4 Months Ago...

Four months ago I last blogged about my growing belly and our unborn baby, being showered with love, progress in Puglet's room and was looking forward to Thanksgiving, maternity photos, and meeting our new little lady.  Believe it or not, a whole heck of a lot has changed since then!  I'll try to sum up the last four months in a single post but may break it into a series if things turn from a blog post to book (who am I kidding...a single post is totally impossible).  So, without further adieu, here goes...

Oct. 23 - Nov. 26, 2012
A friend from college, Seng Nickerson/Sengerson Photography took maternity photos.  We spent the afternoon at a local park and LOVED the finished product.

Our 3D Ultrasound

Sweet 8+mo Pregnant Jumping Skills

We finished decorating Puglet's room...FINALLY!

We shared our last pre-babyThanksgiving with loved ones.  I always hoped that she would make her entrance on the holiday itself but that didn't happen.  Instead, I stuffed myself full of turkey, all the fixin's, and enjoyed family and football.

The last month of my pregnancy, I continued feeling pretty darn good.  I had regular adjustments at the chiropractor and stayed as active as possible.  My mom, dad and I spent a good majority of Thanksgiving night/the morning after shopping.  I've always loved day Black Friday shopping and figured the exercise would help the 10,000 calories I ate during the day...as well as the baby eviction process.

The Monday after Thanksgiving (11/26), I visited the OB who seemed to think labor was still a ways off and headed to work after my appointment.  After work, JPug and I made dinner and put together a grocery list so I could shop the following evening.

Tuesday, Nov. 27
Tuesday morning I awoke at 5a, about half an hour before my alarm was set to go off.  For a few minutes I pondered...do I get up and go to the bathroom now or tough through it for the next 30 minutes?!?!  My bladder won out and I swung my feet to the floor and stood up.  It didn't take any time to realize I had either become instantly incontinent or my water broke.  Not the rush of water you see in the movies but enough water that my pants were a mess and I knew something was different.  I made my way to the bathroom to assess the situation and do my business.  Everything seemed ok, save my pants puddle, so I made my way back to bed and hit the internet to read about water breaking v. late pregnancy incontinence.  The best info I could find said to put a pad in your underwear, wait half an hour, and stand...if the pad is saturated when you stand up, it's your water.  Half an hour later, the pad was saturated but I started the process over just to be sure.  By the time the second half hour was up, JPug was awake and I explained the situation.  We tried the pad test together...same results...and we called our doula around 7a.  She confirmed my water likely broke and told me to get up and moving around because I wasn't feeling any contractions.

I didn't take the doula's suggestion lightly...we got up and got moving.  It was too cold to take a walk around the block so instead we baked Puglet's birthday cake, did some laundry, and I took a shower.  The OB practice's policy is to go immediately to the hospital once your water breaks due to the risk of infection...I stalled as long as possible and we finally made our way to the hospital around 9a.

By 10a, I was all checked in and the nurse confirmed my water had indeed broken...with litmus paper (water is basic so the litmus paper turns blue)!  Once I was all set up...changed into a hospital gown, baseline vitals taken, and saline lock (IV starter)...the doctor came in and recommended starting Pitocin as my body wasn't contracting regularly.  Hoping for a natural labor and waiting for our doula to arrive, we asked the doctor for the ability to walk around and try some other natural methods before starting the meds.  The doula arrived soon after and JPug, she and I walked miles in the hospital over the next 4 hours.  I'd walk for 40 minutes and head back to our room for monitoring to ensure the baby and I were still doing ok.  I tried squats, hip exercises, long strides, fast and slow pacing, and a hot shower but Puglet wasn't getting her eviction notice.  About 2p, a different doctor came in (shift change at 1p) and recommended starting Pitocin as my water had been broken for 9 hours.

Sigh...not was I was planning but I agreed to the Pitocin to play nice...typically once your water has been broken 24 hours doctors introduce the idea of a c-section and Pitocin was the lesser of 2 evils in my mind.  After a quick discussion between the doctor, doula, and TeamPug, we agreed to starting Pitocin at 6 units and letting me go for an hour to see how my body responded.  A typical starting point for Pitocin is 2 units, increased by 2 every 20 minutes but women's bodies usually process the drug more slowly...basically, by the time your body starts responding the dose is already too high.  For me, 6 units was appropriate and my dose never increased.  Over the next 4 hours, my contractions got progressively stronger and I dilated from a 2 (at 2:30p) to a 4 (possibly a 5 around 7pm).  The doula and JPug practiced different methods to keep me comfortable but the pain became unbearable.  Knowing I had been checked recently and was only about halfway dilated, I did some quick math...50% dilated means 50% pain and 100% pain would be excruciating so I made the decision to get an epidural.

Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist wasn't able to come for an hour.  Around 8pm, the nurses sat me up to get the epidural but before they did, they checked my progress one last time.  In 60 minutes, I had progressed from a 4 (possibly 5) to a 9.5...and by the simple action of sitting me up, I'd be at a 10.  Well, what's a girl to do?!?!  It seems pretty silly to get an epidural when you're fully dilated but that's just what I did.  I used the next hour to relax and prepare for Puglet's birth.  Just before 9pm, the baby started showing signs of distress which wasn't too concerning as the doctor said distress would be the baby's sign that's she's ready to come.  I started pushing a few minutes after 9 and at 9:11pm (less than 10 minutes) our little lady was born.  Lillienne McGuire Puglisi "Elle", 7lb6oz, 19.5in

Baby's First Picture

Well, at  least I got as far as Elle's birth...I have a lot more to share but I'll do it another time.  I promise my next post won't be 4 months from now.

One Month and Counting

Mark your calendars, folks...Thanksgiving is officially one month from today.  For TeamPug, that means our little Puglet is due in just 31 days.  Technically speaking, she could arrive anytime between now and the first week of December...talk about a 6+ week window of uncertainty?!  Ultimately, I really don't care if she comes tomorrow or 6+ weeks from now...JPug and I are so happy to be expecting a little one that we won't complain.  To be completely honest, my hooha would probably appreciate a delivery sooner than later but whatever happens, we'll make it work.

What's New?
Over the past month, we've made some real progress in Puglet's room.  My mom visited the last weekend in September and we made a mobile, curtains, and a bulletin board.  The same weekend, JPug put the glider back together and configured a cherry blossom tree decal on Puglet's wall.  As far as decor goes, we still need to make some shelves but otherwise, it's good to go.  Once we're all finished (hopefully this weekend), I'll be sure to blog & post pictures.

I'll have to devote a separate post to this topic but the first two weekends of October we had 3 AWESOME showers.  The first was for friends and family in KC, the second was for friends and family in STL and the third was a surprise shower thrown by my co-workers that caught me totally off-guard.  JPug and I are so thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful, supportive people.  We are so appreciative and can't wait for everyone to share the love they have for us with our little one.

Here's a picture of JPug and I (with friends Mark, Jayme & their son Maclin) from our shower in KC

Quick Update

How far along: 35 weeks, 5 days

Size of baby:  Approximately 18 inches long and 5.25 pounds (the size of a honeydew melon).

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity clothes: Anything maternity...stretch band pants ROCK!

Sex: Still a girl!

Movement: Depends on the day...sometimes she's pretty active and other times she seems lazy.  As long as I feel her moving every day, the doctor said I shouldn't be concerned.

Sleep: Still pretty good.  One night last week I didn't even wake up to potty (probably indicative of the fact that I didn't drink enough water in the evening but it was still glorious).

What I miss: As fall and winter approach, I have to say that I miss O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale and Bailey's.

Cravings: Any type of food...I've been a hungry, hungry hippo the past two weeks!

Symptoms: Sticking with the chiropractor for regular adjustments, bananas for potassium, milk for calcium and tennis shoes to ensure my leg cramps stay gone.  Just this morning I noticed a bit more pressure on my pelvis...I think she may be headed south for the winter ;)  I should know for sure at my next OB appointment on Friday.

What I’m looking forward to: Maternity photos this weekend, finishing Puglet's room, and welcoming our little Puglet into the world

12 Weeks Later…

In case you haven’t noticed…I’ve been an epic blogger failure over the past 12 weeks.  On one hand, it seems as if not much has changed but on the other hand I can think of all sorts of new things.  First things first…still no legitimate belly pictures.  I’m ridiculous…I know…I promise to have a picture in my next post. 

So, what’s new?!

TeamPug is officially 32 weeks along!  Puglet has furniture…a bed, dresser, and changing table.  Oh, and a sweet $25 glider that my aunt and cousin scored from a garage sale.  I’ll have to devote a separate post to furniture bargains because I’m pretty proud of TeamPug in this department.

After finding out Puglet’s gender, one of my best friends from high school, Sarah, put together an awesome Mizzou Black & Gold gift set consisting of a hand crafted headband & bow, newborn hat, 12 mo. hat and car seat blanket.  I’ll have to devote another post to her creations because they’re just plain awesome.  In the mean time, you can check out her work/purchase items via Facebook > B.I.B.S. (Baby Items By Sarah) or the B.I.B.S. blog.

JPug and I decided on a theme for Puglet’s room.  Instead of going for a character theme, we went for colors.  The main colors are bright pink, brown, and a muted lime green…with a little rust and a bit of cream mixed in.  Sounds potentially horrendous, huh?  The palate was inspired by Zoe Pearn’s Indian Summer fabric line…I found some swatches at a local quilt shop and fell in love.  Right now Puglet’s room is a lot of ideas and not much execution so we have quite the task ahead of us.

We registered.  The registry process is fun but ultimately more difficult than I would have ever imagined!  Talking to friends, reading reviews and making decisions on products your child may or may not like was exhausting.  For every good review/highly recommended product, there was a doomsday review that made us think twice.  We’re not picking a blender here folks…you don’t want the baby swing that will catapult your little one across the living room!  Ultimately we did the best we could…I’m sure we’ll swear by some products and others won’t work for us…eh…that’s life.

We found some serious end-of-summer clothing bargains.  Besides room décor, JPug and I haven’t purchased much of anything for Puglet.  We’re pretty frugal and are waiting until after our showers to make purchases.  This rule of thumb went right out the window when both Kohl’s and JCPenny had their summer baby clothing 70% off…AND it was tax-free weekend.  I mean, who can pass up outfits at 70% off sans taxes?!?!  We ended up purchasing about 20 outfits in a combination of 6mo. and 9mo. sizes that should get our little Pug through next summer.

We had our 3D ultrasound!  Our specific experience was a bit underwhelming (awesome experience, didn’t get great pictures) because Puglet decided to keep her knees on her chest and feet and hands over her face almost the entire time.  She literally looked like a contortionist movie star trying to block the paparazzi’s view…haha…go figure!  We caught glimpses of her little face here and there and were able to see her open her eyes, yawn and even saw a bit of hair growing on the back of her head.  I’m really interested to see how much she’ll look (and act) like her ultrasound pictures/video once she arrives.

On a more serious note, August marked our infertility processes’ 2 year mark.  It’s really incredible to think back 2 years and see how far we’ve come.  August also marked the due date of the baby we lost in December.  When we originally lost the baby and feelings were still raw, I was sure the approaching due date would be hard for me.  Luckily, I was busy at work and immersed in happy Puglet thoughts so I didn’t even realize the due date until it had already passed.  I’m not sad to have experienced our loss and I believe I’m a stronger and more compassionate person because of it but I’m beyond happy and thankful that we’ve moved forward and are expecting.

Quick Update

How far along: 32 weeks

Size of baby:  The size of a large jicama (about 3.75 pounds) and about 16.7 inches long.

Total weight gain: 14 pounds

Maternity clothes: Empire waist dresses, maternity pants and a combination of maternity tops and pre-pregnancy tops.

Sex: It’s a girl!

Movement: I definitely feel her moving every day but the type of movement is hard to describe.  Maybe once every 10 days she’s really active…kicking, punching and changing positions.  Most of the movement I feel is strong flutters here and there and what my friend Courtney described as “rolling”…more changing positions than discernable kicks or punches.

Sleep: No complaints.  There was a week or so where I was pretty uncomfortable sleeping but a combination of suggestions from the chiropractor and OB have me sleeping pretty comfortably these days.  Rather than have a mountain of pillows around me (which JPug dubbed Mt. Pillowmanjaro), I sleep with a single king size pillow under my head/neck and another king size pillow between my legs.  I’m not sure how effective the set-up is…it’s not uncommon for me to wake up and find myself sleeping square on my back (a no-no for pregnant women) but I’m still sleeping pretty darn well so why fix what’s not broken?!

What I miss: Until Labor Day weekend…SKINNY JEANS.  I found some skinny jeans with my cousins and good friend from high school over Labor Day weekend so I’m a happy, skinny jean wearing pregnant gal!

Cravings: Still none.  I may truly be one of the most boring pregnant ladies ever!

Symptoms: About 6 weeks ago I started having trouble with my sciatic nerve on my right side.  Almost immediately, I started seeing a chiropractor as a preventative measure.  I’m happy to report that my weekly adjustments as well as exercises he gave me to do at home have kept my back…my entire body actually…feeling pretty good.  I also started getting pretty severe calf cramps just over a month ago.  The OB attributed the cramping to a water, potassium or calcium deficiency…I’m sure it wasn’t water (I drink more than 120oz./day) so I increased my potassium and calcium intake to rectify the problem.  The potassium and calcium helped a bit but the cramps and pain reared their ugly heads  at times so the OB recommended switching to tennis shoes exclusively at my last appointment.  Yep…rocking tennis shoes everywhere (with no calf pain) J  Last but not least, my belly button is nearly gone.  I still have the slightest innie but I’ll be honest, it’s not long for this world.

What I’m looking forward to: Seeing Puglet’s room come together, spending time with friends and family at our upcoming showers, and meeting our little lady