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!