Riley Summit

Riley June 2007

Riley is preparing Sharon and I for Cooper's arrival.  She is a spunky puppy that is up and ready to go every morning between the hours of 4:30-6:30 a.m.  Today she let us sleep until 7 a.m., she must have had a tiring day yesterday.  She is very cute in the morning, she will walk on Sharon to wake her up.  She knows better than to attempt that with me, so instead she licks my fingers that are hanging off the bed.  The difference will be that we won't be able to say, "Cooper, lay down" when we want to keep sleeping!

On a similar sleeping note...I am about 37 weeks now and the tossing and turning during the night has reared it's head once again.  I have been able to sleep pretty well the past month with my pillow arrangement.  That's over.  I have the same pillow arrangement but the problem that I'm having is my hips are aching tremendously throughout the night.  It's the weight of Cooper that is bearing down on my hips and making it uncomfortable.  I switch sides all night from my right to my left in hopes of getting more sleep.  But by the time I'm awake, I'm in pain and it takes awhile to fall back to sleep.  I guess this is what is also preparing me for meeting this little guy.  The farther along you go in your pregnancy the more you want the baby out, it's all for preparation!!!

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Friends

Lindsay, Susan and Janet

 

Beti

 

 

Holly and Angie

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Meet Stacey, our Doula

Sharon, Stacey and I

 

 

Shamanda

 

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Cravings

I'm 35.5 weeks pregnant and still getting those cravings for different things.  I haven't been craving burgers like I was earlier (they are now giving me massive heartburn), basically most food food is giving me heartburn. 

No, my cravings now are for very unnutricious items such as fruit snacks and ice cream.  I went to Fred Meyer last night as a matter of fact and bought Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and Breyers low fat ice cream bars, the chocolate coating with vanilla -YUM.  I really was craving the Heathy Choice fudge bars, thank you Janet, but they didn't have any.  While I was there I bought two boxes of fruit snacks and some fruit leather and some blueberries.  I've been wanting fresh fruit like crazy and haven't made it to the store yet to get some, hence the blueberries. 

 

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Cooper's Birthday Bets!

We are taking due date bets.  So far here's what we have:

Laurie - June 30th, 8lbs. 13 oz, 7:55 a.m.

Connie - July 2nd

Cissy - July 6th at 4:00 a.m.

Angie - July 7th (7/7/07!!!)

Holly - July 8th, 11:59 p.m.

Amanda - July 9th, 6:00 a.m.

Jody - July 10th

Sharon - July 11th

Beti - July 13th, 6:00 a.m.

Sarah - Bastille Day (July 14th)

Grandma Nyberg - July 15th at 2:30 a.m.

Susan - July 15th

Janet - July 17th

Anna - July 19th

Grandma and Grandpa Houser - July 21st

Lindsay - July 22nd

Phyllis - July 23rd

Sonya - July 25th

Jason - August 30th (VERY FUNNY)!

Who else wants to place a bet?

 

Winner gets.....to be determined.

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We hired a Doula

After much consideration, Sharon and I hired a doula this week to be present at our birth. 

 

What is a doula?

 

A doula accompanies a woman in labor, mothers the mothers, takes care of her emotional needs throughout childbirth. A doula also provides support and suggestions for partners that can enhance their experiences of birth. A postpartum doula continues that valuable emotional support and guidance, helping a family make a smooth transition into new family dynamics.

 

What are some benefits of hiring a doula?

 

The presence of a Doula

• reduces the overall cesarean rate by 50%
• reduces the length of labor by 25%
• reduces the oxytocin use by 40%
• reduces the pain medication by 30%
• reduces the the need for forceps by 40%
• and reduces the requests for epidurals by 60%.

Doula support enhances the well-being of mothers and babies, leads to fewer medical interventions in the process of labor and delivery, and saves money for individuals and medical providers.

(Mothering the Mother-Marshall Klaus M.D., John Kennell, M.D. and Phyllis Klaus, M.Ed., C.S.W)

 

I already feel a weight lifted off my shoulders since we hired Stacey.  I think she will be great in the delivery room and will be helpful for both Sharon and myself.  She will help us with labor positioning and labor with us at home before we go to the hospital.  That will be nice because I've heard of so many first time mommas going to the hospital too soon. 

 

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Family

The gang

Sacred Celebration

Ang

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Dinner with Ruthie

Ruth and I had dinner at P.F. Chang's and caught up on each others lives.  I miss my Ruthenheimer!

Ruth

 

IMG_0884

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34 Weeks

34 Weeks _2

34 Weeks

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A post from Sharon of Shamanda

Okay,

At the risk of sounding too "preachy", I decided to share this with you.

I hung my flag on Memorial Day. I am amazed by how many homes were without the flag. Sure, I hate the war, Bush (the one in office  : )   ), pollution, the oil companies, dog haters (well all animal haters), mean people, radical fundamental crazy ass right wing radical cultists, homophobes, (BUT .....I get carried away)

Anyway, in spite of all those things I love my country. My father, brother (served), grandfather and great grandfather and many great great great (etc) grandfathers have fought in many of the wars our country has been involved in. (All the way back to the American Revolution) I fly the flag in honor of them, and in the hope that everything they fought for is not in vain. Sure we have a lot of backwards thinking going on, but we also have a lot forward thinkers and enlightened souls, and I have to trust that in the end....that will prevail.

 

In any case, I think we should take back all the words that some have somehow claimed as their own. I'm patriotic and I love this country. I love my family and friends. I live in a state where I can co-parent legally with my partner, but still cannot be married. So, I claim the words "family values" for myself, and trust I will live to see the rights of gay and lesbians being  realized to include the entire American experience. I know, that ultimately, my son will be in a country that is a little more tolerant and open than the days of his anticipated arrival, just like today we do experience more tolerance and acceptance than when I was born. (Okay, I hear the smart ass comments of how long ago that was!)

 

So, I hung my flag...in thanks to my the members of my family and others who served this country, and to let the world (my little world) know that I am every bit as American as the rest of them!

 

 

 

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Jello Mold

Well after a little neuroses late last week of not feeling Cooper, alas he has definetely made it noticeable that he is still in there and still very active.  I now refer to my belly as the jello mold because that is what it looks like when he moves around.  It's pretty funny.  I was getting a pedicure on Saturday and he was moving like a maniac, he continues to be most active when I lay down to sleep too. 

We had another ultrasound on Tuesday and it was pretty awesome to see him in there.  It was a very short ultrasound which was a bummer, I would have liked to watch him for an hour.  He is so much bigger (obviously) and he look so cute.  He was moving like crazy, he did not want to be looked at and when the doctor was checking his heartbeat he did not want that monitored either.  This time during the ultrasound I was able to tell Sharon that I felt him move when we saw him move on the monitor.  I don't really have the results of the ultrasound yet, we have a doctor appointment next Thursday and will know more then.

In other updating news, I am not supposed to be walking as a form of exercise right now because Cooper is pinching a nerve that is shooting pain down the front of my leg!  This morning it actually felt a lot better, I've been trying to reposition him a bit.  I can still do yoga and my water class but no serious walking.  This is the part of pregnancy no one tells you about, probably because everyone goes through it differently. 

We will get a recent photo on here this week so you can see how big Cooper is.

 

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Pain, Pain, and More Pain

Wow-third trimester is definetely the toughest on my body.  Lately I've been experiencing stabbing pain in my pelvic area.  I actually called the nurse last night to make sure it was "normal".  She thinks it is probably Cooper in some weird position in that area that is causing pressure.  It hurts when I get up from a standing or sitting position and then continues to hurt when I walk for awhile.  Also, with the amount of hormones raging through my body, they are making that area softer which only makes this added pressure worse.  And for Cooper's part he is merely gaining poundage now-he should be up to 4 pounds now.  She said that it may go away or I may be dealing with it until I have the baby.  She also recommended a specific type of belt to hold up my belly so the pressure doesn't drop into that region, or wearing a tighter pair of pants.  I'd opt for the belt as I already feel constricted in all my clothes.

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Darn Dog

Multimedia message

Here is what's left of my favorite shoes thanks to my sweet puppy Riley!  I left my shoes in the kitchen and when I returned home they were completely destroyed.  Did I mention these are my favorite shoes that I've had for two years.  I bought a new pair yesterday, had to get a different color because they didn't have the dark red ones anymore. 

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Third Trimester - Not So Fun

I have definetely hit the third trimester blahs.  I am EXHAUSTED, all the time.  Besides having absolutely no energy, I am getting more and more uncomfortable.  Cooper continues to rest on my bladder making it very painful to walk because I can feel the pressure.  Now, I've heard this only gets worse when they drop into the birth canal so yeah for me -can't wait until then!!!   I am feeling irritable and grouchy lately.  Last weekend was the worst when I realized I am limited in the things that I can do.  I hate feeling useless and that about sums up my current state of mind.

This too shall pass - hopefully I won't feel this way for the remaining nine weeks.

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Weekend 2 of Deck Project

Deck Crew

This weekend was the second phase of the deck building.  There was more augger hole drilling (12" round by 3' deep) and then cement pouring.  It was a long and laborious day, Saturday - the work crew did a fabulous job!  Left out of the picture is Dory and Angie who also helped.

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30 Weeks All Good!

I had my 30 weeks to the day appointment yesterday with a Nurse Practioner because my doctor was unavailable.  It was a nice change of pace - she was much more talkative and she felt where Cooper was positioned which was really cool.  He is still in the head down position - head resting on my bladder his back is on my right side with his butt up by my ribs and his extremities hanging on the left side.  I feel him moving all the time and let me say that the Kegel exercises come in handy now!!!  I use those exercises all the time because he puts so much pressure on my bladder.

What else...I'm supposed to be gaining one pound a week now so he can continue to grow - he's gaining fat cells so she said it's important to gain that amount.  My weight gain was 4 pounds in 4 weeks for this check-up so I'm doing fine there.  We scheduled our next ultrasound appointment in 3 weeks to check on the little guy.  She measured my belly and I'm 30 centimeters which is perfect, the centimeters should correlate to my gestation in weeks 30=30!! 

Last but not least - she listened to his heartbeat and it's strong 150 beats per minute!

 

 

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Another Milestone!

You can now see Cooper moving about without having to touch my belly.  He makes my whole belly jiggle with each push, kick, hit or whatever else he's doing in there.  It's pretty cool.  Sharon saw it yesterday - we haven't seen any specific body parts with the movement just a lot of movement.  This most often occurs when I'm sitting down or lying down, about to go to sleep.

Also today, I just experienced Cooper hiccuping.  I was sitting quietly waiting for someone and all of a sudden felt a rhythmic beat in my belly.  I wasn't sure what it was at first.  My mind scrambled while I felt the movements to figure out what it could be - I thought it could be his heartbeat but his little heart beats a heck of a lot faster than what I was experiencing.  My next thought was hiccups - I've been reading about hiccuping because I'm supposed to start counting his kicks at night and it said don't count hiccups.  I thought it was weird that you would feel hiccups and let me tell you, it is weird and also very cool!!

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We're Famous (for a day)

Todays Oregonian has a great article on the return of Dory's mountain bike.  Check out the story and here's our picture.  We were on the front page!!

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/117807271170520.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

 

C1

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More Baked Goods!

Cupcakes

AND

Banana Bread

AND

Cooper's Shoes

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Clothes and Cramps

I'm officially tired of my maternity clothes and I don't want to buy anymore.  I have few things to select from for work attire and it's frustrating me.  There are some really cute summer tops out there now but I have to wear shirts that cover most of my bicep due to the tattoo I have on my left arm.  For skirts, I have a tatoo on my right leg so I can't expose that. 

I think I'm going to hit a consingment store in Vancouver this weekend and see what they have that's reasonable.  I found a few things on sale at Gap.com I just don't want to spend the money.  I'll probably want to buy a pair of capris and a couple of summery tops too so I'm not dying of the heat in May or June. 

Last night I had the WORST leg cramp of this pregnancy.  I tend to stretch my legs in the middle of the night and I did this last night and my right leg cramped.  I could feel it coming on so I tried to adjust so it wouldn't become a full blown leg cramp.  Well, that didn't work.  It was so bad I had to get out of bed and stand on my leg to get rid of it.  I was almost crying it hurt so bad, definetely moaning.  I thought I read not to point your toes so when I stretched that leg my heel was flexed and I was still getting the cramp.  I tried to massage it but nothing worked until I put pressure on it by standing.  I kept saying, "they say to flex your heel, my heel is flexed and the cramp won't go away, it's getting worse."  It was really painful and my leg still hurts.

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