26 Weeks

Daycare Vist #2

Yesterday we went to visit the 2nd daycare on our long list of childcare options, and to be honest we were quite impressed. Though smaller than the previous center we visited, the director was a lot more personable and was able to explain the center on a more mundane level rather than trying to sell us something. We also did go earlier in the morning, so we were able to watch the teachers interact with full infant classrooms rather than just seeing the teachers hanging out at the end of the day with one or two remianing babies.

However, the unfortunate thing about this center is the schedule. You have the option of 2-days, 3-days, or 5-days a week... no more, no less, and if you go for 3 days, it HAS to be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 2 days HAS to be Tuesdays and Thursdays. The director told us having a new child come in wanting a 3 or 2 day schedule was rare, and there was already a waiting list for the same. Granted, it's free to go on the waiting list, but still... so much uncertainty.

This center has been the least expensive of the other centers in our town, so if we were to decide on going in this direction, this would most likely be the option we would chooce. Many factors play into this, however. First, I need to make sure my company will allow me to work a 4-day work week. Second, my mother has to get the approval to work a 4-day work week, and she has to be ok with one of those days being a Tuesday or a Thursday. Unfortunately, I won't be having the meeting with my firm's partners until mid-July, so I can't being to make any plans until after that point. Of course, by that point, I would love to have as many options available to me so I can plan accordingly, so that means Chris and I need to figure out exactly what it is we want to do.

And yet there is still the option of my friend. With her years of childcare experience, she has informed us that she is looking to get her license in the next month. I would trust this friend with my life, but just as with every other center, Chris wants to sit down and discuss everything with her, which I can understand. Honestly, I would want to go with my friend not only because we'd be helping her out while she helps us out, but because it would be less expensive, more flexible, and just a better situation in the end. So we shall see, we shall see....

25 Weeks

Ugh...

It's so damn hot...

To anyone who's ever said that being pregnant over the summer isn't so bad is freakin' crazy! The heat and the humidity lately has been insane, and it's only the end of June!!! So far the heat has not been my friend. Last weekend I definitely got overheated and had to spend the afternoon in bed cooling down with the central AC and a fan blowing right now me. The AC in the house has been blasting ever since, and I'm so grateful that my desk is situated right beneath an AC vent in the office... it's funny, because I remember this time last year being FREEZING! Apparently it still is, as my coworkers are constantly complaining about the temp in here... I'm content.

And thanks to my lovely husband, I am proud to say that I now have my very own stretch mark. It's right under my belly near my belly button, so of course I couldn't see it on my own, so Chris was more than happy to point it out to me earlier this week. Have no fear, Palmer's is here, and oh am I rubbing that cocoa butter in every night.

Weight gain is steadily growing, but thats what's supposed to happen, right? I'm ok with this and not ashamed. I got on the scale this morning, and I was at 176.4, which means I've gained about 21 pounds since the start of everything. My doctor told me she wanted me to gain between 20-25, so we'll see what happens. I know I'll be over that, but at least I'm no where near hitting 200lbs. Plus, I'm already thinking about the workout regimen I want to start as soon as BabyBaby is born and I get the OK from the doctor. I've heard good things about the Couch to 5K (C25K) program and I've always wanted to start running, but with such little training or endurance I never knew where to start. So I'm going to download these podcasts, buy me some running sneakers, and hopefully I'll get the jogging stroller I put up on the regsitry (I'll obviously buy it myself if not - there's no way I'd be able to walk/run with the travel system's stoller) and away we'll go!

Speaking of the registry, I received my first gift yesterday!

One of the Niners, MrsMo, sent me my Boppy, and I am so excited! Ever since I started being surrounded by friends having babies, all I had heard about was how awesome the Boppy was, and how much of a must-have it would be, so when the time came to set up our own registry, it was definitely #1 on my list. And now I have one of my very own! Thank you, MrsMo! :D

We are registered!

So we finally did it - we went to Babies R Us on Monday and more or less finished our regsitry!

Babies R Us Registry

I keep feeling like I'm forgetting to add items, and at the same time I swear I'm adding something new every day, be it from suggestions or just ideas. I should stop... it's going to get out of control!

I also set up another appointment to visit another daycare here in town for next week... Something tells me they're all going to be the same, but $100 less is $100 less. Now if I could only guarantee that both my mother and myself will be able to go down to a 4-day work week...

Other than that, everything is ok. I'm feeling fine, I just no motivation to get anything done. I don't so much take naps anymore, but I'm definitely finding myself making my way into my bed once I get home from work just to vegge out a little bit. I really would just love to get everything in the baby's room done sooner than later, but it's hard when you cane lift or move anything heavy, so I have to depend on others to help out, and that's not easy for me to do. *le sigh* No worries though... it will get done when it gets done, and we only have so much time to do it.

Daycare Visit #1

Last night we visited Bright Horizon in Braintree. We weren't able to get there until close to the end of the night, so almost all of the kids and the teachers were gone, but we were able to speak with the director and get a tour of the premises.

The initial vibes were promising. It was pretty much what I expected in an organized daycare center.

The director was extremely bubbley and overly friendly - Chris thinks this is going to be a constant theme no matter where we go

We visited the infant area and I met a couple of the teachers who would potentially be watching after BabyBaby. They've been there for 10-15-20 years, but they were old... like in their 70s old. Not saying that there's anything wrong with that... just observations.

So we have one center under our belt for comparision's sake. I don't know where we're going next, but it'll be somewhere soon. The clock's ticking...

I like diaper cakes.

Girls Damask Diaper Cake

City Girl Diaper Cake

Candy Land Girls Diaper Cake

Girls Camo Diaper Cake

2-Tier Diaper Cake - Baby Girl - Sleeping Bear Cake  (dead link)

Baby Girl Diaper Cake  (dead link)


Thanks, Steese! ;)

So of course, I decided to start doing some searching on my own, therefore I Googled "Hello Kitty Diaper Cake" and here are some of the results:http://www.sweetcakes4u.ca/images/hello_kitty2.JPG  (dead link)http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2615071103_1d505544a0.jpg?v=0
http://www.stubbornsnails.com/Hello-Kitty-Diaper-Cake.jpg  (dead link)

OK, I'm done...

Edit - 6/18/2012:  It never occurred to me that a random posting about diaper cakes would become the most sought-after page on this blog.   Honestly, I was pregnant and thinking about what I'd want to potentially have at my shower - none of these were actually received or made, but I thank you all for checking me out... please feel free to look around some more!  http://accidentalsmiles.blogspot.com/

I like good appointments...

I went for my monthly OB appointment this morning and everything looks great! I'm measuring perfectly at 23 weeks, the baby's heartbeat is healthily up in the 140s, and my weight gain is exactly where it should be. The midwife also confirmed that it was, in fact, Braxton Hicks I felt in the middle of the night last week. Go uterus! She did caution me against painful cramps and spotting, saying that dehydration is a key factor, especially during this time of year, and should they occur to drink a liter of water and see what happens. I think I'm really going to just start upping the water intake big time just to make sure it doesn't!

I had the best midwife ever... I wish I could have the option to choose who exactly I want to deliver my baby, rather than just the midwife or doctor option, but Ashlee was amazing. She was so lively and friendly and just made me feel so comfortable. So I'm crossing my fingers that she's on rotation when I go into labor... so long as it's anyone but Jeanne.

Ashlee also got brownie points for actually looking over my chart before she came in to see me, and noticed the scare we endured last month, and took the time to ask me how we were doing since then to make sure we were handling everything all right emotionally. Obviously we're fine now, but it felt really nice to know someone in that office cared enough to ask.

And my 1-hour glucose tolerance test has officially been scheduled for July 8th. Bascially, I have to chug 10oz of the equivalent of uber-sweet flat orange soda in 5-10 minutes 45 minutes before the scheduled appointment (the appointment is at 8:15am, mind you) to get blood drawn to make sure my body can process the sugar well enough, and that I'm not a candidate for gestational diabetes... kinda not fun. Especially since rumor has it that if you eat beforehand your chances of failing are higher than not... but if I don't eat before getting any blood drawn I start to get lightheaded... blegh. The tech suggested protein, so maybe a single egg in the morning will tide me over... but until then, the orange "glucola" (their term, not mine) is chilling in my fridge for the next 4 weeks for I've heard it tastes better cold. We shall see.

23 weeks

Things are going well... the only complaint at the moment is that the heat is starting to get to me, and it's only the beginning of June. But, I figure, so long as there's AC and swimming pools I'll get through the summer.

I also just purchased a Groupon good towards a spa up in Medford that does prenatal massages, so I'm going to call tomorrow to schedule my appointment for the end of the month. I'm pretty excited.

But in the meantime -- pictures!

22 weeks - man do I look rough. And yes, I did take this one on time... last week... and then I got lazy.

23 weeks

The crib also came in yesterday! WAY too excited for it, I think... we can't set it up until we paint the room, but still... it's here and it's ours! :D

I have my monthly OB appointment tomorrow -- I probably shouldn't forget about that one either. I believe I'll be scheduling my 1-hour glucose test for next month as well. So not looking forward to that, lemme tell you. Keys to passing? Early in the morning, and don't eat. Of course, they're going to be drawing blood, so we'll see how THAT goes...

oh hai, Braxton Hicks!

So I think I felt my first Braxton Hicks contraction last night.

I woke up around 1am with this cramp similar to that of a period cramp on my left side, running from my abdomen down to my thigh, only it wasn't all that painful, just enough to be uncomfortable. So I got up and walked around a bit... it didn't last for longer than a minute, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to come back, so I sat on the couch and flipped through the Mayo Clinic's pregnancy book I had lying on my coffee table. Sure enough, Bracton Hicks contractions can start as early as 20 weeks, and the symptoms of what I was feeling were almost spot-on.

So, it starts... this uterus is getting primed and ready. It's going to be te easiest labor ever, right?? HA!

daycare

Being into my 23rd week, it's hit me that we don't have all the time in the world to make decisions anymore, and the important ones that needs planning, such as daycare, are the most expensive ones... and also the ones that are going to cause us the most stress.

We started our initial research a few months ago, searching for daycares in our area and in the surrounding areas. We just recently started calling around to get pricing, and I swear it's going to be like paying another mortgage. Even for 3 days a week, it's at LEAST $300... ugh. We have an appointment with one in our town next week... the woman on the phone was the sweetest thing ever, but of course they are - they want your business and your money. I honestly don't know what to expect when we go.... I mean, I know I want to see the place I could potentially be leaving my daughter for 3 days out of the week, but at the same time, in the back of my head I have to be telling my "don't fall in love with this place, you aren't making a decision yet."

The daycare decision really is a Catch-22. We need to get onto a waiting list, like, now for January of next year... its INSANE. But at the same time, we're seeing these ads posted on Craigslist that would just be ideal, but it's too early to even try to make a plan with anyone now... so either we wait it out and see whats on Craigslist come October/November, and hope we can find something and cheaper, or lock into a larger daycare and be assured we have someone to watch the baby when I go back to work but at a higher price...

And to throw another option into the mix, my friend that we've known since high school just recently moved back to town, and is talking about maybe starting something up with her sister, and has offered to watch BabyBaby for maybe half the price of what we would be paying at a larger daycare...

A lot of options, a lot of things to consider, and time is running out....