Just another day in the life of...

I like to g-chat. Some days are good days, some days are bad days. Based on the amount of Lindsay's laughter... I'd say today is a good day. That, or she just feels bad for me since I told her how much I'm sweating. Oh, and she's also on pain medication. So, your call.

sara: i have the sweats. how are you feeling. haha.

Lindsay: why??

sara: im just hot these days. i sleep in the nude, and when i get up to pee i look like i'm a woman straight out of amazon country.

Lindsay: i feel better when i take some pain meds, not 100% but better

sara: especially since i have to swing a few times to get out of bed

Lindsay: hahahaha

hahahahaah

sara: look what i found. pick one i should i make this weekend http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/

Lindsay: whats this weekend?

sara: a good time to bake cupcakes

Lindsay: haha duh

sara: haha

im so sweaty

and i have a million crumbs in my bra

sometimes i wonder if cole realizes he really hit the jackpot with me

Lindsay: hahahaha

sara: hahaha stop laughing so much

Lindsay: you need to blog about this entire gchat

sara: hahahahah

it is a winner. i think i will do it right now.

Lindsay: you need to im dying here

Lindsay: hahaha

**Just a side note. I really do look like someone from the amazon when I get out of bed. I'm peeing about 5-7 times a night, and I'm definitely sleeping in the nude. So I have to rock back and forth to pick up some momentum before I thrust myself out of bed to tinkle. Some things are moving a little too much. And some other things are moving that shouldnt. Thank god the lights are always out.

Update!

I have played this clip 20 times and keep laughing uncontrollably. This could be for a few reasons:
1) I'm completely delusional
2) I'm already the worst mother in the world
3) Both 1 & 2

Let me explain. Yesterday we had our 31 week ultrasound to check on the little munchkin; I use the term "little" very loosely in its current context. Our baby currently weighs in at 4 lbs 9 oz. That seems incredibly large, considering we could have 8+ more weeks to go, and they normally double in size from now until birth. If my baby enters the world tipping the scale close to the 10lb mark, I can just imagine us now... we'll be like a mommy and baby sharpie, sitting on the couch waiting for daddy to come home and feed love us!

The baby was squished up against my side for the entire ultrasound, so this leads me to believe he/she will be a perfect snuggle bug. This is amazing - I will want a nice warm rolly-polly baby to cuddle up next to for the next few months... nothing makes me happier than the smell of a newborn baby, especially if they like to snuggle you and hold your hair or pinky finger all day. As funny as it is to think of having a super-size Gendreau enter our family... I'm so happy. I love chubby wubby babies more than anything in this world.

On top of already having chubby cheeks and triple chins, our baby also had a full head of hair. Therefore, I'm expecting the following to emerge in the next month or two. And honestly? I'll totally take it!!

Well, it'll either look like that, or like this this (and if Cole had his way, I'm really not sure which one would be his preference).

Honestly, I'm not sure what makes guys so "proud" of the fact that they are having a large child. "Look at my boy - 15 lbs!!! Can you believe it?? I can! I made that!" or "Look at my girl - 13 lbs! You bet I did that!" and all his buddies high five, chest bump, and congratulate him.
I'm sorry - last I checked, this baby is entering the world only one way - and its not via "daddy". So, if I happen to have an extra large baby, I'm 99% sure all my girlfriends will potentially look at me with a slight twinge of horror.

On a different note - the main reason we went in to get an ultrasound was not to watch our baby eat its own hand (which it did, by the way).... but it was to check up on the kidney situation. And guess what! Chubby babies = healthy babies! The kidneys are still a little large, but completely relative to the size of our munchkin. So, as of right now - any blockage or reflux has since been ruled out!! And now, mother and baby shall celebrate....

Bad Day Remedy

Nothing cures a bad day like a swift kicks to the ribs.

Let me explain...

Yesterday was one of those days where you sit at your desk, stare out the window, and wonder what the purpose is. I felt like I was being walked-over, disrespected, and left out (I know, pity party!). With each hour, the day just got worse and worse. By the time my day was over, I was just thrilled to run to the crowded grocery store to pick up ingredients to make my annual fudge I give out to my house-cleaner, puppy-sitter, and coworkers. 'Tis NOT the season in my corner of the woods on this manic Monday!

And then..... I got 3 swift kicks to the ribs.

"Excuse me!" I politely yelled at the tiny person taking up residence in my belly, and then I couldn't stop laughing. It seemed like a very important person was trying to remind me of a very important rule. Don't sweat the small stuff! And even though it doesn't always necessarily feel like small stuff... when you have a 2 pound person kicking and elbowing you in the ribs, it kind of all really is?

PS - I want to say that no animals were hurt in the making of this video, but after watching it a few times, I realized it was getting branded. So then I started to cry. But... it was the best video I could find. So I left it up. I'm sorry PEETA!!! 

Don't Kiss Your Honey...

One of the best cards I ever saw, and still remember, said the following:

Don't Kiss Your Honey
When Your Nose is Runny
You May Think It's Funny
But It Snot

Gets me every time!!!

I bring up this lovely poem because it coincides with my weekend. On Sunday, I went to watch a hockey game Cole was coaching, followed by the hockey team holiday dinner. The second I walked into the ice rink, I remembered why I hadn't been to a single game yet this season. My fingers and toes went numb and I could see my breath.... and I wasn't even IN the ice rink yet! I was standing by the window panes looking in. And that was as close to the ice as I was going to get for the next 2 hours. I pulled out my phone and attempted to send a few text messages out.... and I let my friends know that I am not cut out to be the hockey mom Cole really wants me to be. I couldn't feel my nose and I was pretty sure it was running down my face. Frozen snot is not quite the look I am striving for, for the next 18+ years. The mom haircut and mom jeans are pushing it as it is.

Look 1: Frozen Face Hockey Mom "Would you kids like some fresh orange slices and Gatorade?"

Look 2: I'm known to some as a MILF. 

So Cole and I made a pact on the way to the holiday team dinner. Between hockey & choir, our children will have plenty of winning choices. And hopefully they follow in their mothers footsteps. Or at least pick a sport where I can cheer them on from a warm and cozy spot in the stands. But if Cole wins out, and we have a hockey son or hockey daughter, then even though I technically "lose" I will actually still "win"... I will just pour some Baileys in my coffee before every game and pee my pants to keep warm. Kind of like this yo-yo...

Go Team Go!

Short & Sweet!

This entry is going to be short & sweet, because no news is good news! We went in for our followup ultrasound to check out the kidneys - and so far, they have remained the same (fluid is still being retained). However, the baby is growing (at a rapid pace, in my opinion!) but the kidneys haven't... so to me, this means no news is good news. We go back in next month. If the baby keeps growing and the kidneys stay the same... as long as things don't progress or get worse.... I am a very happy mom!! And I'm pretty sure that is the direction we are headed. Everyone needs a little Christmas miracle right?

Please mom, no more pictures!

Just let me sleep please. 

Perfect To Us

11.11.11 had been circled on my calendar for a long time. Cole & I rushed off to our 830 am appointment, so excited to see our little munchkin. On the way, we got a phone call from the fetal center asking if we could bump our appointment back to 11am, since an ultrasound tech had called in with a family emergency. We were already pulling into the parking lot, and way too eager to see images of our baby... so we passed and kept our early morning appointment. We didn't have to wait too long until we were whisked away into our room.

The ultrasound tech was not a very happy camper... apparently our baby is a mover and a groover, and decided to put on a show instead of posing for pictures. The tech would jam me to the right, and jam me to the left, trying to get the baby to unwind out of a ball, and to stop swirling around.

Laying in a ball, legs up in the air, fists by the little face. 

After a good 40 minutes, the ultra sound tech abruptly got up and said she'd return with a doctor. Left on a table covered in warm goo and rolled down pants, Cole and I got a little confused. We shrugged it off since this was our "big ultrasound meeting" and figured the doctor routinely visits and talks to parents-to-be, and then helps us find a good picture of the wiggle worms precious little face.

The doctor walked in, introduced herself, and said she was going to walk us through the anatomy of our baby and discuss something that came up on the ultrasound. It was at this point during our appointment that I knew our tiny munchkin wasn't going to get the "perfect" ultrasound that I had planned on. She got the baby in a position to view his/her bladder & kidneys. We were explained that in normal ultrasounds - the kidneys should come up as almost tiny slits, nothing too large on the ultrasound screen. The bladder should be the most visible organ. Here is our baby's bladder & kidneys (I think!! They really should label these photos for you after you leave, because I can't really tell what anything is besides arms & feet, and of course the face!)

So, the bladder and the kidneys are basically the same size. The reason the kidneys are enlarged is because the baby isn't able to really urinate. The medical term is HYDRONEPHROSIS - and it can be caused by reflux or a blockage. The doctor mainly ruled out reflux, and explained that the majority of the urine is being trapped in due to a blockage of some sort. The best way she explained it was to imagine the baby trying to urinate, and having a thin layer of tissue that causes majority of the urine to bounce back, which in turn puts stress on a kidney(s) (in our case, both kidneys). That is honestly the most information I can really say at this point. We have a meeting with our regular ob-gyn this week, and a Urologist at Phoenix Children's Hospital next week. I think I'll be able to understand more at that point. All I know right now is that I meet with a specialist, and go in for routine ultrasounds every 3 weeks to determine the kidneys and bladders progression. We were also told that this is a marker for down syndrome. I spent all weekend tossing and turning, crying and worrying, wondering what I could do to make this all better for my baby. Ultimately, we were told best-case and worst-case scenarios on Friday: this ranges from a baby being surgically delivered early and being monitored in ICU with surgery; to going full term and being able to delivery naturally- meanwhile being monitored and possibly surgery post-delivery. We have always wanted to keep the sex a surprise until birth- but there is a good possibility this will no longer be the case, since the urologist will need to talk to us about the diagnosis/surgery options... pending the babies little parts. So until I know more information, I'm just going to keep rubbing my belly and telling this tiny nugget that he/she really needs to work around that blockage and go pee! And more importantly, no matter what we have to go through, no matter when and how I have to deliver this baby, if I get to take them home or have to hold their hand in the hospital, it doesn't matter. This baby is still perfect, and perfect to us.

A really good, basic overview of what this tiny baby has... http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/obgyn/services/prenatalpediatrics/learning_center/hydronephrosis.pdf

Life Choices

I realized I'm a few weeks late in posting some entries! Last week I just forgot to publish one, so thank you pregnancy brain for that oopsie poopsie. I'm remembering to do one right now, mainly because I just got back from a doctors appointment. The heart is beating away.... about 147 today. I've gained about 3 1/2 pounds. That blows my mind, because I'm literally walking around in jeans that are unbuttoned & unzipped... even when I had hungover "puffy" days, I could always zip up my pants. I would have assumed I was more along the lines of the freshmen 15 status. And if I had had any doubts, today my doctor so politely asked me if I'd ever seen numbers like this on the scale. He then told me, "We're going to blow these numbers out of the water soon enough." I then began to hear my jeans silently rip past the zipper line, and spread to the inner thigh.

You know those days when you wake up and just feel extremely fortunate? That's how I've felt the last week or so. My life seems to be so... on track, even though I don't necessarily agree with the term "on track" because life always throws you curve balls, and whose track are you really following anyway? My mind bounces from here-to-there so often, I barely even leave a trail of dust in my path. (These days, there is a chance its more of a trail of crop dust.... pardon this lovely pregnancy side affect, SO sorry to those of you that are reading this and judging me. Just be glad you don't share an office with me). I've got to Skype with my younger sister and spend time with my family that lives in AZ; I flew to Denver to visit my best friend who gave birth just 2 months ago to her first baby; the director and our video team at work got nominated and WON an Emmy, and I'm headed to New Orleans this weekend to celebrate my 1 year anniversary. It feels like a lot of my choices in life are just.... working out?

Speaking of choices (I bet you were afraid I was going to say "Speaking of working out" but don't you worry, I would never do that to you).... I logged into Facebook today (and by logging in, I mean I clicked on one of my windows that has Facebook already open, 24/7 on my computer) and the following poll was located on my right-hand side nav:
"Sara, Which Do You Like Better?"
-Peter Piper Pizza
-JPs Doghouse

Has Facebook been STALKING ME? I don't use the "check-in" feature... most likely because I have a lame blackberry and not a "cool" iphone. I don't have a little Siri to talk to me. So how in the world does Facebook know that my two favorite foods (besides spaghetti, and all baked goods) are PIZZA (specifically PPP) and HOTDOGS! And I love JP's. So much in fact, I have a separate hot dog blog, and 3 of the posts are about JP himself!! I honestly couldn't choose between the two, so I quickly logged out so Facebook could stop looking into my hungry soul. Tonight I'm going to have a nightmare, full of pizza and hot dogs taunting me, screaming "pick me pick me"... totally cruel.  I will never ask my child to make such a decision as hard as the one Facebook proposed to me today. Whatever choices they make in life, I will try to fully support. Unless, of course, they choose to dislike Peter Piper Pizza, JPs Doghouse, Spaghetti, and baked goods. Then we have a whole other problem on our hands.