Browse Tag: preggo

36 weeks

IMG_7161I’m at 36 weeks and now I’m at the point where I have a doctor’s appointment every Monday and a non-stress test every Wednesday.  On Monday, the doctor did a quick ultrasound to check Peanut’s position and he’s head down now.  I had a feeling because he feels much lower now.

IMG_7162On Wednesday, I went in for the non-stress test, which involves having a fetal heart monitor and a second monitor on my belly to check for contractions.  I laid there for 20 minutes and listened to his heart beat.  This is a picture of my two kids (one in the belly and the other in the stroller playing with her iPad).  The nurse also did a quick ultrasound to check for the amount of fluid left in the sac and everything checked out just right.  She also confirmed that he’s head down, facing inward, with his spine along my left side and feet on my upper right side.

IMG_7134We also received a few more gifts.  The first was a sweater that was knitted by a nurse practitioner that I work with in the ICU.

IMG_7136I got a second sweater from the dietician that I work with regularly on the medical floor.  She knits while she’s riding BART to and from work.  I also received the hat in my mailbox at work but I have no idea who it’s from!  It came in a little bag but there was no name or card attached to it.

IMG_7156We also received these items from Vyl and Bang.  That hedgehog and book are so cute!

Maternity Leave

IMG_0010I’m now 36 weeks pregnant and completed my first week of maternity leave.  It’s definitely different this time around since I have my sidekick KK with me at all times.  IMG_6865It’s not nearly as restful or productive but it’s nice to be home and to have some quality time with my little girl.

IMG_6840Each day, we have a morning activity that usually involves leaving the house.  We’ve done some shopping, going to the zoo, and visiting with friends.  Then we come home by lunch time and KK usually falls asleep on our way home.  Unfortunately for me, as soon as we enter the house, she wakes up and says, “I don’t want to sleep”.  *sigh* Luckily, I haven’t had to resort to TV or videos as much as I had anticipated.

IMG_6768The afternoon is usually spent at home and I’ve been able to get laundry done, tidy up the house, and make dinner.  I also took care of my disability application this week.  Luckily, KK likes to help with some of the chores so that’s nice.

IMG_6747We’ve also been working on some things to prepare her for preschool.  It’s like a taste of homeschooling and I’m not sure I’m a fan.  I usually try to carve out some time for coloring, cutting, or learning something new.

IMG_6822She’s been pretty cooperative so far and the stuff we do has been interesting/novel enough for her to stay engaged.  Preschool doesn’t start until beginning of August so we’ll see how the rest of the month goes.

As for Peanut, he’s been moving A LOT and the contractions keep coming.  Some of them stop me in my tracks and make me a little short of breath.  It definitely helps to not be at work when these occur because I can sit down, rest, and then move on with my day.  He has definitely dropped lower and I’ve had to wake up every two hours to pee at night.  I suppose this is just training for me.

Kicking Peanut

https://youtu.be/ydsdKC33Ang
This second baby is very active.  I suppose that’s expected from a boy.  This afternoon while I was trying to rest during KK’s tea party, he was squirming around like crazy.

Family BBQ

IMG_6734On our way home from Monterey, we stopped in Redwood City to BBQ and Jes helped Jason install an AC unit in the twins’ room.

IMG_6686It really melts my heart to see how sweet and attentive KK has been with the babies this weekend.  Here is a picture of her playing with Toni on Saturday night at the hotel.

IMG_6742And here she is with Toni again on Sunday night.  We’re gonna have to find a rocker for Peanut so that she can be the official baby soother in the house.  She’s got the rocking and shushing mastered already.

KK-moon in Monterey

IMG_6577 On Friday night, we decided to go take KK to Monterey as our version of a Babymoon but more appropriately called a KK-moon.  We booked a room at our favorite hotel, Monterey Plaza Hotel, and stayed overnight on Saturday night.

IMG_6689With the start of my maternity leave this weekend, we thought it would be a good time to take this mini vacation with our first born.  DSC_6651It could very well be the last real trip that we take as a family of 3.

DSC_6664We lucked out with gorgeous weather there.  It was sunny and just the right temperature outside.

IMG_6583 DSC_6699 DSC_6693Of course, we visited the aquarium and saw some favorites and some new things too.

IMG_9960We took our little girl to the beach nearby and she had a wonderful time collecting rocks and playing in the water.IMG_6630KK was so excited to play at the beach, which she kept calling “Hawaii”.  And our “Monterey House” was the “Manta Ray House” to her.

IMG_6676Jia and Jason also decided to take an epic drive down to meet us for dinner.  It was their first big outing with the twins.  It’s definitely a new experience for all of us with so many kids now.  Here’s Jia squished in a booth between the two sleeping babies at dinner.

IMG_6670Toni (above) and Thomas (below) were very well-behaved and slept through most of dinner.IMG_6669During dessert, they both needed to eat so Jes kept Thomas company as he was waiting to be fed.

IMG_6681IMG_6682We’re so glad they came out and I think they were surprised that it wasn’t as scary/painful as it initially seemed when we invited them.

IMG_6714We had a really nice weekend together and look forward to meeting Peanut.  Vacations will never be the same with 2 kids in tow but we’re ready for that next adventure!!

Last Day of Work

IMG_6551I’ll be 35 weeks tomorrow and today was my last day of work before maternity leave starts.  In the morning, everyone threw me a baby breakfast in our usual awesome potluck style.  They also pooled their money together and gave me a $200 gift card for Amazon.  So sweet!IMG_6550It was also Teresa’s birthday today so it was nice to have something else to celebrate too.

I worked a full day and it was not too busy but not too slow either.  I managed to get all my paperwork done and tidied up my desk all in time to leave by 4:30 (the usual quitting time).

IMG_6552I took this picture with Teresa (picture above) because it was I took a similar one with her the first time I left for maternity leave in 2012 (picture below).

IMG_1217

I’ll miss everyone but so relieved that I don’t have to endure another work day of climbing stairs, lifting patients, and scurrying around the floors of the hospital working while trying to find time to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and pee.  I didn’t actually feel relieved until after I picked KK up from school (also her last day) and was driving home across the bridge one last official time for the year.  All other trips across the Bay Bridge this year will be for fun. 🙂  Hooray for Maternity Leave!!  I’ll be off through the end of the year – it’s surreal to think I won’t have to work for the next 6 months but it’ll probably fly by once Peanut arrives.

Here are some gifts that I received today:
IMG_6562This came in the mail from Cousin Ishya.  So thoughtful!IMG_6563I found a small gift in my mailbox at work and it contained this inside.  Unfortunately, it was not labeled so I don’t know who it’s from!

IMG_6564I received this book from Lisa, a co-worker.IMG_6565And this book came from Shelley, another co-worker of mine.

Tomorrow will start my 5-week waiting period for Peanut’s arrival.  I have lots of stuff to take care of before he arrives and hopefully he will cook all the way.  Hopefully, I’ll get some rest while spending some quality time with my first-born.  It’s hard to believe that we’ll be a family of 4 in just a few weeks.