34 weeks

Last Thursday I finished up week 34 of my pregnancy. The checkup was good. My blood pressure was great, I gained only 0.5 pounds since my last visit two weeks ago (overall gain is at 13.5), I measured appropriately, and the baby's heart rate was about 150. Overall it was a very short visit. The doctor I saw this time was the one I saw for the first half of my pregnancy. (Since I see a group of doctors, towards the end they recommend that I visit a different one each time so that the doctor on call during the delivery will be familiar with me. I have only seen 3 of the possible 5, but I have a feeling that Dr. Mogen, the one I have seen for the majority of this pregancy, will be the one that will be on call.) Anyhow, I told him my big plans for induction and after he laughed he said that he doesn't mind making the call at 38 weeks to see if my body is ready. Again, like the last doctor I saw, he said that he couldn't guarantee anything but is open to the possibility. So now when people ask me my due date I say, "hopefully Septemeber 25th!" haha :) If everything checks out ok, then that means baby Andrew will be here in less than 4 weeks.....just around the corner.

After Thoughts

One thought that keeps coming into my mind about the ending of this pregnancy is, "What am I going to do afterwards?” There are the obvious activities of enjoying my new family and recovering, but I am thinking more long term. It seems as though I have been preparing a mental list of what I would like to do or accomplish once the pregnancy is over. Of course the hardest part is going to be able to do all of this while still raising a 3 year old and a (breast-feeding) newborn.

One thing I sort of regret about starting this pregnancy is not being in the same shape I was prior to getting pregnant with Jordan. With Jordan, I was very active with sports like volleyball and running. I think that helped a lot with the day-to-day aches & pains pregnancy. But before Andrew, I never made time for volleyball and running (which I believe was due to my stressful and relentless hours at my previous job). I just never made time for myself. So first on my list after the pregnancy: get back in shape! I have also informed Kevin that I plan to join a volleyball rec team at some point in the future. (And I a not talking about some family reunion pick-up game here…..come on folks, get serious.)

The next item on my list is to obtain my Master’s. I have decided that getting one in Accounting and Information Systems with a focus on Financial Services is right up my alley. This is definitely a goal that will need to be spread out over the long-term due to family (time), working full-time, and of course money. One might ask, “You already have a BS in Mathematics at Virginia Tech, why do you need a Master’s?” Well since my graduation (Cum Laude, mind you) back in 1999 I have been in almost every type of job imaginable. It wasn’t until I started working for Danaher Motion in Radford that I realized a passion for accounting, finance and corporate reporting. One of the benefits of working with that company was their tuition reimbursement program, which allowed me to take classes at New River Community College (through the distance learning program) and then Radford University (right down the street from work). After breezing through 4 courses in Accounting, this started the desire to learn more. With Radford not offering a Master’s in Accounting and taking a job in Blacksburg, it seems only natural to return to the excellent programs offered at VT. I hold this goal near and dear to my heart, even if it takes me 10 years to accomplish it. This leads directly into a career goal of mine which is to become more responsible for key financial decisions. Whether it is with my current job at Webmail.us, Inc. or with another company. I want to be able to make financial decisions that no one else either cares to make or may be afraid to make. Maybe it’s a power thing, but I want total control of the finances. I want to be able to say, “this is your budget, if you blow it, it’s coming out of your salary.” By learning the skills needed through school and my current real-world experiences I am hoping to achieve this goal.

This past February Kevin and I took our first trip to Snowshoe in West Virginia. I had just found out I was like 2 or 3 weeks pregnant. Despite being pregnant I had an awesome time up there. The first night my friends Tracy and Brian (who stayed only one night) joined us and then later an old friend from VT stayed with us. It was great being able to spend time with friends in a different atmosphere. The skiing was great (for everyone except me and Brian...I sucked big-time on that trip….but I am blaming that on the pregnancy…hehe!), the views were breath-taking, and the friendship bonding was awesome. I remember Saturday night, after Tracy & Brian headed home, that me, Kev & Jason went out to dinner at a pizza joint in the village and had a blast just talking about the old days. At some point during our conversations, Jason said something about how awesome the relationship is between me and Kev. He was like, “you guys have the perfect relationship”…..or something to that accord. And I remember looking at Kevin and agreeing with Jason’s comments 100%. It’s hard to believe that Kevin and I have been together for almost 10 years now, and have known each other longer because we went to the same high school. But through the years I believe our relationship is one of the strongest, truest and most understanding in the world. I cherish every single day with him. Side note here: I don’t want anyone reading this to think that we never had our tough times, because we did. But through communication we not only overcame those tough times, we came out stronger. So what does all this have to do with after the pregnancy??? I want to go back to Snowshoe with Kevin and experience the same type of weekend I had this past February. Who knows, maybe we’ll invite more of our friends to share the experience with us.

Kevin and I also have plane tickets that need to be used from where we took a later flight from the Sugar Bowl last year. I can’t wait to use those! We still haven’t made a decision as to where we want to go. We were thinking Las Vegas, but maybe somewhere new, where we haven’t been before. That’s going to be a blast and I am anxious to see where we end up.

Now Mom, I know you are reading this and thinking that I need to make time for God and spiritual needs. Just relax………..

So now about two pages later, one has to think, how the heck is she going to do all this stuff? Well I don’t know quite sure myself. I do know that I will always put family first, and if this causes me to take a side-road on one of my goal paths, then so be it. I just think it’s important that these types of paths are known or established so that some type of direction in life can occur.

How Much Longer?

I went for my 32 week check up yesterday. Everything checked out ok. I was informed that my due date is more around the 6th of October....which is great! As a matter of fact, I did ask the doctor if it would be possible to be induced about week prior to my due date. Inductions are one of those procedures that are normally performed only when the benefits greatly outweigh the dangers. Ultimately, if an induction does not progress, the end result is a c-section. I definitely want to bypass the c-section route. The doctor said that there are many factors that go into deciding whether or not an induction should occur, which of course I figured. He said he could not commit to an induction this far from my due date, but would consider the possibility as I get closer to the end. One thing I have going for me is that I had a very favorable delivery with my first child. So maybe my baby & body will cooperate when the time comes!

There are a couple of reasons that I am requesting the induction. The first reason, and the biggest, is because of my back. Of course if you ask me, I seem to have the worst case in the entire world. (haha....ok maybe I don't, but it feels like it!!) It's a problem that most pregnant women face, but I swear I have it worse than others. Maybe it's because of how much I "popped" my back prior to the pregnancy. If you could imagine being able to pop your back at your pleasure and the relief you feel from doing so....then NOT being able to get one little pop. No matter how much you twist and stretch. It's like you can feel the pressure building on a daily basis. The doctor had a more technical description of what was going on in the joints, but it's too hard to describe in words. :) So at night when I feel the need to switch over to my other side, it's like the biggest task ever. I can't just move in one swoop because my lower half is practically numb. Sometimes I will fall asleep during this process and wake up realizing that I didn't make it all the way over to the other side and I am on my back. Which makes the whole situation even worse. So after having to deal with that, it's time to make a trip to the bathroom. I can't even begin to explain how difficult it is to walk. My back radiates with pain with the slightest pressure of my right leg/foot on the floor. After manuvering myself to a sitting position, I then have to stand in place for a few seconds and start my wobbling efforts to the bathroom. Added with the fact that my hips feel like jell-o, I feel like I could crawl and get there faster. It's pathetic, I know....but it's not my fault!!. One must not forget: I have the worse case in the world. ;) So that's the main reason for my request.

The second reason is more of a tribute. My dad's birthday is on the 25th of Sept, which is only 11 days before my due date. It would be neat to have Andrew on the same day. What's 11 days??? Surely that's not too early!

The third reason is a small one. In Montgomery county, Virginia, children have to be 5 before Sept 30th in order to attend kindergarten. Having Andrew right before this cut-off allows us the option to let him start school if we feel he is ready for it.

The fourth reason is purely for convenience. Like I mentioned above, my request would be the 25th of Sept.....which coincidently fits right in with the Virginia Tech football schedule. Ideally, I would like to attend the home game on the 24th. Then go to the hospital either at 12 am or 6 am, however they do it, and start the induction process. Then hopefully by the end of the day have baby Andrew. This would allow me to stay my 3 days or whatever and be home in time to watch the next VT football game, which just so happens to be an away game. More importantly, I will have 2 weeks to get some recovery time in before the next home football game on the 8th of October. We are season ticket holders you know.........

I should have more of an idea if this induction will be possible in about 4 weeks. :)

The Big "C", or Not?

Ok, having a child is a beautiful thing no matter what.....having a girl, easy-peasy.....but having a boy......YIKES!! And no, I am not talking about the actual physical implications of "having a baby". I am talking about the things you have to consider after birth if the child is boy. For some reason, I think I feel scared or I worry over raising a boy. It just seems like there is so much involved. I am sure it just seems that way because I am used to raising a girl. :)

Anyhow, the other day I was having a conversation with my mom (who happens to be a RN in the maternity ward at the hospital I will go to) and somehow we got on the topic of circumcisions. It was at that moment that I realized that Kevin & I will have to make this decision for our little Andrew in less than 8 weeks. I believe we already have the answer as to which way we will go. Listening to my mom describe the different techniques and instruments involved I started to wonder which way is the "right" way to go.

I suppose one of my concerns is, what is "normal"? I don't think you can actually use that word because normal is obviously different where ever you go. I about died when I learned in some cultures that it was normal to do a circumcision at like 8 years of age or even later! Isn't that torture?? I asked my mom about what percentage of boys that are delivered at her hospital are circumcised and she said about 90%. So it would seem that the "normal" here in southwest Virginia is to have your boy circumcised.

The irony of the whole thing is that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are some medical benefits to circumcision but they are not sufficient enough for the academy to recommend the procedure. I find this interesting because why did it all start then? Someone just decide to do it? I suppose there is some kind of logical, some religious, reasoning behind it all. As my doctor put it yesterday when I went for my 32 week check-up, "circumcision is a cosmetic procedure". Wow, a cosmetic procedure.....I thought cosmetic procedures referred to botox injections or breast augmentation.

Anyhow, after reading a ton of articles, I have realized that this procedure is very controversial. Something I have never really given second thoughts to. I guess that is why I don't really have any strong opinions about either option. It's just crazy to think that we have to make this decision for our child.