Week 26: Happy Vale-Matchiversary Day!

Hey Humble Readers...

How are things in your neck of the woods?  Hereabouts, things have been mellow.  We had a fairly busy weekend, with my Dad visiting on Saturday, and then heading down south to my MIL's on Sunday after church.  Oh, and we had a very important meeting at church this weekend... our congregation voted to extend a call to a new pastor!  Yay!  We've been without a regular pastor for more than two years.  If he accepts, then he'll be in place by the summer. 

Have you had a nice Valentine's Day?  Do you do anything special with your loved ones, or is it just another day?  My special V-day dinner turned out amazingly well... I think it was the best meal I've ever cooked.  But you'll get to hear and see all that tomorrow.

V-day is an important day for my Beloved and I.  Six years ago today we were matched on eHar.mony.  It was actually the day I signed up for their service.  He had been a member for a few months already.  We had a bit of a bumpy start to our match... for technical reasons, my account was delayed in being 100% activated, and when my Beloved tried to initiate contact I wasn't able to respond yet.  It took a couple of weeks to get things sorted out, so in that time he gave up on me and closed the match. 

Once I was finally able to send him a message, it was a pathetic little "can we give this another shot" type of message.  We started on their guided conversation path, but before long he closed our match again, because he had decided to start dating another match.  I have to tell you, I was pretty bummed.  I tried to move on to other matches, but I kept thinking about him.  A couple of weeks later I noticed on my eHar.mony home page that our match had been reopened.  I debated long and hard about it, but I tentatively sent him a message.  We met face to face in June of that year, and in October my Beloved proposed on a pizza.  And the rest, as they say, is history. 

But enough of the mushy remembrances.  On to the update!

How far along? 26w0d (only 12 weeks left!)

Maternity clothes? Yup.

Body Oddities? VERY dry skin, alternating constipation and IBS flares, acne, bruises from insulin injections, back ache, cracking joints, super sore & slightly leaky boobs, dry/itchy eyes, leg cramps, round ligament pain, tingly fingertips, very tired, NEW THIS WEEK: very gassy (a possible side effect of my new heartburn meds?) and Braxton-Hicks have started.

Sleep? Super tired again this week.  But my sleep hasn't been as good as it was.  Nightmares and a lot of tossing and turning have disrupted things lately.

Intense Dreams?  I had a horrible nightmare the other day that I haven't been able to shake.  In the dream, I had an inkling that something wasn't right, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  I called Dr. B and he refused (and I mean refused!) to see me until the following day.  I went to the hospital (alone), and when the nurse checked me out, the baby's heartrate was 24 bpm.  She told me that the baby was dying and there was nothing they could do.  I have a very vivid image of me staring at my belly, praying that the baby would move.  The rest of the dream was about delivering my now still born son (yes, in this dream the Halfling was a boy).  I woke up in tears.  I got up and chugged a water bottle full of ice water, just in hopes that it would wake up the baby, and get him/her moving.  And I was wishing with all my heart that I had a doppler.

Best moment this week? When I finally felt the Halfling move after that dream.  It was about 5:30 in the morning and I just sat on the couch and bawled my eyes out in relief.

Worst moment? Once again, shopping on Saturday was physically taxing.  I got home with a very sore back.

Movement? Not as frequent as it had been, but a much more consistent pattern now.  First thing in the morning, about 10 minutes after I eat, and in the evening while the Braxton-Hicks kick in, so does the Halfling. 

Food cravings/aversions? Ham & Swiss sandwiches from Tim Hortons.  Mmmmm... I want one right now!

Rings? Still on, but getting snug.

Gender? Still leaning toward a girl, altho that nightmare had me thinking boy for a little while.  Please take a moment and answer my poll question (in the column to the right), and let me know what you think!

Medical Concerns? Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day), High blood pressure (on 50mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 60mg of Pan.taloc daily), kidney stones (they're back!), low lying placenta.

What I miss? my sex drive, being able to get down on the floor to play with Ginny easily

What I look forward to? my next ultrasound (March 7), not having to inject myself 5 times a day

Emtional State?  Mostly good, but that dream really stressed me out

Week 26: The Incredible Shrinking Belly Button

Good evening Humble Readers...

I hope that you're all doing well.  Sadly, your friendly neighbourhood hobbit is on the injured list.  I don't know what or how I did it, but I have seriously buggered my neck.  My chiropractor practically flipped out this morning when he saw me.  I believe his exact words were 'what the hell did you do to yourself?!'.  Honestly, I was just sitting on the couch this morning, putting on my socks, and when I stood up I had amazing pain shooting up my neck and across my shoulders.  It's a bit better now (not by much), but a crappy day at work didn't help any either. 

How far along? 26w0d

Maternity clothes? Oh heck ya... and I lurve my new maternity jeans!  So comfy!

Body Oddities?  My belly button is slowly disappearing, which is pretty astounding.  You all know that I am a plus sized lady, and with all the belly fat that I'm hauling around, I have always had a really deep belly button.  It's now less than half what it used to be.  I never actually expected this.

Sleep?  Meh... not great, not terrible.  I'm getting by.  I'm still feeling pretty tired most days, but who knows what's contributing to that... the baby?  ... the diabetes?  ... lack of sleep? 

Best moment this week?  When my Beloved felt the Halfling move for the first time.  We were lying in bed, and he had just started to doze off.  The Halfling started rolling around, and I woke my Beloved up and grabbed his hand.  The look on his face was priceless!

Worst moment?  Anytime I have to test my blood sugar.  Or rather, seeing those numbers come up on the meter's screen. 

Movement?  I think the Halfling is doing the hokey pokey in there.

Food cravings?  Anything sweet.  I actually walked really slowly down the baking aisle in my grocery store so I could smell the sugary goodness.

Rings?  Off more than they are on.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I think it's a boy

Intense Dreams?  Oh, humble readers... I had a dream that our store was infested with birds!  Thousands of little blue and cream coloured birds, and two seagulls.  Now, you may or may not recall that I am mortally afraid of birds, so you can imagine how well this dream went over.  *shudder*

Medical Concerns? High blood pressure (on 50mg Trandate/Lobetalol, 3 times a day... bp holding steady at 130-ish over 70-ish), Gestational Diabetes (the thorn in my side), on prescription Zan.tac for heartburn.

What I miss?  Chocolate, ice cream, sushi

What I look forward to?  Bookng my prenatal classes, mat leave, my week off in September

Emotional State? This week has been challenging.  I've spent a lot of time beating myself up about the GD, but I'm starting to accept that this is my life now, and I will deal with it.