Tracking Time

Time keeps slipping by. It's so stealthy these days that I only really notice it when I realize that a couple of days have gone by since my last blog post. Part of the reason for this, I'm sure, is that there isn't a whole lot going on. Yesterday's big adventure was that I finally broke down and took my flex spending card to CVS and bought a good humidifier. Our apartment's air has been so dry lately that Mombi and I both have ridiculously dry skin, and we zap the animals any time we try to pet them. Not so good, especially when you consider that babies are extra-prone to dry skin anyway. So, I went out and got this:



It's a Vicks V4500 Filterless Humidifier. I was going to get a warm mist humidifier because of the bacteria/filter factor associated with the cool mist ones, but then I found this one at the store. It's so fabulously sturdy that I'm not worried about us crunching it in the middle of the night and causing an electrical problem, like I would be with the typical warm mist version. And it only requires the occasional rinse with vinegar and then bleach to keep it nice and clean. We've had it going since last night, and even after just a few hours the air in the apartment already felt much better. Eventually when we get back to a decent humidity level, we can start using the humidistat feature to monitor the moisture in the air. For now, though, we just know we need MORE!

The Power of Suggestion

I dreamt that I fell asleep while reading a book about giving birth naturally without discomfort. In my dream I realized that I could feel griffin's head way down in my abdomen, and that I could actually feel his little ears quite perfectly through my skin. It was amazing! So I played with his (very cute) ears for a while, just rubbing them and talking to him, and eventually I woke up, or so I thought. My mind messes with me this way quite often when I'm sleeping, but I never manage to catch on while it's happening.

So I was laying there, still dreaming but thinking I was awake, thinking how sad it was that I couldn't actually feel him, that it had clearly just been a dream, when I reached down and discovered that (wow!) I really could feel him! I realized then, though, that I'd never felt him nearly so low, and started to wonder if perhaps I was going to have a very early baby. After massaging his ears for a while to reassure him that we'd both be fine and that we should relax and let things happen, I decided to get up and go to the bathroom.

I stood up and found that I was leaking fluid. Luckily my Mom and a random female cousin/aunt who doesn't really exist were standing in the hallway outside my room. Now at this point, a truly conscious me would probably stop in her tracks and wonder why I was in my childhood home, and who this other female was. But in my dream (since I clearly was still dreaming) I thought nothing of it.

I walked over to them, and calmly told my mom that I thought that I might be having an early baby. She calmly said something like "oh shit, and with company here" and suggested that I should go into the bathroom and check to see if it really was amniotic fluid. In order to get into the bathroom, I had to unplug a cord that they had just rigged across the hallway in order to blow cold night air in to where the aunt/cousin was staying. This, of course, because in that house when I was younger we did not have air conditioning. It was installed just before we left Michigan and moved to TN.

Anyway, I went into the bathroom, and discovered that yes, indeed, he was coming down already and my water had broken. I was surprised, of course, but very calm, and attributed it all to the relaxed anticipation that I was feeling as a result of the book on birthing in comfort. I thought to myself that the power of suggestion truly was very strong, and woke up (this time for real) feeling very happy and secure.

No, I can't massage Griffin's ears. But I'm looking forward to the day when I can. For now, I'm going to make myself a cheese sandwich and go back to bed.

29 Week Appointment

I had an appointment with my OB this morning (yesterday morning, technically,) and things look great. My glucose test came back with a score of 73mg/dL, which I'm told is awesome, and my blood pressure/heart rate remain nice and low and steady, so it looks like I'm doing well. I also got the OK to add Pepcid AC to my nightly routine to help out with the acid reflux problems, and I've got the "certificate of medical necessity" so that I can get a prenatal massage. I'm scheduled for 75 minutes on Saturday, and I can't wait!

Griffin is also doing well, with a heart rate of 147. He's currently head down, and the tickling I've been feeling in my very low middle abdomen has been "diagnosed" as him snuggling in with his head. What I'm feeling are his ears and nose as he wiggles his head back and forth. Based on that, I can now also identify which sensations are most likely his hands, and which are his knees and feet.

Mombi, of course, is phenomenal. Her birthday was on the 31st, and we'll be celebrating it on Saturday by going out to eat with my parents. We're also getting an AWESOME gift from them, which will have its own post later!