Jake's Journey » April 2004 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Wed, Apr 28, 2004 12:39 PM
(26w 1d): I'm happy to report that my gestational diabetes test came back normal! I have no idea why they needed to take three giant vials of my blood, but they can have it so long as they tell me we're healthy.

I called Matt to let him know, he said we're going to celebrate tonight with donuts and soda-pop! He's going to make a really fun dad.

My new hero is the person who decided to put carmel inside hershey's kisses! They are little bites of happiness wrapped in gold foil! Brilliant! Just Brilliant!

Since we're on the subject of food; how is it possible that a banana, a granola bar, and a glass of water is enough to give me heartburn? Especially when the bowl of chili I had last night didn't effect me in the least! I just don't get it.

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Tue, Apr 27, 2004 8:31 AM
(26w -> only 14 weeks to go -> that's 98 days): This week Jake weighs about 2 pounds, and his crown-to-rump length is about 9.2 inches. His total length is approximately 14 inches. Wow! That's two inches bigger than a ruler! Must be getting a little cramped in there.

By this week we could actually monitor brain waves associated with auditory and visual stimulation. Just like you and I he will react to noise and light. I can't wait to take him to the Rush concert! hehehe

I have another doctor's appointment this afternoon, and I'm pretty sure they are going to do a 'glucose tolerance test' today. Meaning they are going to make me drink a super sugary drink, then they are going to draw my blood an hour later, and tell me if my body is producing insulin the correct way (otherwise known as a gestational diabetes test). I guess sitting around Kaiser wating for an hour will be worth it if we get to hear Jake's heart beating, and have the doctor tell us again that everything is fine.

I'm sure I'll post again after the appointment this evening!

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Fri, Apr 23, 2004 6:23 PM
By the way, there is a really cool feature in the photos section. If you click on a picture, you can see it bigger than the thumbnail... near the bottom it says "leave a comment". Feel free to comment on any picture(s) you want!! I love getting feedback!

Yes, I do realize that today is not April 26th. Unfortunately for all the pictures, I didn't realize it until MUCH later in the day. Oh well.

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Fri, Apr 23, 2004 3:54 PM
(25w 3d): The thought had occurred to me before yesterday, but I think yesterday it really hit home that I am adding another "animal" to my zoo. And, this one is going to be much more difficult, not to mention completely different than any other I've had to take care of.

Because I currently have 4 pets that need annual physicals and vaccinations, I find it indescribably convenient to have my vet come to me. I can't say that's the only reason I chose her, she's been seeing my pets since we got Chloe 10 years ago. But, at this point, I can't see trying to box them all up and take them to the vet once a year when I can have her come to the house and see them all at once. So, yesterday they all got their shots. From the oldest, Chloe, to the youngest, Mauly (she's two this year), everyone got their own "special attention"... some even twice, thanks to our typical troublemaker Oscar (I�ll grab the camera and post a labeled picture of each pet this afternoon).

I really didn't think anything of the appointment more than the usual thoughts about how much I enjoy the special treatment. And how the individual attention makes me feel secure that my pets are well cared for, and healthy. Our day progressed with no unusual events, Matt came home, and I talked him into going to Chevy's for dinner (the shrimp and crab enchiladas are to DIE for by the way)! When we got home the dogs were excited to see us, as usual, but when Mauly came in Matt said, "Mauly, why do you look... did she get out?"

When I looked at her I thought her fur was just kind of fluffed up funny, and then I thought maybe she was shedding in clumps of fur like Fisher does. Then I looked at her face. I realized she was covered in hives and her face was swelling, already bigger in just the few minutes since we got home! I grabbed my cell phone, and began dialing the vet while we scrambled for her leash and started moving her toward the car. If you've ever had more than one dog, you know how difficult it can be to put one on a leash without the other thinking it is time for a walk.

The rest of the story goes: I was apparently Very pale and shaky running into the emergency vet's office (they must have thought it was me that needed a doctor), and they said that they had never seen a reaction like Mauly's except in textbooks. My poor little dog was swollen up so bad she looked like a pit-bull, and the vet wanted to take her picture. Luckily, I somehow had the presence of mind to grab the receipt from her visit with the vet earlier in the day on the way out the door, and after seeing which vaccinations Mauly had that morning, they were pretty sure what had caused the reaction. She was allergic to one of the medications, and after a shot of benedryl and two hours in a cage at the vet's office she was able to come home and lay in my lap watching ER with me. Still a bit swollen, but more sleepy from her ordeal than anything.

She has since had my undivided attention. Though she usually sleeps on the bed with us, I made her sleep up at my chest where I could keep a hand on her all night, instead of at my feet. And, I allowed her about 90% of my space, sleeping precariously balanced on my left side on the edge of the bed. I was thrilled to wake up at 3:30 this morning sore and achy, with terrible heartburn (I knew I should have skipped the beans with dinner), and a dog that is almost completely back to normal. She is currently reclining in a sunny spot on the chair in my home office, and I�ve been calling her puffy all morning.

So, all of this made me begin to wonder what is going to happen the first time little Jake falls off his bike and needs stitches in his chin, or slams his finger in a door and rips off a fingernail, or falls out of a tree and bumps his head trying to harvest mistletoe for his cousin? Will I be able to keep a cool head, and whisk my baby off to the ER without further traumatizing him with my own emotional unbalance?

I realize that my current emotional state is about at balanced as a 13 year old, but where does that innate decisive, yet calm, reaction that I remember my mom having come from? How do you calmly wash away the blood and tears, listen to the screaming and crying, then make a rational decision, and continue to put forward that �mommy knows best and will take care of everything� face?

Oh man. This isn�t going to be easy is it?

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Tue, Apr 20, 2004 10:18 PM
(25w): Jake's size (head to rump) this week is About 8.75 inches, and his weight is Approximately 1.5 pounds. He is "about the size of a household telephone." Jake's ears are fully functional now, and he may even blink in reaction to a loud noise.

I know he kicks and moves when loud noises occur. Last night Fisher was barking, Matt yelled at him, and Jake kicked me in the left side! He tends to do a lot of moving to music too. I have a couple of classical music CD's that I play for him (yes, walkman and headphones on the belly), and have noticed he moves more during some songs than others. He seems to be getting more and more active every day. I guess its just that he's getting bigger, and I can feel him a lot more. Actually, the last few days I've been able to lay on the couch and watch him move. Talk about surreal.

This whole thing can be so mind boggling sometimes. (seems like I've said that before...)

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Tue, Apr 13, 2004 9:48 AM
(24w): By this week Jake (we've been test driving the name just to be sure) weighs about 1.2 pounds, and his crown-to-rump length is about 8.4 inches (21cm). We won't talk about how much I weigh or what my diameter is. I can tell you my crown to rump length is probably less than what I measure around (Yikes!). Apparently I'm supposed to gain about a pound a week from here on out.

One of my books has gone from giving me a little piece of pregnancy trivia every day to giving me parenting tips every day. I guess August is getting closer! Good thing we went out Saturday and made some nursery purchases!

Okay, we really didn't mean to. We were honestly just looking for crib bedding so we could come up with a color scheme and/or theme for the room. All day we had dubbed it our "fact finding mission," looking at cribs and furniture... getting an idea of what's out there. Somehow we thought it might be a good idea to just "run on over to Ikea and see what that store is all about." I can't believe no one ever REALLY told me about this place! Its like the amusement park of interior decorating! I was running around giggling insanely, screaming and pointing at stuff. We were like kids in a candy store, and had put the room together in two different styles before we calmed down, put everything back, and decided on one theme.

Luckily everything fit into my car (once again, I LOVE my Matrix)... barely. I think I'm still riding the Ikea high! We were up until almost midnight putting together furniture, and talking bad about Canadians (don't ask, its a long story). I have some pictures that I'll post shortly.

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Tue, Apr 6, 2004 1:41 PM
(23w - day 1 of month 6): According to The Book, by this week, the baby weighs about 1 pound, and crown-to-rump length is around 8 inches. It says the baby is about the size of a small doll (sheesh, that's not very helpful - a sheet of paper is 8 1/2 by 11 if that gives you a better idea). Keep in mind, this is head-to-butt, it doesn't include the length of his legs! The book also says his eyelids, eyebrows, and fingernails are well developed.

Friday I went to Kaiser to sign up for a bunch of prenatal classes, and a hospital tour. I'm pretty sure that when the time comes the baby is going to come out weather or not I'm saying he-he-he-he while breathing. And, I have a feeling that no amount of classes or preparation will keep me relaxed while pushing out an 8+ pound child, but I suppose it can't hurt either. So I walk into the "health education department" and start looking at flyers when a guy comes over and asks if he can help me. I'm willing to bet he can (since it is most likely his job), and tell him why I'm there, to which he responds, "No Duh." Of course I want to ask him why he asked me if he was so smart and already knew why I was there, but I kept my hormones under control and muttered, "oh.. huh-huh... its that obvious eh?"

Its amazing how time can be going so quickly, and yet so slowly at the same time. I can't believe there are only 17 weeks 6 days left!

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Thu, Apr 1, 2004 8:08 AM
(22w 2d): What to Expect says the baby now weighs about 12.25 ounces (a pound is 16 ounces), and crown to rump length is about 7.6 inches. One of the many baby websites I frequent said that the baby is now about the size of a mini-nerf football.

I had to laugh reading the guest book post about Yoga being good for my flexiblity. I could put both ankles behind my neck before I was pregnant, now I'm already starting to feel like one of my knees is going to come out of joint every time I stand up, and the "waddle" is showing up more and more often at the end of the day! Flexibility is the least of my worries for the next few months! *LOL*

Hope everyone has a great April Fools Day! Maybe I'll play a joke on Matt, and tell him I'm pregnant.... uh... oh yeah... I guess I'll have to come up with something more creative.

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