Three's a Family

The adventure called pregnancy is now the adventure known as parenthood!

It Started as a Typical Sunday...

Tony and I planned to go to Home Depot, Hannaford and hopefully Dunk's on Sunday, Dec. 6 when I began to feel crampy. I took a break and laid down in bed when Tony said something funny and I felt a leak. I joked that I either peed my pants or my water just broke when I hopped to the bathroom. Fluid continued to slowly leak so Tony went online to seek the advice of Dr. Spock. The late Dr. Spock advised to wear a pad and lay down for 30 minutes. When 30 minutes were up, I checked the pad and sure enough it followed the doc's description. Tony called our doctor's office and the nurse had us come to the Kenmore office by Fenway at 1pm. At this point, he was timing my contractions (which were really just mild cramping) to about 5 minutes apart. They lasted 45 seconds - 1 minute.

Tony dropped me off at the front door so I didn't have to walk from the garage. Apparently he came tearing into the lobby and the two women at the front desk knew he was with me. He had that "my wife's water just broke" look about him! We met with a midwife we had never met before. She was honestly a little strange. She wanted to do an internal exam, which I had successfully avoided until now. I asked if there was another way she could test to see if my water had indeed broken. We were fairly sure it had but were still waiting for that gush of fluid. She took a swab (much less invasive) and went to the lab to test the cells. In the five or so minutes she was gone, my water broke - 4 times - all over the floor. Tony sat by the exam table completely mortified. We laughed. I joked with him to go get a janitor with a mop! The midwife returned to a complete mess on the floor and said that the cells were indeed amniotic fluid (the puddles on the floor confirmed) and that we were going to have a baby! Since this was our first time, she said I would likely be in labor for a very long time. If it was a week day, she would have told us to go straight to the hospital because of traffic. But because it was a Sunday, she said we could go home for a bit and head to the hospital when the contractions intensified. This would happen soon now that my water had officially broken (this was around 1:30pm). So we went home; Tony laid out a bright blue tarp on the couch (see above); and we watched the Patriots game. My Mom, brother and sister-in-law met us at the house. My Mom left work early and packed an overnight bag. She stayed at the house with us and rubbed my back and neck as the contractions worsened. I found it very uncomfortable to stay seated; I had to get up and lean against the wall. Around 4:30pm, we decided it was time to head to the hospital. It was a strange decision. Since it was our first time, I really had no idea how much it was supposed to hurt. And we really didn't want to spend endless hours in labor at the hospital.

Tony drove like a mild maniac to the hospital. He skillfully cut people off and avoided most potholes. My Mom sat behind me and rubbed my shoulders. I yelled now at almost every contraction. I must've been quite the sight at any stop lights. I wonder if other drivers saw me! Tony later confessed that he had to ignore me most of the way so that he could concentrate on getting us there quickly and safely. I think we checked into the hospital around 5:30pm. There seemed to be a lapse of time before a midwife came to the delivery room. At this point, it was just about 7pm. She checked me (finally an internal exam) and I was 8cm! Almost there! I had gone through the majority of the labor at home. What a champ! The delivery was definitely intense at this point so I opted for an epidural. The epidural was intense and painful but after that was sheer bliss. Well I wouldn't exactly say bliss but Tony said I was a completely different person. For the hour and a half prior, my eyes were closed and I was doing some serious deep breathing. Now my eyes were open and I was much more pleasant, he said. I also couldn't feel a thing! I experienced one of the possible side effects of the epidural and had pretty intense shivering. My entire body was shaking. It wasn't uncomfortable but I didn't like how I couldn't make it stop. I didn't have any control over it.

Our midwife was great throughout the entire process. We opted for a midwife rather than a physician for the personal attention. A physician would likely be in and out while a midwife generally means more time with the soon-to-be-Mom. She was very encouraging as a labor coach. She commented on my flexibility and fitness level. Exercising throughout pregnancy definitely helped ease my labor experience and will also aid my recovery, she said. Once the epidural kicked in and I was "ready" to push (too graphic for blogging), the hard work lasted only 30 minutes. I heard Tony yell that he could see her head and that she had dark hair. At that point I was so excited to meet her that the uncomfortable feeling (it really didn't hurt with the medicine) went away. They put the baby (Baby Musante did not yet have a name) directly to my chest before she was cleaned and Tony cut the umbilical cord. At that point, the midwife delivered the placenta (gross I know) and did two internal stiches due to my natural tearing. It was all over by 10pm. We couldn't believe it. We were parents.

Special Delivery

A little late in the posting but the good news is out that Foo Foo just couldn't wait to her family and decided to come 11 days early! Her official name: Jillian 'Jill' Claire Musante. She was born at 9:24pm on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. She weighed 6lbs, 4oz and was 18in long. More info on the labor, delivery and life thereafter to come! Click here for pics

It Just Keeps on Growing

37.5 weeks


Rachael checking out the growing belly at my Mom's house

Zzzzzzzzzz (please)

Must be part of the gig. Up about 45 minutes ago - and I mean wide awake, mind racing up - and couldn't get back to sleep. Baby was kicking, punching and dancing; stomach was rumbling; head was pounding and my mind was running a million miles a second. Foo Foo has me in training for sleepless nights ahead ... and I think the "nesting" instinct is finally taking hold. I need to get this place ready, completely ready! The To Do list seems daunting and meanwhile I keep adding to it. I mean, I don't really need to get my hair trimmed and hang up pictures (we're talking normal house decorations from April 2008 still not hung) before the baby comes. And is there really room and time for a Christmas tree this year? Where to put everything and where to find the time? Can I go buy a tree at 4:05am? Why wasn't I up this early yesterday? I could've taken advantage of Black Friday shopping! Hopefully my electronic bitch session will help me fall back asleep....

Full Term Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am grateful for our wonderful friends and family and also the full term bun (now loaf) in the oven. She is now the size of a watermelon! New belly pic to come...

Random Thoughts on Pregnancy

Things I’ll Miss
- Hearing the baby’s heartbeat at every doctor’s appointment
- Feeling her move, even when she’s violent
- Caring co-workers and polite strangers
- Going through all of these firsts with Tony like testing strollers, reading safety reports on car seats and putting the crib together
- How insanely excited my family and friends are for her arrival

Things I Definitely Won’t Miss
- Not being able to hide that a snack attack just hit. The evidence is there, resting on my belly!
- Tony’s jokes about renting the crane from the aquarium to help me roll over in bed
- My limited maternity wardrobe
- Cankles
- Labor and delivery: it’s a given

What I’ve Learned (So Far…)
- Cardio throughout pregnancy is healthy; lifting weights can do bad things to your behind.
- You have to slow down in late pregnancy and rest up for the big event!
- The belly gives any stranger Mom the clearance to strike up a conversation, whether you’re on the elliptical with your headphones on or not.
- Life is unfair that you’re gaining weight but should wear flats. Heels are our secret to appearing slimmer!

Roller Coaster Ride

The Adventure Called Pregnancy may have been better named as the Roller Coaster AKA Pregnancy. After feeling really awful Sunday night-Wednesday (and calling in pregnant on Tuesday), I felt great Thursday and Friday. So strange... I went to the gym Thursday morning and did a very light workout on the elliptical and stretched then felt like a million bucks for the next two days. I'm sticking with the workout plan. It may or may not be the reason but I'll do whatever can possibly help!

Typically Friday nights are reserved for hanging out on the couch and going to bed early. This was true even before I was pregnant. Well last night I think we were up past 11:30 (sad this is an oddity) and I wasn't that beat. Mark and Ali came to visit and brought pizza from the North End (yummmmmmm) and a great gift for Foo: the car seat adaptor for the stroller! It was the first thing we were going to buy on our own. Thanks, guys!

'Twinkie Toes'

Congrats! You're 9mo pregnant and you're the winner of .... SWOLLEN ankles and toes! This used to be a prize awarded just at the end of the week and now it's given every day. How sweet! :)

T Minus One Month

I felt like hell Sunday night after the shower. Kept getting a sharp pain in my right pelvic area. I actually called my Mom on the drive home and cried. What a baby! It went away after about 15 minutes. She thought maybe it was from the higher incline elliptical use at her gym on Saturday then sitting for a long time while opening gifts on Sunday. Whatever it was, it was uncomfortable. I was crampy Sunday night and into Monday. The cramping continued Monday night when Tony told me it was probably Braxton-Hicks contractions. I guess I was expecting sharper pains for BH contractions but all I kept (and am still) experiencing is a dull period-like cramping. Tony was right though; the midwife said it was definitely BH contractions and not labor contractions. She said I won't be able to talk or walk with the real thing. Deep breathing will be the extent of my capabilities.

Yesterday, November 17, marked one month until Foo Foo's due date. I called in pregnant to work - not sick but pregnant - and slept in until close to 9. I talked to Tony later in the morning and he said, "Do you know what today is?" It's one month until December 17! During my relaxing day spent mostly on the couch with my Twinkie toes elevated, I went through some hospital paperwork and preregistered for my short term disability/maternity leave. Cramping got worse later in the afternoon and I texted Tony while he was in class. WOAH do I need to come home, he asked. It wasn't that bad. I did call the doctor's office though to make sure but not until after I showered and shaved my legs! What if she told me to come in right away and I had hairy legs! haha

The cramping feeling continued today. We had a doc's appointment at 3:15. Mary, our midwife, asked more questions about the cramping and felt my belly for the baby's location. She said the baby had dropped even more and was "engaged" and could come in 2-4 weeks! That was very exciting and scary to hear at the same time. I also don't want to get too wound up in case she arrives late, like most of my first-time Mom friends. Our next appointment wasn't scheduled until December 1 though and Mary sent the doctor an email during our appointment for her to hopefully fit us in next Monday. That made us think she thinks Foo Foo is in a hurry to make an appearance. Today's appointment also included a Group B Strep test and recording our birthing plan (stuff like breastfeeding rather than bottle feeding, Tony cutting the cord, yes (most likely) to the epidural, etc.). Things are coming fast!

Family Baby Shower

my Dad's Christening gown

Gram Furze made a beautiful sweater!

the auntie crew

cute outfit from Jess V.

Foo Foo was spoiled yet again on Sunday at her family shower. My brother's (still) new wife, Jess, threw an amazing party with delicious food, adorable decorations and even fun games (Aunt Deb and Gram Furze were closest to guessing the size of my belly!). We received many thoughtful gifts including my Dad's Christening gown from the early 50s and a handmade sweater from Gram Furze. We got lots practical gifts from our registry too, including the Pack n Play (thank you, Scott and Jess!), extra car seat base, monitor and First Aid kit. Foo Foo is going to be very fashionable; she has the most adorable clothes already! It was a great afternoon visiting with the ladies. Everyone seems very excited to meet the newest addition of the Musante/Canning family! Click here for More Shower Pics

A Joey?

Oh Tony ... so I'm struggling to boost myself back into bed the other night and I say something about how it would be so nice if our bed was lower. Mind you Tony has been listening to my pathetic bedtime antics for a few weeks now. Instead of saying that's something he could work on, like an experienced Dad co-worker told me he should have said, he made a comment about how easy it would be to lower the bed 8-10 inches. Ummm, ok, why wasn't this done weeks ago?! haha oh man...

Good thing kangaroos are so cute, especially momma and joey, because Tony called me a kangaroo Friday morning when he dropped me off at work. Thanks, hunny! :)

I started dipping into Tony's tshirt stash for gym wear. My shirts are getting too short, not to mention tight. So this week I wore Tony's Corona tshirt from my our trip to Playa del Carmen to the gym. Is a pregnant lady in a beer tshirt too much? It says, "See I used to be fun!"

Foo Foo has maintained her active almost-lifestyle. This week we think she put her knees together and twisted a bit when we watched my belly distort. It was wild!

My Mom and I have been hanging out all day today. I can tell she's really excited about the baby's arrival. The family shower is tomorrow at noon at Scott and Jess's house. It will be nice to see everyone again. The fam hasn't been together since Scott and Jess's wedding in late May. I wanted to tell everyone I was pregnant then but I was only 11wks along and didn't want to take any attention away from the big event! My Mom told me a nice story about when her and my Dad knew Tony was the right guy for me. She said it was during his military leave my senior year and I was making him spaghetti in the morning. A strange meal for most but pasta anytime of day works for Tony. She said my Dad felt the same way.

Five Weeks To Go

Nearly 35wks down; 5 to go. Last night was the first time I felt uncomfortable and thought maybe I'm done with being pregnant. I love feeling the baby move but watching and listening to me attempt to roll over or get out of bed must truly be a sight! My stomach constantly feels like I've done 3,000 sit-ups. Last night I could feel Foo Foo rolling her butt around in the center of my stomach and kicking and punching the front and back of my right side (all at the same time!). It was intense. I woke up twice to go to the bathroom and she was wide awake and ready to play both times.

I've made a conscious effort to not worry about weight gain during the pregnancy. I weigh in backward and just ask the doc and midwife how I'm doing. I figure they will tell me if I need to adjust. I've been eating healthy (for the most part) and going to the gym about 4 times a week. So I was surprised this morning when I accidentally saw how much I had gained. I finally signed up for My Health Online or whatever the program is called so that I could see past test results and not mess up any future appointment dates/times. My weight was right there! I couldn't miss it. There should have been a warning. Or maybe a click here if you want to see how much you've gained in the last 4 months. SHOCKING! Oh well, it's all in the name of Foo Foo's health!

Gisele, Kendra, Kourtney and ... Meg?

Is it really fair to be pregnant at the same time as Gisele, Kendra and Kourtney? I fit right in ... haha not really!

We reached 34wks this Thursday, which seems so much closer than 33wks for some reason. This week included Foo Foo's first intense "alien belly show" as Tony called it and the first "you're still here?!" at work. Come on, I'm not that big yet!

Friday afternoon we had a check-up with Mary the midwife. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and heard it quicken when she kicked. Mary said her head was lower too. We told her about the breastfeeding class we went to on Wednesday and she asked to see my nipples. First of many awkward moments in front of Tony I'm sure. But the good news is that she said they're perfect for nursing. I got the H1N1 shot finally and set up the rest of my appointments (one in 2 weeks then weekly) up through one week after my due date.

OK, off to organize the baby's room. It's a mess in there! The first floor of the house is super clean though. Tony surprised me and did a turbo cleaning after work this week. It was really sweet!

Protective Big Sis

Every once in awhile on a weekend morning, we let Rachael up into our bed. The last two times she has nestled into my belly instead of putting her head up by ours on a pillow (yes, she really does do that). This is one of the ways she has been noticeably more attentive toward me during the pregnancy. It's really cute!

Week 33: It's Almost November!!

Missed the hospital tour this morning (bad parents already!). We were pushing it timewise so Tony suggested to reschedule, which ended up being a good idea. We picked up the stroller from the Dawe's house (picture above) and did the big Market Basket grocery trip (we save SO much money there!). I think Tony was actually disappointed that the stroller was so easy to put together. He was hoping for a challenge. He also assembled the baby seat, tub and car seat. Her room is filling up quickly! We took some belly pics while we were at the Dawe's. Such a beautiful yard and view, it was hard not to! Foo Foo put on a show for my Mom Friday night. She was nonstop and my Mom looked like an excited kid at a candy store while she felt her move. She kept saying, "She's wild!" and laughing (and jumping up and down a little bit too). She's predicting an early arrival. Her guess: Dec. 7.

Counting Sheep and Jelly Beans

This week hasn’t seen any big events but instead many small ones. Today marks 33 weeks (Foo Foo is now the size of a honeydew melon). And as my friend, Courtney said, “You could go anytime now, sister!” I hope it doesn’t happen too too early but I wouldn’t mind 1-2 weeks early. Most of my new mom friends were on time to about a week late. Foo Foo’s name could be Mary after all (jk as that violates Tony’s anti-alliteration laws).

Sugar cravings haven’t subsided this week except for Tuesday when I was able to stay away from all chocolate in the office. I’ve been visiting Michelle’s desk too and trying to pick out the margarita-flavored jelly beans. Hey, a girl can use all the help she can get!

Sleeping has actually been more comfortable this week as I gave into the extra pillow suggestions and stuffed it under my belly and along my left side. I’m having a hard time getting up in the morning and I’ve been going to bed even earlier than before. We’re talking in the 8:30pm time frame. If the Red Sox were in the World Series I would stay up but I’m not going to torture myself for crap TV.

Another thing I’ve learned is to not hold your pee. When you have to go, don’t wait. If you do, it can feel like you’re going to die. Not really, but it feels like a ton of pressure slamming down on your bladder. Not comfortable at all. Kegel exercises are meant to be done separately.

The more distinguished movements continue this week as the books say she weighs in at more than 4lbs. Last night while we were driving home I left a distinct arm (or leg) move across my entire belly. It was wild! I’m supposed to say “Foo Foo!” when that happens instead of gasping or saying something else so that Tony doesn’t think we’re about to get in a car accident. But yesterday I couldn’t help it. I definitely gasped out loud! The day continued to get more interesting as the hormonal tides shifted as Tony says and I cried my way through the evening news. War homecomings are happy and sad at the same time. Fallen soldier stories are the worst. This particular story had the grandfather - also a veteran - tear up and say that he swore he would never again cry over another fallen soldier. I lost it! Tony laughed at me. I was laughing too but through the tears.

I followed my Mom’s advice to help relax: take a bath. I always remember her taking baths. Apparently she took them when she was pregnant too, just with a carton of ice cream complete with whipped cream and nuts. Anyway, I told Tony I was going to take a bath (which I haven’t done yet in this house and honestly can't remember the last time I did) and he started laughing. He said I was going to look like an island with my belly popping out of the water. Nice, Tony. Real nice!

COMING UP:
Saturday - Brigham Tour
Wednesday - Breastfeeding Class
next Friday - 34wk Check-Up at the docs (hopefully this will include the H1N1 shot as I haven’t been able to get one yet)

Images from the Nursery

Foo Foo is going to love her mobile from Ali

hahah D Day saved in Tony's phone

Reaction to the mobile music

The crib is now set up & ready to go!

adorable blanket from Carah

Edema and Junk Food Attack

I might just change the name of my blog to "The Bloated Blogger." That's what Tony called me this morning when he was helping me get situated in the chase lounge with my feet propped up on 4, yes 4, pillows. This has been dubbed "The Edema Attack." The extreme swollen ankles and feet started on Wednesday or Thursday. It became super obvious on Friday morning at the gym. I finished a set on the quad machine and looked down to clearly see the indentation across the lower front part of my legs. GROSS! Onto the butt exercise with the band around my ankle. Again, the pressure left an obvious indentation. I was thinking of ways to put my feet up at work while I stretched... I took my rubber flip flops off after showering and it tooked like I still had them on! My poor feet and disappearing ankles! I told Tony about my edema attack when I got to work. I don't think he really believed me until Friday night when I took my sneakers and socks off. There was a very obvious and deep outline of where my socks ended. He was totally grossed out! Meanwhile, my Mom propped my feet up on the couch and Aunt Marjorie rubbed them! They were both excited to see how much my belly had grown in just the last week. Marj was talking to the baby and calling her Princess.

Friday was not a good food day. It was a tasty day but with little nutritional value seeing as the menu included chocolate cake for breakfast (leftover from Courtney's going away party), two mini and most delicious vanilla cupcakes from Party Favors that Al brought in and one more cupcake (I felt bad for Kristen and had to take it off her hands!) in the afternoon.

We went to bed early Friday night and got up around 4:30 on Saturday to bring Marj to the airport. From Logan we drove directly to Tony's parents' house in Burlington, VT. Foo Foo was active almost the whole way. At one point on Rt. 89 she rolled her bum to the side and kicked her leg out and didn't want to bring it back in (a little uncomfortable but she must have had to stretch). Saturday we spent the day relaxing and eating (what else are you supposed to do in the rain?). Honestly, all I did was lay in the chase lounge with my feet propped up, read magazines, watch football and eat. Kim had picked up ice cream at the grocery store so I was sure to indulge in some of that too. Chuck decided to make apple crisp later that night and I enjoyed some of that too. Hey, why not?! Kim was sitting nearby most of the afternoon so I called her over whenever Foo Foo seemed active enough for her to feel. Not many defined kicks but a lot of rolling around. She likes to shake her bum! She was moving so much that I tried to capture it on camera.

The crib is coming home with us tonight. Can't wait to see it all set up. Doesn't seem long now!

Stocking Up on .... Kitty Litter?

Now that we’re down to single digit weeks, it’s time for me to stop having a potty mouth. So this week we decided to work on our road rage. It was early Thursday morning on the Expressway when Tony said I need to sound more nurturing instead of yelling at bad drivers. “You must’ve forgotten your blinker, you silly goose!” was what we should say, he said. It was really funny. We’ve been saying “silly goose” since.

Lunchtime topic with the girls that day was centered on babies and pregnancy. Jocelyn is now 12 weeks pregnant but feels more bloated than pregnant. I definitely felt the same way. It’s not like you can tell anyone and everyone you’re expecting and not just hitting the buffet for every meal. And of course nobody’s going to ask. We talked about the pros and cons of staying home, going back to work and working part-time. Honestly, staying home sounds fantastic but just isn’t an option with Tony’s school and our current situation. Maybe someday! Also Thursday, we made reservations for a hospital tour later this month.

Friday morning we slept in like it was the weekend because I had a 10am doctor’s appointment. Tony woke up to a funny – but disturbing – dream of me going into labor early. He was mad that we couldn’t find any doctors or nurses and had to deliver the baby by ourselves. She came out a baby but quickly morphed into an orange and white tabby kitten! What the… We’d need to stock up on kitty litter instead of diapers and baby wipes!

This part of the morning might be more entertaining in say 6 months or so, but I’m going to tell it anyways. We were getting ready for the doc’s and I tossed Tony’s boxers and jeans on the rug in front of the sink and sat on the toilet quickly to pee. It was a pregnant emergency. I must’ve been thrown off by his clothes because I did not notice that the seat was down! What a mess! It was like an April Fool’s joke gone bad. Tony heard me laughing hysterically and came running to see what had happened. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard but wasn’t crying by any means. It all depends on the pregnant “hormonal tides” as Tony calls them. Crying or laughing, you can’t predict.

Tony decided to come to the doctor’s with me so I wouldn’t have to take the T and catch the swine flu, he said. He also had a chance to hear the heartbeat again and ask questions. We learned that our doctor’s office is the first place to call when I go into labor, not the hospital. Sometimes – especially with first-time Moms – they’ll ask the parents to come to the office to be evaluated first. That was good to find out. I have a feeling I’ll be one of those early labor freakout Moms. My midwife also told me the results of my glucose test. I knew the numbers were fine because I would’ve heard something if they weren’t. She said I was the furthest thing from being diabetic. I also asked about the linea negra (the line down the center of your belly), which Tony swore he saw today on the lower part of my belly. He said it was very faint but definitely there. I had read it was a dark line so I told him he was definitely wrong. And he was completely right! Oh well, I have a faint linea negra below my disappearing belly button. We also asked our midwife about which body parts were where, since she’s been so active lately. Her head was facing down (she showed me and I felt it!) but won’t drop until 2-3 weeks before delivery. Her back was toward us with her bum up and her limbs were facing (and kicking/punching) my insides. So apparently the rolling at the top of my belly has been Foo Foo shaking her bum at us!

That night I wish I had a video camera and a flashlight handy because Foo Foo was the most active she’s ever been. I think she was rolling her entire body around. I could feel my belly changing shapes and I’m sure I could have seen it if I turned the light on!

Saturday morning we invited Rachael into bed and she settled in next to my belly! She has never done that before. She usually plops her head by ours and stakes out a pillow. Maybe I’m reading too much into this – or it was just a nice warm place for her head – but either way, it was adorable! That afternoon we headed out to my Mom’s to drop off the day bed and bring back most of the baby clothes. We stopped at the furniture store on the way home and picked up the dresser/changing table. Tony set up the table and diaper Genie (pictured above); the crib will be next weekend’s trip to the in-laws in VT. The room is looking good!

To the Left, to the Left

Tuesday morning I woke up to Foo Foo kicking and moving around in the upper left side of my belly, a brand new activity hot spot. She was grovin' all the way to work too. I could even feel her through my wool jacket!

Maybe it was the combination of her craziness and my uterus expanding that convinced me to go straight to work at 6:30 this morning instead of the gym. I knew I was too sore for a full workout so I postponed and went for a shorter elliptical/stretching session during lunch. I actually felt pregnant today and it slowed me down a bit, for the best I'm sure.

I'm now a fan of tying my shoes standing up with a foot up on a chair, stool, etc. It makes it easier and I don't have to hold my breath like I do when sitting down. Are velcro shoes coming back anytime soon?!

My belly has definitely been getting in the way lately. I forget it's there (and getting bigger every day) and today I bumped it into the copier. Ouch! I felt my belly, remembered I was almost 8 months pregnant, then noticed that I was losing my belly button. Also this week, I've gotten my belly SOAKED while leaning against the sink and doing dishes and I've woken up with pins and needles in my hand from falling asleep on my arm (with my belly!).

Tuesday afternoon Foo Foo and I went with Tony for his finger surgery. While waiting, I walked around the Brookline shops and discovered Isis Maternity. What a cool store! I could have spent a ton of money there. I restrained myself and bought one book (pictured above) for Daddy from Foo Foo. It's adorable!

Lights On!

Foo Foo enjoyed her first (semi) family mini-vacation to Block Island yesterday. She was active on the boat on the way over and slept during most of the afternoon while we were biking around the island, illegally. Scott mentioned I was pregnant at the bike shop and the employee said pregnant women were not allowed on mopeds or bikes. It was on written in marker on the sign right next to Scott. Onto the next shop where I hung out behind Tony then slid across the front desk area and signed the liability form. It's not like I'm trying snowboarding for the second time ever or skydiving. It's riding a bike! We explored the island a bit and checked out the historic lighthouse and petting zoo. Deb (Scott's mother-in-law) and I opted to shop and get ice cream while the rest of the crew went on to another island hot spot. I bought a t-shirt for Foo Foo, the first gift I've allowed myself to purchase. I was worried if I started too early, I would spend entirely too much before knowing what she'll actually need after the shower(s). Anyways, it's adorable and I'll post a pic above of her shirt compared in size to Daddy's. Also above, a picture of me on the beach in my "future Red Sox fan" shirt - still a little large - a fun shower gift from Becky. Unfortunately, it didn't bring the Red Sox much luck on Sunday. There's always next season!

Sunday night we tried shining a light on my tummy to get a reaction out of Foo Foo. She moved but it could've been just coincidence. The second time we tried it worked for sure! She was kicking every 5-10 seconds when the light was shining on her. We could also feel a distinctive round part of her body on my upper right side, her head or shoulder perhaps? It was wild! Tony said he thought he would feel little kicks here and there throughout the pregnancy. He didn't realize (nor did I!) there would be different types or intensities. Nobody told us about that! :)

Sausages

The "Swollen Feet" email from WhattoExpect.com remains unopened in my hotmail inbox. I didn't have time to read it yet and since it hadn't happened yet, I wasn't worried about it. Well, time to revisit the inbox. Yesterday - granted I went shopping for 4 hours and was on my feet quite a bit - I took my socks off around 9:30pm to reveal sausages. Not my feet and ankles by any means but swollen sausages. Lovely!

Rules, Regulations and Stipulations

I'll genuinely feel bad for our daughter if Tony has as many rules about dating as he does about what to name her. He's shot down almost every name in the book(s) and thinks of ridiculous rhymes for each one or how she could be made fun of on the school playground. That's why at the beginning of the naming process we just started calling her Foo Foo, an all purpose word made up by my Mom for something you don't know what to call. Foo Foo Female, her full name, became a joke after my Mom told us a story about a Spanish-and-not-English-speaking immigrant family that gave birth at her hospital. Yet unnamed, their daughter took home the name the kind nurses had given her on her chart. Female, with an accent over the "e" of course. Can you stand it? Poor kid! Anyway, that's the story of this blog's title...

Back to Tony's long list of rules. Names can't rhyme with anything; can't be someone he's known and didn't like; can't be unisex like Jamie or Casey; can't be a month like April or June; can't be one syllable (only the nickname can be); can't end in an "ey" sound (too much with the last name); can't start with "M" for fear of alliteration (guess that means he doesn't like my name!)and the initials can't spell out a word or mean anything when you google it.

Of course we have a few names in mind but we decided at the beginning that we'd like to see her first and then make a decision. So that's the plan. I considered revising so I could ask Gram Furze to knit her a Christmas stocking, but that can wait until next year!

I would love to report on my 30week check-up. It was yesterday at 10am and I thought it was at 3pm so needless to say, there is no report. I rescheduled for next Friday so we'll see how Foo Foo is doing at 31weeks. She's very, very active so I'm sure she is doing just great!! My Mom felt her rolling around last night and Auntie Jess (Ventura) felt her kick twice today!

Nice Shoes

Oh the joys of being obviously pregnant and not just a pudgeball. Now I get to listen to the compliments! There are the kind words about your pregnancy but then there are the “I love your shoes” or “you have such gorgeous hair.” Or, they could be sympathy comments in disguise. “You’re pregnant. You’re about to be huge. And I feel bad for you.” Haha jk. I do wonder though. A man at work this week pointed to my belly and asked if I was 6mo pregnant. I took that as a compliment since I’m a month and a ½ past that. And last night I went to an after work function and someone told me I was having a boy. I’m carrying everything in the front. What an awkward thing to say to a pregnant person when you think about it. And what are you going to say to me in say 4 more weeks when that isn’t the case?

Now that we’ve reached 30wks (today!), I’ve been noticing a lot of intense movement. Most of the “gymnastics” is on my right side (some further to the right than before) and in the upper middle area of my belly. Foo Foo is apparently a potassium junkie because she loves bananas! Does flips and summersaults anytime I eat one! Until this week, she has kept the most obvious activity to the morning and night. I know I’m more likely to feel her moving when I slow down and actually lay down at the end of the day. I definitely wasn’t relaxed today at work but could feel her moving bouncing around toward the end of the day. It could be the fact that she’s pushing the 3lb. mark now.

An added bonus to your expanding belly that you wouldn’t normally think about is how your underwear fits after your belly has grown to a certain size. It starts to roll your undies downward, making it feel like your bum is hanging out (which it likely is). A nice thought to add to the many other changes. I’ve also noticed my dwindling level of flexibility. I still do plenty of stretching at the gym and before bed but when it comes to unnecessary acts of bending over, I’m all set. This week I left a paper towel on the floor in the ladies room that I dropped (usually I’m the one picking those up, even ones dropped by others) because I just didn’t feel like bending over.

Rachael's been following me around the house even more so lately. Wednesday morning she sniffed my belly and that night she tried to get up onto the bed in the middle of the night. She's been waking Tony at least once a night for the last week or more. Maybe she thinks I'm sick and I'm not going to be around for awhile.

The emotional instability continues this week. It's more controlled but still lingering. I'm not a crazy bitch or anything, just can't stop the tears once they start. Tony sent me a funny email about it this morning:

"So The Office is having an hour long episode where Jim and Pam are supposedly getting married. You are only allowed to watch it if you haven’t cried over something silly today. Otherwise, you might totally lose it during the show. Haha"

I got a good laugh at that. Tony has definitely sensed my emotional nuttiness lately and he came home early from school today to pick up the house and make dinner. What a guy!

Spilt Milk and a Painted Nursery

Our neighbors have commented that we’re never home on the weekends. We’re not. We’re nomads. We go somewhere every weekend. Well not this weekend. We stayed home the entire two days. And Foo Foo was awake and making her presence known the whole time! Her movements are much more pronounced than a slight kick or punch now (evident by watching my belly when she wakes up!).

My emotions are a little out of whack now too. Friday night, Tony accidentally spilt my milk in my lap and I started crying. OK, I bawled. Like it was the worst thing in the world. But I laughed too. I’m just crazy because I’m pregnant. But Tony had to calm me down and remind me that gasping for air in between fits was not good for the baby. I’ve also become clumsier (yes, hard to believe from the girl who spilt her milk every single night growing up). Saturday afternoon I spilt water all over the floor. I had soaked the pans from our egg/French toast breakfast, saw they were too full with soapy water and still attempted a balance act to the sink. I also chipped a large dinner plate while putting away the dishes Saturday night. We’ve had these dishes since we got married 7 years ago and nothing has happened to them. That’s because this is our first child.

Saturday afternoon we were planning our attack on Home Depot to start the nursery when Tony decided he was going to look through some of the books we got at our “friend” shower. He was looking at their size to figure out shelving but ended up opening them up and adding in funny phrases to some of the rhythms and short stories. He was really hysterical! So we went to Home Depot and picked out a sage color for the room, which Tony kept calling Peter the Rabbit’s carrot or something like that. The real name is Christopher Robin’s Swing. We also bought a bunch of child proof outlets, which cost about 500% more than the regular, cheesy ones we’ve used in the past. So after Tony does all the prep work and opens up the can of paint, he calls me up to the bedroom to look at the color. It’s much lighter and mint-colored than the swatch. They obviously mixed us the wrong color. Back to Home Depot. First-time homeowners/parents/renters, take notice: paints with a “medium base” dry darker than they appear in the can. The HD associate dried the sample for Tony and the color changed before his eyes. We were the dummies. hahah

Since we had bought eggs for a real Saturday morning breakfast, I had the ingredients I needed to bake Tony a cake. We started joking around about future Christmases and what we will tell our daughter to leave out for Santa Claus. Tony wants to tell her that Santa likes cake a few days old so that the chocolate frosting is a little crusty. No cookies and milk at the Musante household. It will be old yellow cake with chocolate frosting and beer. No, just kidding; we’ll stick with milk until she’s older! But while frosting his cake, I decided it would be a good idea to also frost a piece of toast for myself. Like chocolate frosting filled with sugar was close enough to Nutella so it would be fine. Sounds gross, but it was pretty delicious. Too sweet though, I threw half out.

One thing that was nice about staying home this weekend was sleeping in. We didn’t sleep late but we didn’t rush out of bed either. It was relaxing. Whenever Tony was still asleep, I just laid there and hung out with Foo Foo. She was always up. Tony said he heard me tell her to go back to bed in the middle of the night! Sunday morning, Tony tried to listen to her heartbeat but got punched in the ear instead.

Tony’s been painting the nursery for most of the day. It’s a small room but has three windows, a closet and a door so it’s not the easiest to prep and paint. It looks really really good though. We’re both happy with the color. I was sitting on the couch writing Thank You notes from the shower and Tony brought the camera down to show me he had written Foo-Foo on the wall. It was too funny. I went upstairs to see it and he painted two of our favorite names on the wall to compare: Jill and Carmella. He forgot the R in Carmella then spelt it with one L (totally acceptable too but I really like it with two Ls). We like both names equally and definitely won’t decide until she’s born. She could be named something completely different too. We’ll see!

This weekend I realized that I need to slow down. At 29wks, I can’t run around non-stop anymore. My stomach is sore due to stretching and the baby is very active. I would much rather be sitting or laying down when she decides to practice her river dancing. As Tony said, I’m learning a new speed in life: slowing down.

Time for Nursery

We hit week 29 today and apparently Foo Foo is the size of a squash. Since I'm not much of a cook, I couldn't tell you what type of squash that is, but it's big! My belly has grown a lot, even in the last two weeks. Now that I'm pushing 30 weeks, I'm starting to finally feel that "nesting" urge I read about. The spare room hasn't been touched yet but will (allegedly) be painted a sage color this weekend so that it can begin the transformation into a nursery. The day bed will be transferred to my Mom's loft and I'm not sure what's going to happen to the desk in there right now but there definitely won't be room for it once the baby arrives. My Mom and I were talking about the baby's room the other night and she told me a story about my grandmother's friend (or maybe it was my Gram's friend's Mom) who kept her newborn in a shoebox in an old fashioned oven for the first few weeks. Don't worry; we have a crib. Just need to pick it up from Tony's parents' house. We also have a beautiful piece of canvas art (top center) from my friend's Mom, Mrs. Dawe, that literally takes up an entire wall and will look perfect with the new wall color. I can't wait to put up shelving too for all the wonderful books we received at the friend shower. Exciting times!

A Change in the Movements

The babes is now rockin 'n rollin above my belly button on the left side. This is new as of yesterday. She's a lot of fun!

Hormonal French Toast

Cravings. I've read they're real but I haven't experienced them, yet anyways. Commercials and smells can entice me but they did before I was pregnant. Now I just have an excuse. One morning early on I went up to the cafeteria to get oatmeal and came back to my desk with French Toast. Jose the chef was making FT and it smelt SO good that I had to have it too. Other treats have included chocolate chip muffins cut in half with butter warmed up on the stove and single servings of Eddy's mint chocolate chip ice cream or Strawberries 'n Cream Kemp's frozen yogurt (both are only $1 and I can't overeat with the single serving!). Foo Foo seems to also really enjoy bananas. She wakes up to play every time I eat one!

The babes has been so playful and active lately that Tony has been saying she’s a Furze. That’s my Mom’s maiden name. He says that because my Mom is nonstop. She’s always on the go and isn’t very good at relaxing. That’s Foo Foo I guess too, at least for the time being. Maybe she’s planning to sleep in December when she’s born. That would be nice. Last Thursday night I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and she decided it was playtime, for about 45min. I just laid there and felt her bopping around, at 3 o’clock in the morning. Tony said she has us in training.

We woke up to a relaxing rain Sunday morning and I actually got up before Foo Foo. I went downstairs to make breakfast and emailed Tony to come down and join me (knowing he’d look at his phone). It reminded me of the (modern day) notes my Mom and Dad used to write. They worked different shifts and didn’t see each other often so they would leave cute (and sometimes not-so-cute or nice!) notes in the kitchen or dining room. My Dad always wrote “Love ya” for my Mom. I hope that we do a good job showing our daughter (who just kicked!) the love I and I know Tony felt growing up and also the love I know my parents felt for each other.

Sunday afternoon we visited my Gram Furze. She actually thought my Uncle Stephen was visiting in his new red car. Nope, that was just me at the front door in my red fleece. Thanks, Gram. I guess my belly is getting bigger! Haha … While we were winding down to fall asleep Sunday night, we actually saw her moving around in there. It was a first and it was wild! Something else that’s different? the shape of my belly button, or lack of. It’s a slit being pushed outward. Poor, deformed belly button…

Now it may have been a lack of sleep or long day at work but Monday night (tonight), I had a hormonal incident. A crying fit without a real reason if you will. Tony and Rachael were playing in the kitchen and Tony tried to get Rach to hop up on his knee but she decided to latch onto my back instead. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that badly but it startled me, and her nails definitely need a trimming. Anyways, I stood there and cried and laughed, laughed and cried, for a good 5 minutes. Tony hugged me and laughed too although he looked worried like he couldn’t tell if I was really hurt or not. Nope, I’m pretty sure it’s just the pregnancy hormones making me a little CRAZY!

The Adventure Known as Pregnancy

Nausea, swollen ankles, a dark line (“linea negra”) down your belly, stretch marks and the list continues. Why would any woman ever want to have a baby? Besides the obvious reward of raising a child, I’m finding that most women experience some – but not all – of these symptoms. And thankfully, they happen at different points in the pregnancy.

First symptom: cramping. For me this happened in the 4-6wks time frame. It felt like my period was coming but more intense. So I put off getting a pregnancy test. That lasted only a few more days. I bought a test; Tony bought a 12pack of Bud Light.

Second: tiredness. Right around week 9 as soon as Tony picked me up from work, I crashed. Slept most of the way home (rush hour on the Expressway = 45min-more than 1hr). The tiredness went away in the beginning of the second trimester when the placenta took over as the nourishment source for the then embryo-turned-fetus.

Third: heart burn. It’s only happened a few times but man is it painful! I don’t know how people live with that every day. It’s only happened 2 or 3 times and I already bought a big bottle of TUMS for my cube at work.

Fourth: sweating. Thank God the summer is ending because I have been a sweaty mess. This hormonal gift (insert sarcasm here) has required an extra set of underwear for gym visits in between cardio and lifting. Gross… My growing belly forced a towel change today too from my usual bath towel to a beach towel. Oh man…

Fifth: headaches. There’s only been a few but they usually occur during the most inconvenient times. My doctor said drink more water and snack more often. I'm on it! Apparently no matter how much water pregnant women drink, it's never enough! So I'm on a mission to drink A TON of water. Where's Meg? She is in the bathroom from drinking 4 gallons of water!!

Sixth: pregnancy brain, aka: momnesia. Hey, studies back it up!

And finally: sensitive gums. Hormonal changes and increased blood flow throughout the body can cause swelling and sensitivity. I told a newly pregnant friend today to book her cleaning in the first or second trimester, not third (though I'm sure it's different for everyone). There was so much blood coming out of my mouth on Tuesday, it looked like I lost a fight with Laila Ali.

Now after listing all of these not-so-fun things that can happen during pregnancy, I will definitely say that I've had a pretty easy pregnancy. No morning sickness, come on now! How lucky was that? I've also enjoyed feeling Foo Foo's movements (which have definitely increased this week - she's a wild one!). Now I just have to get Tony on board with the growing belly. He jokes around about it so maybe he'll come around sooner rather than later. After all, it's going to grow A LOT more at 28wks. I chased him around the kitchen after dinner tonight with my belly. I'm sure it was quite the sight. We were both in tears from laughing so hard!

'Denise' and The Canal

haha so every morning when the alarm goes off, I try to take the time to stay in bed and feel Foo Foo wake up. This morning, though, I felt movement I'd never felt before. It was in a different spot and it was a totally different shape and feeling. It was Foo Foo's head above my belly button! She was rolling around in there and telling her Mom to get up and get to the gym (she enjoys the rocking of the elliptical).

Anyways, Tony put his hand there and seemed mildly impressed this time. He said, "This kid's going to be a menice! We should name her Denise!!" hahah not really but it was funny at just past 5. He had another funny comment on Monday when we were going through my paperwork from the doc's appt and reading the "Info About Your Care During Labor and Birth" and Health Care Proxy. "Ummm, 'birth canal'? Not a fan of that term, I can tell you that.

Mmmm Orange Soda

Today was a busy check-up at the doctor's office. I grabbed the dreaded and supposedly gross "orange soda" from the lab before heading to my appointment. Everyone said it was disgustingly sweet. I thought it was delicious! haha I guess I love orange soda! My blood was drawn an hour after drinking the Glucola to test for gestational diabetes. The lab tech also drew blood to test for anemia. I would be surprised if I was anemic because I don't feel fatigued or weak at all (common symptons). I definitely wouldn't be at the gym if that was the case!

I also got a flu shot while I was there. Might as well do everything in one trip, right? The doctor measured my tummy and said everything was on track and we listened to her heart beat, which was as strong and cool as ever!

All For Foo Foo

I love my friends! They threw me an amazing baby shower on Saturday. Carah and Jess headed up the effort; Carah's parents did tons of work around the house and yard; and Jess did lots of coordinating and executing!

My new responsibility (a ring from the beautiful cake)

My Mom called it the "Martha Stewart" shower and Tony's sister, Andrea, said it was the most beautiful baby shower she's ever been to. The gorgeous weather didn't hurt either!

My Mom checking out the great gifts. She and Kim, my mother-in-law, are very excited to be grandmothers!

It was great to have friends from different parts of my life come together. I know it's a pain in the butt sometimes to give up a Saturday and I truly appreciated their time, effort, love and treks from Western Mass, Boston and the North Shore!!

Click here for More Shower Pics

NOW ENTERING...

Third trimester!

27wks today :) Have lots of other things on my mind that I wanted to write about but I've had a headache for 2.5hrs so I'm heading to bed!

No Stethoscope Required

Maybe it's the pregnant (lack of) a brain thing but I completely forgot to include some other neat things from this week in last night's post.

Thursday morning Tony heard the baby's heartbeat! No stethoscope required. He heard her moving around in there, waking up and stretching. But again, I think I was more impressed than he was. He did mention how fast the heartbeat is though since it's more than double that of an adult's.

I've been making it a point to lay in bed for a few minutes every morning after the alarm goes off so that I can feel her wake up. I can also feel my stomach tighten just a little bit before a big kick. It's a very relaxing way to wake up. I lay there with a smile on my face every morning.

Yesterday (September 11) marked the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. It's also my sister-in-law, Jess's birthday. And, yesterday marked 10 YEARS since Tony and I started dating. A decade! WOW!

Rumbling and Growing Belly: Week 26

Do you officially have a belly when you can rest your arms across it? Or is when you wake up in the middle of the night on your side, feel your belly and startle yourself because there is a deformed pumpkin hanging off your front side? I felt "very pregnant" last night when the second mention happened to me around 3am. I went to the bathroom then thought I would fall back asleep. BUT I was ravenous. I've woken up hungry in the past but it was easy enough to fall back asleep. Not last night. Foo Foo had other things in mind. Like Life cereal and cold milk at 3:30am. I fed the babe and she was happy enough to let Mumma go back to bed. I've found myself having a harder time falling back asleep lately. Too many thoughts running through my head about the pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, dirty diapers, day care, going back to work, you name it.

Some of these thoughts were quelled a few weeks back after Tony and I spent 3hrs of a rainy Saturday (thank God it was rainy!) at a Caring for Your Newborn class. We walked into the class area to find a baby doll on our chair that we have to hold throughout the class. We learned how to bath, diaper and dress the baby. Granted this doll probably weighed 13lbs and was much larger and sturdy than a newborn but I still thought it was good practice. Tony remained unimpressed. It takes a lot to impress Tony. Anyways, the instructor talked a lot about SIDS, Shaken Baby Syndrome and other topics. I thought it was interesting when she talked about how it was ok to not let everyone and their cousin hold the baby in the beginning. It seems like a nice idea at the time but in reality, the baby may become "overstimulated" and have a very hard time sleeping that evening. Point taken. Another thing she mentioned was how important it is for parents to always remain calm. Babies pick up anxiety so if you're upset that he/she won't stop crying, it won't help. There were some other tips the instructor discussed that we had already heard or read about like not having anything in the crib but the baby and a crib sheet. That means no "bumpers" like we used to have, no blankets, no toys, etc. The baby also has to sleep on his/her back. Not long ago it seems like it was acceptable to have babies fall asleep on their tummies. How things have changed!

Another thing that I apparently have to remember now is to lay off the bread! haha Two doctor's appointments ago, my midwife told me I needed to eat more. I happily obliged. Next appointment she was like, "Ummm yeah, you can chill on the food intake now!" or something like that. Apparently I gained the weight I needed to gain and then some! Oh well, sometimes Foo Foo needs Life cereal at 3:30 in the morning!

Soccer Practice

She's an early riser. Up just before 5 today at what appeared to be soccer practice! This morning was the first time I felt exaggerated movement. Not sure what the technical term is but the movement was a more defined kick. I actually felt her kick and leave her foot there for a brief moment, a definite shot on goal or a corner kick! A wonderful way to start the day!!

Three-Point Turns

Yes, that's what it takes now to get out of bed. I get sick of lying on one side, roll to the other, get paranoid about lying on my back too long and end up getting out of bed to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water. Except now it's not a fluid motion of just rolling over and hopping out of bed. It's much slower and less graceful. During my 6mo appointment yesterday (I am 24wks today!), my nurse said my stomach hurts because it is stretching. Well then, that answers that!

Saturday morning I was awoken not by the milk truck but by the baby kicking! It was wild! Tony finally got to feel her kick (elbow, whatever) Wednesday night. He looked mildly impressed.

Tuesday afternoon was our first day care visit. We went to the Jack n Jill Center in Marina Bay. It was prime pick-up time so many of kids had already gone home. But Tony still managed to make one baby cry. He just looked at her. Usually babies love looking at Tony. They'll just stare at him. Not this little girl! We really liked this center and the director but are touring more next week. One obvious thing we learned was that it's very pricey! Time to tighten the belts!! :)

Three Days

The picture on top is from Wednesday and the one below is from today (Saturday). Is that possible?! Must be the tighter top and being turned more to the side. WOW, here comes baby!