan heard me, I left him in bed cause I thought he had to work the next morning (v. delusional when I haven't slept well), and he ran out to comfort me and help Peanut move. It took about twenty minutes of work on Jourdan's part but he got Peanut to move down and finally I got to sleep. It's such a reassurance to know that I have him to help me especially as we're looking forward to potential nights of lost sleep. 

Taking my Fainting Show on the Road

Today I was really feeling great and getting a lot done between meetings. When it was time for lunch, me and Pam, a co-worker headed over to the cafeteria to get something for lunch. All of a sudden, while standing in line to check out I started to feel faint. Not my typical early morning faint with the white spots or white light but the woozy comes on fast faint. Thankfully Pam was there and recruited the cafeteria manager to help me find a place to sit down. Once I took a few bites of my apple and slurps of my soda, I felt better and realized I had completely forgotten to have my mid-morning snack! I chalk this one up to low blood sugar and a very forgetful me!

Telecommuting: Day 2

I was feeling okay this morning but then got a bit wobbly all of a sudden as we were heading off to the car, so I stayed home that morning. Jourdan came home and we had lunch together which was really nice and then he took me into work around 1. I am SO loving this working arrangement!!

Trip to the Bay

Jourdan and I met up with Adam and Andrea in Berkeley to tour the Scharrfen Berger Chocolate Factory. Jourdan and I have taken the tour before but it was still a fun time. 

Prior to heading into the factory, Jourdan and I strolled down 4th Street, visited the new Brennan's Restaurant and picked up a little something at the Crate and Barrel outlet. After all the walking around 4th street, I was feeling a bit tired and my legs felt really stiff. For awhile I wondered if I was going to be able to make it through the tour. Luckily, my energy rebounded on the car ride from 4th Street to the factory, but Jourdan and I both decided any trips out of town are now on hold.

Here's a few pictures from the trip!

Also we tried Zachary's pizza for the time (v. yummy)!

Telecommuting: Day 1

This morning was the first day I telecommuted to work! My boss and the other managers have been so wonderful and agreed to let me start telecommuting prior to my maternity leave since I've been rather fainty as of late. 

Getting to work from home is a real blessing. The hardest part of my day is ALWAYS waking up in the morning and getting out the door. Now that I have the option to just work from home I don't feel the need to push myself and save the sick time. Not to mention, I am so much more productive than I anticipated; working from home really helps me to focus and as an added benefit I feel better capable of meeting my work needs for my maternity leave.

Last Baby Class

Tonight was the last of our series of baby classes and this one focused on breast feeding. We both learned quite a bit and I'm nervous/excited about giving it a chance. I'm hoping that Peanut and I can figure this out together cause I feel like neither of us have a real idea about how this works.

Jourdan attended the class with me, which seemed natural enough to me, but a few dads were no-shows. I've been so lucky that he has been so supportive of me and helping me out as each week I seem to need help with something else that I didn't the week before.

The next time the class will meet is a "reunion" sort of event with each of the new families in attendance. At the end of the class, Nancy asked if anyone would be interested in forming a mom's group, so maybe we'll meet up earlier than the reunion.

Dr. Appointments: Midwives & Neurologists

Today we had two doctor appointments, the first was with the midwife to check up on Peanut. We talked about having a volunteer doula in the room with us. Doulas primarily just offer support to the support person and offer suggestions of things to try to help ease the mom's pain. Since I have NO idea what to expect during labor, nor does Jourdan, we're definitely interested in having someone else to help. Since the doulas are available only on a volunteer basis, we might have one there and we might not. But either way, we'll be fine but I see no harm in taking advantage of the services available to me.

The midwife also let Jourdan use the doppler to listen to Peanut's heartbeat. Peanut's heartbeat was strong and fast as usual but this time, Peanut showed great skill in locating the doppler pressed against my belly and kicking it. Apparently, Peanut really isn't too fond of us eavesdropping. 

I also got a flu shot and got a cute kids band-aid as well as we talked about picking out a pediatrician. Jourdan and I really liked the pediatrician we met during the 4th baby class so we made a prenatal appointment to visit with Dr. Lee in two weeks.

At the neurologist's office, we did more reflex tests and talked about how I've been feeling. I mentioned my recent severe fainting episodes and Dr. Miller agreed that the diagnosis is the same but that I just need to be careful to eat regularly and lay down when I feel faint. She also ordered more lab tests for me. Basically, same story as before I have low blood pressure and low blood sugar so when I feel faint I need to take it easy. To help my blood pressure, I need to continue to snack on salty things (yeah for pretzels) and for my blood sugar, I need to snack throughout the day. Luckily work is letting me telecommute, which Dr. Miller suggests I take advantage of, so I can avoid moving too much when I'm feeling woozy.

Childcare Class

Last night, Jourdan and I went to the fourth class of our 'Open-Minded Childbirth' class series, this one focused on taking care of a newborn. We covered quite a bit in the class; swaddling, bathing, diapers (cloth vs. disposable), car seats, baby carriers and a local pediatrician visited to discuss vaccinations and answer other questions from parents.

My personal favorite moment: The teacher shows us the front of the baby doll she's just diapered and says "Now this looks right, doesn't it?" And as everyone looks up from their own doll she turns the doll to show us that the back of the diaper is just barely covering the doll's butt and says "But see this is a problem." And then one of the fathers says "I know, but it's the way the kids wear their clothes these days." BEST LINE EVER.

Lizard Face

Last night on the ride home, Jourdan and I were talking about Peanut and Peanut's potential names (G: Violet Isabella, B: Scott Everett or Jackson Everett) when Jourdan came up with a perfect new name: Lizard Face. Of course, I was instantly opposed to naming my child Lizard Face but Jourdan felt that we needed to give Peanut a say so he asked Peanut if he/she liked the name and of course just to spite me, Peanut kicked. Jourdan took this as confirmation that Peanut does in fact want to be named Lizard Face. Already they are siding against me, I am destined for a wild ride.

Fueled by Peanut Power

While waiting for Dr. Henchell to arrive, I laid back on the examination table and flipped through some random family magazine. Jourdan sat across from me and played with my new (yet to be nicknamed) iPhone. And Peanut as is typical, decided to play soccer with mommy's stomach. So basically a typical day in the life of the Perla family. At some point, Jourdan looked up from the iPhone and noticed that my shirt was moving. Yes, Peanut is now strong enough that each kick makes me stomach bounce and shake so even if he can't feel the Peanut-powered kicks you can easily see them. Considering our current energy crisis, I'm wondering if I can't bottle this Peanut-Power and fuel the car or a small factory.

The Results Are In..

Jourdan and I met with my GP yesterday and good news all around. My heart is doing just fine and my head isn't full of goombas. I just have really low blood pressure but the addition of more salt to my diet has seemed to help. I have a follow up with the neurologist next Wednesday and Peanut has an appointment with the midwives as well. 

All in all, everything is looking good for me and the kid.

Quick Update

Just a quick update to let everyone know things are going fine. Peanut got checked out with another ultrasound and things are looking good. Mommy is going in for another checkup tomorrow, but is doing fine. Finished the first half of our "new parents" classes, with just two Wednesdays to go.

All in all, everything's good. Just busy with lots of stuff.

No Goombas & No Pulse

I met with the neurologist this afternoon; a very friendly doctor who knew the ways of the faint. I was really able to talk to her about how I feel when I'm passing out and she perfectly understood since she herself has done the same. She tested my reflexes, eye movement and asked me questions (two of which I almost failed!) which all checked out normal.

After reviewing my recent labs, she is pretty certain that my incredibly low blood pressure is the culprit. And that drinking more water will help me but I need to add salt to my diet since my salt levels are so low as well. Basically, I'm just passing all this water through because there is no salt in my body to hold on to it. She had me lay down for two minutes and took my blood pressure (90/52) and then had me stand up and not only could she not get a BP reading but she couldn't find a pulse. (Walking dead?) So, I'm supposed to try juice/gatorade in between the water to help me hold on to some of the good stuff as well as add more salt to my diet. I have a follow up appointment with her in two weeks.

We have TUMMY!

Yes, Houston...WE HAVE TUMMY! We went in for another ultrasound today and the doctor found the tummy, kidneys, head, spine and a very active Peanut. Also, Peanut has just the right amount of fluid to swim in. I didn't do too well in that resting position and had a little episode in the ultrasound room but soon I was feeling better and we moved on to our appointment with the midwife. Everything measures out just right and we got to listen to Peanut's heartbeat and hear Peanut kick the microphone. Apparently Peanut does not care for eavesdroppers.

Peanut has got me in a choke hold

I woke up from sleeping cause I had this strong burning sensation in my throat. It's been so long since I've felt the sting of heartburn but when coupled with short breath it's worse. I've heard from my friend Dorothy that this is incredibly normal but the feeling of Peanut sleeping against my lungs isn't something I hope to get used to. 

Jourdan had a great idea last night and started talking to the baby at the bottom of my belly. In response, Peanut woke up and moved lower giving me a chance to breath and waddle to the kitchen for a glass of milk. Afterwards I moved my pillows so that they are much higher now and gravity is helping to give my lungs and tummy some "breathing room" as well.