January 2007 Archives

Waist: 40 inches
Weight: 143 lbs

Cravings: pickles, donuts, pork rinds, whiskeyed crab soup, ginger ale and lots of milk and ding dongs.

Weird dreams: I dreamt that we had the baby and it was a girl! Then we had to think of a name for her and Doug said, "Allison!" His favorite name.

I went to the OBGYN this week and she told me that the baby is big and measuring at 37cm or 37 weeks. I told a couple of friends of mine and they asked me if I was going to deliver early. I don't know? Guess I better call the doctor and find out.

Aches and pains: They are getting worse. It's very hard for me to walk especially after waking up or prolonged periods of sitting. I basically take a step with my right foot while pivoting right and dragging my left foot forward. It's a pretty bad waddle, but it's the best I can do.

Everything is swollen. I fell like a sausage. My hands are big and it's difficult to make a fist. My legs are very heavy, have painful varicose veins, my arches are sore and my knees are hurting from the additional weight bearing. Of course, my wedding ring does fit, but I can live with that.

I can't sleep more than four hours at a time any more and I need two naps a day. It's hard to roll over and get into a comfortable position because my belly is soo big. It's huge! People keep asking me if I'm having twins. The belly really hurts when driving on roads with ruts or during sudden stops and quick acceleration. I also have to adjust my sitting position into a leaning backwards slouch because sitting up straight causes circulation problems and I start seeing spots, get nauseous and have difficulty breathing. It's a daily occurrence.

The Braxton Hicks contractions are more and more common and I get them if I walk too fast or do anything strenuous. My back aches constantly and my hips are really sore. If I move too quickly or the wrong way, a sharp shooting pain runs down my leg and I usually cry out in pain. Finnegan looks at me and says, "owwyee?" Yes, I have many owwyees. I also look like a very old person when walking around and there is also a burning sensation just under my right breast that never goes away.

Emotions: Well, eventhough I think that I've been pretty even keeled, Doug does not. I feel under appreciated. I feel like Doug expects me to continue doing everything around the house despite the fact that I am very slow and unable to do things. I guess that my hormones are really running high because I also feel like I'm not getting any sympathy. Maybe it's because I was expecting the same treatment as with Finnegan when everything was new and Doug and I appreciated every moment of the pregnancy.
This time around we are parents of a two-year-old planning for another child. Is it like this for other moms? Maybe so, but I still need some TLC to make it through the next four weeks.

I am also really sensitive to Doug's comments especially the past few days and sometimes they just set me off and I get so frustrated that I just want (and sometimes do) scream in frustration. I'm fatigued, in pain and just downright miserable. If you want to know how it feels; duct tape a 30 lb bowling ball to your belly, put 20 pounds of weight around each ankle, then have someone whack you in the left knee and hip with a baseball bat a couple of times. Then don't take any medication because you can't. That's pretty much my day, every day.

One of my friends told me to ask the doctor if I can deliver early because she never went past 36 weeks. Despite my daily suffering, I don't want to cut the gestational process short if I don't have to. There's a reason that a pregnancy is 40 weeks and I'll stick to it.

I'm not writing all of this down for any "woe is me sympathy," it's part of the whole process that I want to remember later. Truth be told, a little unsolicited pampering would be just great, but I'll keep in mind what the OBGYN told me, "I'm sorry it's getting so hard, but you'll be cured in a few weeks." She's right. We are in the final miles of the marathon and the finish line is not very far away.

Waist: 40 inches
Weight: 139 lbs

Cravings: milk, pickles, chocolate chip cookies, cheese burgers, milk shakes, smoked sharp cheddar cheese.

Weird dreams: I keep dreaming that someone is breaking into the house.

For the past three days, I've either fallen asleep at 7:30 or I really wanted to. Today, I forced myself to stay awake, but was very tempted to fall asleep.

The past week has been really busy as the studio and I just finished working a seven-day week. The past three days we've had three major photo shoots. Today we had a really big corporate job for Waterways Cruises on Lake Union with models, set changes, taking two boats out on to the water and it was freezing cold.

We worked for about six hours. It was hard for me to move around and get things done, but I was enjoying it because it felt like I was on a movie set again. We had actors, a crew to move things, big props - two yachts, along with lights, camera and action!
It was fun as long as I didn't think about the cold and the body aches.

It's getting late and of course I'm getting very sleepy.

If you've been watching the news lately, you may have seen the footage of people playing bumper cars in the snow in Portland, Oregon.

Well, we've had a few days like that too. As a matter of fact, today (Jan. 16th) was a snow day, but Finnegan's school was open. Despite the snow I was determined to get Finn to class, so that he can socialize. We've had so many snow days lately that he has only been to school for 1.5 days in the past two weeks.

It was a struggle to get going. The truck had to be defrosted and all the windows scraped of the two inches of accumulated snow. Then the car seat had to be removed from the car and put into the truck. These tasks would not normally be a big deal, but I'm almost 34 weeks pregnant and I can barely walk let alone do all these things.

After about 40 minutes we were on our way through the snow trying to avoid sliding into any cars in the neighborhood. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the road so the roads were pretty clear, except for snow.

With the assistance of four-wheel drive we made it within a couple of blocks from Finn's school. The hills in the Queen Anne neighborhood are too steep to take any changes trying to turn into the school parking lot. So, we walked a few blocks to school. Finn thought slipping along in the snow was the greatest thing and he laughed and played the whole way.

It was a good thing that we persevered because Finn immediately ran to his friends and began playing. Since he was in good hands I made the trek back to the truck and began my sojourn to work.

Leaving was not as easy as I had anticipated. With four-wheel drive I attempted to drive up the hill as usual, but I only made it up halfway before the truck began sliding backwards down the hill. This was not good, because if I couldn't get control within one block I would slide down a very steep road and crash into some cars below.
I managed to steer the truck toward the sidewalk and the curb guided me away from any parked cars. Once I got some traction from the curb I managed to swing around and point the truck downhill and then made a very quick right turn onto a level side street.

Whew! I didn't panic because I knew that Finn was safe at school, but as I drove down the road a rather scared woman was watching me with very wide eyes. She had seen the whole thing. As I approached the next intersection to proceed up the hill again I contemplated parking the truck and spending a few hours at Starbucks. To my surprise the scared neighbor lady appoached me as I surveyed the road and she told me which way to go with the least amount of grade. Her tips were good and I made it out of the snowy neighborhood on to more navigable roads.

As I drove to the studio it dawned on me that I should not have taken the risk to drive in those road conditions for two reasons: one - Doug would have been really upset if I had wrecked his truck and two - Doug would have been really upset if I had wrecked his truck while being very pregnant!

Later in the day the weather changed and warm rains melted all the snow away. We don't get snow that often in Seattle, but when we do, it's and adventure.

Waist: 39.5 inches
Weight: 139 lbs

Cravings: steak, apples, wilted spinach, egg salad sandwiches, pico de gallo.

We never know how much we take for granted in our lives until something goes awry.
For the past four years I've been dealing with chronic back and pelvic pain due to injuries sustained in an auto accident. How does this relate to being pregnant? Well, the pregnancy exacerbates the pain because of all the hormones in my system telling my muscles and ligaments to relax for the impending birth. This flexible state sets up an unstable situation which causes excruciating pain many, many times a day.

The simplest tasks are most difficult. Getting in and out of bed are very painful. I have no strength in my left hip flexors, so it takes me about five minutes to get into place. I can't roll over without thinking the whole process through and then bracing myself for the pain. Waking up is the most painful of the day because the dog wants out and Finnegan is ready to go eat and my body is very stiff. My mobility is so poor that I must brace myself against the walls wherever I go and use everything in my path for stability; chairs, rails, stairs etc.

It's not fun. This weekend was particularly unpleasant as I was pretty much out of commission. Doug had to cook, clean and bring everything to me because every move I made was painful and I was so unsteady on my feet. I felt really helpless, but there was nothing I could do except take Tylenol which didn't do much.

Today I had to go to work and didn't make it there until after 2:00 p.m. , I started getting ready at 11:30 a.m. Showering and dressing takes at least 40 minutes. Dressing Finnegan 15 minutes. Preparing lunch and eating 30 -45 minutes. It's a long process.

When we were getting ready to leave and walking to the car, Finnegan decided to run down the sidewalk while I locked up the house. I kept calling after him to return to me, but he just ran faster and then he was gone around the corner. I had to will my body to walk faster and catch up the Finnegan as I yelped the whole way. Did I mention the snow and ice? Slippery surfaces make movement even more hazardous.

After getting Finnegan buckled into his car seat I turned to closed the car door and I could not move. A pain running down my left leg kept me frozen in place and I was stuck. There was no one there to help me and I had to stand there for about five minutes building up the courage to move despite the pain. When I did make the move, I yelled out in pain and Finnegan repeated me, "Ay yi yi!" He thought is was so funny.
But, I managed to hobble to the driver's side of the car and settle myself in for the drive to the studio.

Thankfully my business partner, Rachele, and assistant, Corrie, understand what I am going through and they help me with everything while I'm at work. I just tell them what I need and they bring it to me. I have such a, "Can do" mind set that it's hard for me to ask for help for everything, but that's what I have to do.

I guess it's time to wrap this up because my upper back is aching from sitting upright too long and this baby is kicking up a storm. The upside to all of this is that things should start feeling better in about eight weeks and then the real fun begins.

Waist: 39.5 inches
Weight 138 lbs

Cravings: Beer again! Chocolate, lobster, mexican food (especially tortilla soup), ice cream and flavored popcorn.

This week has been a little bit frustrating due to my vanity. A couple of weeks ago, Doug told me that we would be going to a company dinner and that set a whole string of events into action.

What we planned to do: go out with other adults, eat a great meal and have a good time.

First, to find a babysitter. That wasn't too hard because our neighbors had hired one for the same evening and we could share. Great!

Second, what to wear. Well, I knew that I have a couple of outfits to wear. One nice full length black velvet dress, one three-quarters black chiffon dress and one beige and cream cocktail lace outfit. I was good to go.

What actually happened. It snowed and Finn got sick at school.
Now, most people wouldn't think that snow would cause so many problems for me, but it almost ended my nice evening out with my husband.

First, it took me over an hour and a half to get to Finn's pre-school to pick him up.
He was really lethargic and just not up to his usual happy-go-lucky self. He seemed better after an hour or so, but very mellow.

Second, as the snow continued to accumulate on the roads, I received word that our babysitter was cancelling for the evening because she would not be able to drive to our house. Argh!

Now I was in desperation mode. So, I called my neighbor Rosalyn who sometimes sits with Finnegan in the Summer and explained my dilemma. Thankfully, she was available and I could drop him off at her house as she was studying for a big exam. Whew!

Third, What to wear! As I started to put on my clothes, my choices started dwindling.
The lace outfit didn't fit, oh my gosh! I was too fat to wear my maternity outfit.
Then the black chiffon outfit didn't fit either. So, it was down to the black velvet ensemble which I knew fit just right and was actually the perfect outfit for the cold wintery evening.

As soon as Finn was settled in at Rosalyn's house I made a break for in my car hoping that the roads weren't too bad. To my good fortune the drive downtown was very quick and easy. Most people decided to stay home and the roads were clear.

When I finally met up with Doug he said that I looked very nice and that the dress made my belly look smaller. "Black is slimming," I said. Then we settled into a comfortable and enjoyable evening of good food and thought provoking conversation.

As I lay in my bed that night thinking of all the little things that happened during the day I was happy that it all worked out because we did have a nice time. It was very nice to see Doug socializing with his very smart and charming co-workers and it was treat for me to be part of an adult conversation where people listened to my comments.

With seven weeks to go I hope my "little black dress" will fit if we have anymore social events.