35 weeks 4 days

Time seems to be flying by and delivery is right around the corner! Yikes! I have finished up working and can finally start to really prepare for Anthony's arrival. We are still working on his nursery, his furniture should be arriving sometime in between Christmas and New Year's.

Auntie Katryna and Uncle Nathan threw us an amazing co-ed Baby Shower on Saturday, Dec. 11th. We were so happy to be able to celebrate our little man with many of our friends. We received lots of fun gifts that we can't wait to use once baby gets here.

 

The Host

Awesome Homemade Gifts from Aunt Brianne and Uncle Peter

Diaper Cake from Ashley and Kelly

JJ and I attended a Breastfeeding class, the last Baby class of the year, and we really learned a lot.Obviously we're really new to this whole process so we've really enjoyed taking these classes. I am hoping to exclusively breastfeed for the first four weeks, and then pump and be able to transition back and forth with the bottle once I go back to work. :( We are hoping to use the First Years Breastflow bottles which should minimize confusion for little Anthony. They are the only bottle out on the market that mimic the suction needed while breastfeeding, so we hope Anthony takes to them really well. Every baby is different, so it'll be just a trial and error type of thing.

We took our last mini-vacation before baby arrives to Miami this past weekend. JJ's cousin Michael was getting married, and JJ was able to switch his days off in order to be able to go. We drove our car down and stayed at the Baymont Inn in Doral, about 4 miles from the reception site. We were thrilled to be able to go to the Rehearsal dinner on Friday and visited with JJ's grandfather for several hours during the day on Saturday before the wedding. JJ's grandfather, who is Jerry John Sr, was really excited to talk about Anthony coming and dubbed him "Big Tony" from the very beginning. He is eager to meet him after he is born, and offered to babysit him and let him spend the night in his room. It was really sweet!

3 Generations of Marinelli men (inc "Big Tony")

The wedding got a late start (we left in the middle of the party at 1:30am) but was so much fun! The bride and groom looked amazing, of course. They had this "Loco Hour" where they handed out Mardi Gras beads, different kinds of noise makers and hats, and various props and they played awesome dance music, while everyone went "crazy." It was a really creative idea and everyone loved it.

Katryna, Uncle Fred (Father of the Groom), JJ

I was hoping to be able to make a trip up to Georgia before baby was born so I can see my Grandpa Johnson who has been in and out of the hospital, but the little road trip to Miami was a lot for my body to handle. My limbs swelled up pretty good and it took an entire day and a half in order to get it to go back to normal, so I can only imagine a trip that was two times the duration. Plus, sitting in a car took a toll on my back and my ache belly.

I had my 35 week checkup yesterday (we have now started to go once a week until delivery), I have gained another 2lbs, which totals 4lbs of weight gain this pregnancy, and Anthony's heartbeat was in the 140-150 range. The doctor said my cervix is really soft but I am not "really" dilated yet. Things can happen really quickly from here on out or dilation can take several weeks, every woman is different. I've had some pretty uncomfortable contractions in the past few days but nothing steady. The doctor said this is normal. I still haven't really had any cravings, maybe water? I am drinking a ton of water (at least 2L a day) and still feel like I'm dehydrated all the time. I can't get enough of it. My belly button has stayed an innie, but I swear any day now it will pop out.

Anthony continues to be a REALLY active little boy, even though he has pretty much run out of room to play. JJ and I play guess the body part and guess his position. Sometimes we just sit on the couch and watch my belly morph and move. It really is an incredible thing to see. All of his organs are nearly complete. His kidneys are fully developed and his liver is functional and capable of processing waste products. He weighs somewhere around 5.5lbs and should be near 20inches long. 

9 months *36 weeks*

8 Months or 32 Weeks

So much has happened in the past 3 weeks! JJ and I attended our first and second Child Birthing classes out at Winter Park Hospital. On Saturday, November 13th we went to an all day seminar learning all about the child birth process (natural, medicated and c-sections), some breathing and relaxation techniques and other general baby knowledge. On the 22nd of November we attended the Child Care class offered by the hospital. This was a much shorter class consisting of bathing, diapering and comforting techniques. I know it sounds so simple and a lot of people wonder why we decided to take these classes, but they are fun and JJ and I really have learned some helpful things so far. Since we are so new to all of this, we want to know everything going into it. We have two more classes in December, and we are really looking forward to those.

Working on preparing for babies arrival we went to Babies R Us with Anthony’s Mom-Mom (my Mom) and picked out his nursery furniture. We chose the crib and changing table from the Palisades collection in a Cherry Wood color. We will be using a dresser that his Mom-Mom had when she was growing up, and was then passed down to me in bedroom as a little girl too. We will have fun in the next few weeks painting and decorating it to match his fire nursery theme.

We cannot wait to set up his room, which we spent two whole days cleaning and organizing! For the time being he will share his nursery with our home office, but we really condensed it. There’s only the desk with the computer in there, leaving plenty of room for all of Anthony’s furniture. Shortly after he arrives we will be searching for a bigger house to live in. But we figure he’ll be such a little guy for a while, he won’t know the difference anyways.

I had my 31 week appointment on Tuesday, November 23rd. Although it wasn’t my best experience at the office, we were happy to hear Anthony’s heartbeat, as always. We were really rushed through the appointment from start to finish and left kind of upset and with our questions unanswered. The medical assistant who took my weight didn’t even bother to adjust the scale, making me heavier than I actually was at the appointment. However, according to her assessment, I have gained 2lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. (Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be unhappy if that was the case, it’s just the principal.) 

We also briefly discussed my working options. It appears as though December 15th will be my last day on the job before going out for Maternity Leave. It’s getting far too difficult to be on 24 hour shifts, running all sorts of crazy calls at all hours of the day and night, and I feel bad having to rely so heavily on my partner and the fire department for assistant. The lifting requirements for my job are 150lbs at any given time. Just the stretcher with our equipment makes up that weight, so throw a patient into the mix and the number sky rockets. Luckily, I’ve had a great partner for the second half of this pregnancy and other colleagues who have really helped me out, but I feel like they shouldn’t have to do extra work because I’m just not able to do it anymore. Also, my limbs are swelling so bad after a shift that I’m stuck resting the whole next day. Not to mention, the lack of sleep is really starting to get to my brain. Overall, the stress and physical requirements just aren’t worth the risk to Anthony or me. He could come really early if I continue any longer than that, and we want him to bake as long as possible. It puts me out at 35 weeks, which is around the norm for my field.

The other night JJ (and Jenny) put the stroller together and we tested the car seat in both our vehicles. We were a little concerned the seat wouldn’t fit in my Ion being that it was a larger model carrier, but to our surprise it fits just fine. I test drove it around for a few days. :)

We celebrated Thanksgiving surrounded by lots of family. JJ worked until 2:30pm, so I went and watched the Macy’s parade with Mom and Pierson, and then went to my Dad’s house for lunch, and then back to Mom’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. JJ’s family joined us this year, which was a nice treat. The food was amazing, and Anthony really seemed to enjoy the desserts, especially his Mom-Mom’s White Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake.

How Mom is doing: Anthony is still a really active little guy! He moves around constantly and kicks/punches all day and night. I’m surprised he still has room to flip around in there, but he manages just fine. I’m convinced I have a few bruised ribs already. The heartburn has really been well managed with the Zantac, thank goodness. I can really tell when I miss a dose. Still no odd ball cravings. Sleep is still a major ordeal, and I suspect it won’t be getting any better anytime soon. I’m pretty uncomfortable these days, lots of back and hip pains. And it’s awfully hard to get up from a sitting or laying down position. I’ve also been having a ton of Braxton Hick’s contractions each day. Luckily they aren’t painful, just a little uncomfortable squeezing of my abdominal muscles.

29 Weeks

So I had my 7 month check up this past week, and also took the 1 hour glucose test at the same appointment. Anthony's heartbeat was very strong, and the doctor said my is belly growing right on track. We were concerned about my weight gain, or lack thereof, and the doctor said he was comfortable with my numbers. I am still down 1lb pre-pregnancy. He did say that I may start to gain some weight in the next 12 weeks as this is when the baby does the most growing. We shall see what the next few weeks bring. Sadly, we were told we wouldn't have any more ultrasounds unless there were any questions or concerns. We could have a 3d/4d ultrasound, but it's not covered by insurance and costs $100. It's supposed to give the parents a pretty good indication of what the baby will look like at birth, but we chose to forgo it and put the money towards newborn pictures when Anthony is about 2 weeks old.  But, I thought I'd get to see him at least one more time before he was born. :(

Baby Bump 28w4d

I was informed a few days after my appointment that I didn't pass my 1hr glucose test. I got a 142, passing for regular patients is 140, but with my history of Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (something that can cause insulin resistance all by itself) and my families extensive history of diabetes, they'd prefer to see it below 130. So I went back in for the 3hr glucose test. I was instructed to fast for 12 hours prior to the test. I showed up, they drew my blood, I drank the 10oz of disgusting lemon-lime sugar water, and then had my blood drawn once every hour for three hours. My poor arm looked like a pin cushion when all was said and done. They sent the blood off to the lab over the weekend, and called today with the awesome results. No gestational diabetes for me, thank goodness. What a relief!

JJ and I have started to move things around and organize our apartment for Anthony coming home. I made room next to my bed for the Pack N' Play with the bassinet and changing table combo we're hoping to get and use in the first few months. We will start organizing our spare bedroom to make room for Anthony's nursery next. We have a TON of work to do in there, as we use it as a storage room/office right now and there is only so much room in this tiny apartment. Looks like it might be time to have a garage sale and get rid of some of the junk we have but never use. 

He's still moving around a ton. The doctor told me at our appointment that I can take 3 Zantac a day for the heartburn and see if that helps any, and it has been a Godsend! My heartburn, which has plagued me since the very beginning, is virtually gone. I don't want to jinx it, but it's amazing what a relief it has been. Sleeping has become a bit of an ordeal, I can only sleep on my left side, as I can't seem to breathe when on my right side and my back is a big no no (cuts off oxygen supply to the baby). The bed is getting smaller and smaller with the pillows I'm using. JJ says it's time for a King size bed, and sometime down the line, he may be right.

We've also started crate training our dog Jenny in preparation for Anthony's arrival. We haven't left her in it unsupervised (that didn't go well in the past) but she goes in it at bed time to create some boundaries. I figured we could use it when people come over to visit, or when the baby is laying on the floor for Tummy Time, or just when we need a break. She seems to like it now, as she will randomly go in there when we are watching TV in our bedroom. She laid in there all day today when I was cleaning, watching me, probably wondering what I was doing since she hasn't really seen me clean in the past 5 months, haha. :)

Jenny snuggling in her cage

 

7 months or 28 weeks

I am officially 7 months pregnant today- whoa! It's hard to believe in a few short months Anthony will be here and we will be parents. Wow, when did I become a grown-up? This coming week we have our 28 week check-up and the one hour glucose tolerance test that tests for gestational diabetes. We also will go over and pre-register at the hospital after this appointment. I think while we are there will look into birthing classes, too. It's not a requirement but I think it will ease the anxiety for me a little bit. 

Speaking of hospitals, we chose to deliver at Winter Park Memorial Hospital in the Dr P Phillips Baby Place. http://www.winterparkhospital.com/en/services/the-dr-p-phillips-baby-place  

We really enjoyed the hospital tour and are looking forward to a Christian focused, personalized birthing experience. JJ and I both will get a massage after baby arrives and a smoothie every day at 3 o'clock for a snack. There are 10 Birthing Suites and 30 Labor and Delivery rooms for after baby arrives. We really like the group of doctors that will deliver Anthony, we've seen every doctor in the group so far at our monthly appointments, and the L&D nursing staff seems to be great too. That in itself, relieves some of the nervousness of the unknown.

JJ and I made our first big purchase as parents this week. We bought the Travel System - car seat and stroller set. After months of research on the internet, JJ and I decided on the Safety First Aerolite LX. The car seat will hold an infant up to 30 lbs, has the Air Protect technology and was the #1 crash test rated car seat in 2010 for the low-middle price range. It came in a brown and blue color, pretty gender neutral for the future.One of our close friends who just had a baby also has this Travel System and they love it so far. We spent a good half an hour with it in Babies R Us to make sure everything was pretty easy to maneuver, and compared it to different models. The online reviews were great for the product too.

 

The bedding for little Anthony's nursery has arrived and is even more adorable than the pictures! There is a lot more to do to prepare for baby's arrival, but I feel like we are on the right track forward. Poor JJ has worn himself out working 2-3 extra shifts a week at Wyndham. We've finished prepaying the doctors for the birth, and are now attempting to take care of some other bills before he comes. What a tremendous help the extra income has been, especially since I can't really work any overtime these days. My 24hr shifts are getting more and more difficult. Our busy season has just begun and we are running nonstop all shift, when we aren't sitting on bed delays at the hospitals. I'm hoping to be able to make it until Christmas at work, but we will see. My doctors are not thrilled about the hours, stress and physical requirements. 

Baby development wise, Anthony is working on his immune system and his lungs. He practices breathing the amniotic fluid, and sometimes gets the hiccups from it. He probably weighs about 2-2.5 lbs, and his brain is rapidly developing. He already has all the brain cells he will need throughout his life, but he still has yet to form the connections using the neurons in his brain. He can open and close his eyes and suck his thumb. I also read that should he be born now, he would have more than an 80% chance of survival. That's not to say there wouldn't be complications, but it is a relief to know that should something happen he would more than likely be okay. Many people tell me not to think about these things, but having a nephew born at 26 weeks and working in the field that I do, I am always thinking ahead of the game. 

For me, the heart burn continues, and my appetite has decreased even more. How that is even possible, I'll never know. I usually eat like 4 bites of something and feel like I've just sat down for a whole Thanksgiving meal. How fitting considering Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Maybe I can regain my appetite to take part in my most favorite holiday meal, but I think it's pretty unlikely. Anthony is moving around like crazy, sometimes kicking/punching so hard it takes my breath away. I'm loving that I can poke him when he moves around and he responds with a kick/punch back.

Life As We Know It

"Life as we know it" - JJ and I just saw that movie in theaters, and for those who haven't seen it, it's a pretty cool one. Without giving away the whole story line, I was faced with the realization that with Little Anthony on the way, JJ and I should probably fill out a will and designate the people who should care for him should anything awful ever happen to both of us. And watching that movie, I was also faced with the fact that life is so incredibly precious. I can't imagine not being able to see him grow up, or not having JJ by my side to complete the intended team in raising him.  I know I can't get wrapped up in what might or could happen one day, but it sure is a scary thought.

Not only that, but I'm overwhelmed looking ahead into the future. God is trusting me to be a Mom to this little boy, and I really have no clue how to perform this job. It is such a great responsibility. I feel like it's the biggest and most rewarding thing I will ever have to do. This past Sunday the church sermon was on parenting, and what an amazing sermon it was. I can't wait for our small group this Thursday to talk about it with other young adults. I foresee a lot of prayers, a lot of tears, and a lot of mistakes throughout this journey. 

Speaking of Little Anthony, he is one active little boy the past few days. I have watched my stomach morph into some pretty contorted shapes, and have seen what could be a foot or hand wave across my belly button, which is still an innie, thank goodness. I joke and say its the Shamu show, and it's really starting to look that way from the outside. I can not only feel his movements, I can actually see them outside of my clothing. It's amazing and kind of creepy all at the same time. I read in my pregnancy book that women are supposed to count the kicks daily to make sure baby is healthy, and they say that like 6 in an hour is ideal, and I really think Anthony far surpasses that 6 mark. I can tell his movements are more fluid now, and they definitely are a lot stronger than previous weeks. Sometimes, I feel like I'm literally bruised from the inside out, and I know it's only going to get "worse" as time goes on and he gets bigger. Maybe he'll be a soccer player, or something else as equally athletic. The book also says he weighs about 2lbs now. Wow! I am realizing I have to sleep only on my left side or I get this awful sensation that I can't breathe and my arms go numb. Must be another fun pregnancy symptom. I can't even flip from my left to right side anymore as I get this awful headache and become short of breath. I haven't been able to sleep on my back in quite some time. I do have a wedge pillow that I fear might be time to start using. It will allow me to sleep on my back but at a significant incline to take pressure off my diaphragm and allow me to literally breathe easier. The problem is, with all the other pillows I seem to require these days, I don't know how there will be room in the bed for JJ. :-) I am already taking up more than my share of our queen size bed, and unfortunately our couch isn't all that comfortable to be sleeping on long term. Maybe it's time to take over the recliner and learn to sleep in that over night. It seems like everything has become quite the ordeal.

October 20, 2010

Today I got the Flu Shot, the preservative free (no mercury) dead vaccine. It didn't hurt at first, but it sure is sore now! Since Anthony won't be able to get the shot until he is at least 6 months old, I was told the antibodies I develop for the flu from the vaccine will pass on to him when he is born. Since he will be born in the middle of peak flu season in Florida, I'm hoping this will help prevent him from getting sick until he can get the vaccine.


In much more exciting news, tonight, JJ and I went and started our Baby Registry at Babies R Us. Talk about an exhausting and overwhelming experience! There is so much stuff we will need for baby and so many different options. We spent about an hour and a half in the store, and still have to do our research on various items before deciding on them. JJ had a good time with the scan gun- I imagine we will need to go in and tweek a few items, as the scanner sometimes scanned a different item than what we had actually wanted. For those who are interested our Registry is # 46106201, and you can look it up either by my name or JJ's name. We are also registered at Target as there were items available at one location that the other store did not have.

I'm convinced that every morning I wake up my belly is growing bigger and bigger! I've also started to swell up a little bit in my ankles, lower legs and my hands. When I got a pedicure yesterday the nail tech noticed it before I did. I'm told it's normal for this stage in the pregnancy, but it's def not something I'm enjoying. I'm watching my salt intake and drinking lots of water as it is, and they say this is the best way to combat it. I have an App on my iPhone that tracks how much water I drink a day, and one of the settings is whether or not I'm pregnant. It's pretty cool- it tells me how much I should be drinking each day. Right now it says 113oz per day. 

Baby News

JJ and I are super excited to be expecting our first child, Anthony James. After being told a year and a half ago that it would be extremely difficult for me to have children due to Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), I was amazed and blessed by this incredible news! 

May 20, 2010 I woke up early and took a pregnancy test just because I hadn't been feeling well. I was nauseous, had unbelievable heart burn, and a few more of the classic pregnancy symptoms. I didn't even mention anything to JJ, until the double red lines showed up about 15 seconds later. He was asleep in bed and I yelled for him to hurry up and come here. Groggily he came out to the guest bathroom and I told him to look. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it, even after I told him all the symptoms I had been experiencing over the past few weeks. We called the doctor right away and made an appointment for the next day. Of course, Dr. Farwick confirmed for us both that I was in fact pregnant! I was so excited, thrilled, nervous, scared, and so much more! I think JJ was in shock. :) 

I instantly began brainstorming about how we would tell our families. I Google'd how others had done it, and decided we would buy bibs and cards for our immediate family to tell them. I couldn't wait to share our wonderful news with everyone. We went to my Mom's first. JJ handed my mom a bag and said it had been sitting on the entry way table when we walked in. She opened it to find a bib the said "I love Grandma." She didn't get it until she started to read the card. She cried. She was so excited for us. We left there and went straight to my Dads house and gave him his "I love Grandpa" bib- he was completely shocked. Speechless almost. We then called Aunt Katryna and asked to meet her at work for lunch, but she had already eaten, so we made plans to come to her house later that night for dessert with both her and JJ's Mom. We called JJ's Dad and met up with him when he got off work around 2pm. We gave his his "I love Grandpa" bib and card and he was thrilled! Later that evening, we brought a Publix cake over to Katryna and Nathan's house, along with their personalized bibs. JJ's Mom was completely shocked, and didn't say a whole lot. Katryna was really happy. She said she knew this news was coming after we called and wanted to have lunch with her at work, as we've never done that before. She even asked JJ on the phone if that's what was going on, but he denied it. Man, talk about an exhausting day!  We sure made our rounds. Aunt Brianne had already known, I had to call someone when I got the positive test results on day one! JJ and I decided she could keep the secret until things were confirmed. We made an appointment with an OB/Gyn in Winter Park, and got to see our baby in an ultrasound for the first time at 7weeks 4days! The heart rate was 169! We made another appointment to come back a month later. 

The first trimester was pretty uneventful, full of morning sickness (that lasted all day long) but I was thankful that I never threw up. The doctors never gave me a target weight gain, but I'd like to keep it as minimal as possible. I had strong aversions to poultry and vegetables, both usually staples in my everyday diet. I lived off everything bagels and cream cheese, and ginger ale and juices. I lost about 8lbs overall, and have just now started gaining it back.  

The second trimester has brought on a whole new world of fun pregnancy symptoms. Heart burn, back aches, headaches, insomnia coupled with complete exhaustion (makes perfect sense, right?), and learning how to maneuver with a growing belly. But, along with all the not so fun stuff, came being able to feel him move around inside. I felt the first flutters around 14 weeks, and have really enjoyed the movements ever since. It wasn't until about 18 weeks that JJ was able to feel and see the movements in my belly. 

We had our gender scan on September 2, 2010 at my 19 week appointment. Since my 25th birthday was just two days later, JJ and I decided he would find out what we were having, and then purchase our baby's first outfit based on the sex and give it to me as a birthday present. He loved this idea, and did an incredible job of keeping it a secret for two whole days! He went shopping with Aunt Katryna and they picked out some adorable little boy outfits. I woke up early before JJ left for work on the 4th and opened the box! What a special way to find out we would be having a BOY!!! Less than 4 hours later, JJ and I had decided on a name via a series text messages. We had spent the first 20 weeks talking through names but we were never able to agree on anything. We did know for a boy we wanted to be able to have several nicknames to pick from. The middle name would either be John (after Daddy's) or James (after my Pop-Pop who passed away a few years back). Daddy really wanted to honor his Italian heritage and decided that he loved the name Anthony, and since he chose the first name, I would choose the middle name. Alas, we came up with Anthony James Marinelli aka AJ, Tony, TJ, etc... 

We are currently 26 weeks 3 days along. I'm still down 3lbs from my prepregnancy weight, but expect that will be changing any day now. At our doctors appointment last week Anthony's heart rate was anywhere from 130-150, and very strong. We have settled on a nursery theme:  Fire Trucks. We can't wait to start decorating the nursery!

I still have pretty strong aversions to vegetables and poultry, and am drinking nearly 2 gallons of milk per week. The heart burn sure hasn't let up any. Anthony's favorite position seems to involve snuggling some where in my rib cage and kicking like crazy. I swear there is a circus going on in my belly most days. He is a really active little boy already, and loves to stay awake all night.