Belly Baby Update

So it's been 2 weeks since my 30 week ultrasound and 1 week since my OB's determination as to whether I stay on bed rest or not. Sorry for not updating but I had family in town. Lots of family. I haven't been that busy in 5 months!

Let's start with our ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed that the Placenta Previa had corrected itself and is no longer an issue! YEAH! It also revealed that little Belly Baby is a line backer! Apparently I am TOO good at bed rest. An average 30 week baby weighs in at roughly 3lbs. My super baby was weighing in at 4lbs 4oz! He is also measuring in the 95% for height, weight, and head. So the Perinatologist was concerned that I had Gestational Diabetes. Why not. Nothing surprises me at this point. Luckily I had just done my glucose testing that morning. The next day the results were in and I do not have Gestational Diabetes! I just make giant babies! My hubby was so relieved that the Previa was resolved and asked me if I was relieved. My answer? "NO! Now I have to figure out how to push that giant head out of me!"

So for the first time this entire pregnancy both baby and I are healthy! I don't even know what to do with that! So with this good news under our belts we headed to the OB the following week. He reviewed the report from the Perinatologist and decided to release me from full bed rest to modified bed rest. This means that I can leave the house! JOY! But I am still restricted. No long term walking, heavy lifting, work, and I still have to stay resting most of the time. Due to all the issues we've had with this pregnancy, we all want to play it safe.

This was so exciting at first! But then I learned that readjusting to the "outside world" is not as easy as it seemed. Stimulation, even in small doses, overwhelms me. Short trips anywhere exhaust me. And after a week with family visiting doubled with my baby shower, I was left with 2 days of contractions as my body doesn't know how to carry this baby. My body is used to being in a resting state and having to hold the baby in an upright position is just too much still. So we will rest as much as possible for the next 4-8 weeks. Once I am 36 weeks I am free to do anything and just let the baby come. Both my other boys were born healthy in their 37th week and with this one growing and gaining at an overly healthy rate, 36 weeks should be safe!

It seems weird to me that this crazy life changing/ life challenging journey is almost over. Just a few more weeks until we meet our Belly Baby! Last night I had my first good dream about the baby. My dreams about him until now were riddled with anxiety and scenes of early delivery and loss. But last night I dreamt that he was home with me, my husband and our other 2 boys. We were all snuggled into bed and cuddling. I dreamed of kissing his head while he slept in my arms. It's almost like my subconscious can finally allow the reality of him being here to set in. It's strange to start planning for baby just 4 weeks before his potential arrival. It's something we couldn't allow until now. But now that it's here and we can exhale, I am so excited! I can't wait to meet my little man!

Are imaginations imaginary in 2010?

My 3yr old has really taken off with his imagination lately! He runs around the house pretending to be a Jedi. He'll even sit in his room for an hour making his Star Wars figures converse with his Rescue Heroes about the safety of the galaxy! And the stories he tells are priceless!

The thing he does that has really brought me to blog is his recent affinity for hangers- er, bows and arrows. For the last week or so he has been running about with a plastic hanger in one hand and a wooden spoon or any other long object in the other hand ready to be used as a bow. And for the last few days I have been telling my husband that we need to go to the dollar store and get him a little bow and arrow set. But today I was watching him again with his hanger, proudly running about and declaring that he found his bow, it occurred to me that he doesn't need for us to run out and but him anything. To him, that hanger and spoon ARE his bow and arrow.

Now this got my little brain going. About consumerism, capitalism, marketing ploys, and mostly how we got to a place as a nation that our kids don't need their own imaginations to play. When I was a kid my sisters and I ran about with sticks pretending to be Charlie's Angels. We opened stores in our rooms and grocery shopped for imaginary items. We played mermaid by diving under our beds and "swimming" out the other side. In my memory we were really gun toting crime fighters, store clerks, and mermaids. This despite the fact that we didn't have plastic guns, play food for our store, or mermaid costumes.

So when did we get to a point where anything that can be imagined can also be purchased? When did an Ipad become more fun than a mud puddle? When did climbing levels on your video games become a preference over climbing trees? At what point do our kids stop seeing a bow and arrow and start seeing a hanger and wooden spoon? I'm going to refrain from rushing to the dollar store for that bow and arrow set and let my little boy run amok with his hanger. I'll turn the giant box we just got the baby's bassinet in into a fort for him. And I will continue to encourage him to be outside every chance he gets! He will build up an incredible imagination (just like the old days) and it won't cost me a penny!

Rediscovering my sisters

I have 2 sisters that I was raised with. We were not close growing up. Quite to the contrary. We fought like the dickens! When we were little we got along better. The three of us ran around the yard playing Charlie's Angels and making witches brew in the puddles in our gravel driveway. But all three of us were born within 4 years of each other (hail mom!) so once the teen years hit.... the hormones took over and the hatred set in. It didn't help that there was an odd number of us too. I am sure if you asked any one of us, we would tell you that the other two "always" ganged up on us. But in reality I think it was fair rotation. Now, I know that when people use the phrase "tried to kill each other" they use it in jest. I use it in a matter of fact, actual, physical, really mean to do it type of way. There was blood drawn, bruises left, hair pulled, and too many holes in the walls and doors to count. We didn't say "I love you" to each other and apologies only came when prompted by our mother. And being teenage girls our tounges were our sharpest weapon of all. The hormones and desire to be individuals when we were all so close in age drove a wedge between the crime fighting trio of Angels. And one by one as we each turned 18, we moved out and drove the wedge further. We didn't make a concentrated effort to hang with each other. My oldest sister was the first to move out and she ended up across country- a few times. Then it was me. I was caught up in the San Fransisco night life and partied hard regularly. My friends were my family now. By the time my little sister moved out I can't even tell you what she was up to as we were both out doing our thing.

Then at the age of 19 another Angel came into my life. I had my first son. My family rallied around me and we all prepped for this new addition. They were an amazing source of support. We had all moved back in with my mom and were under the same roof but still living separate lives. We loved and doted on the baby but not on each other. Then by the time my son was 9 months, we were all on our separate ways again. Shortly after, my little sister was preparing for her own Angel. Once again we all got excited and celebrated our newest family member. But it wasn't long before all three of us were in separate states. My oldest sister was across the country in Ohio and my son and I moved to Washington, leaving all three of us sisters in 3 different states.

Once my youngest sister and I were both moms, I have to say that I started to see her in a new light. She was an amazing mother and we finally had something in common that drew us together. But I met my husband shortly after moving and got busy setting up life and family in Washington while she was in California meeting her husband and setting up her life and family. Our older sister's life in Ohio was a mystery. I can't speak for them, but I didn't make the effort I could have to stay in touch with either of them. I was focused on my family and what we were doing.

Here we are now all well into our 30's. My oldest sister is back in the Bay Area attending culinary school. My husband and I are expecting our 3rd little boy and my youngest sister and her husband are the proud parents of 4 beautiful and amazing kids. I am not sure why, but I feel like in the last year we have all gotten closer. It's easy to explain for my youngest sister and I as we are parents and can relate to a myriad of issues. All we had to do was make the effort with each other. I admire the way she handles her family. They are super lucky to have her. I always tell her she is a swan. She was a little quiet and awkward growing up but once she hit adulthood she blossomed into this beautiful and amazing woman. I am just sorry I missed so much of it. And my older sister (who was really lost to me for years after she moved to the Midwest) is a kind, nurturing, silly, sassy woman with an amazing future in the palm of her hands! I am also sorry I missed out on who she was for so long.

So I feel like I am rediscovering my sisters for the first time since we were Charlies Angels running around the yard using sticks as guns and taking down imaginary bad guys. We call each other regularly. We talk openly. And yes, we even say I love you. The beauty is, after decades of emotional distance, we truly mean it.

A little update for the curious

It was brought to my attention by one of my readers that I haven't posted in a while and I wanted to update you all as to why. Sitting at home on bed rest was driving me bonkers! So I did some research and ended up registering as an Independent Contractor on a site where employers contract short term or long term projects. Well I was lucky enough to get a job writing week by week pregnancy articles for a company. How perfect is that?! It's been really great to be productive again and I'm almost done with the project. But it has demanded the spare time that I have. So I fear I have neglected you. But I am nearing the end of the project so my postings will become more regular. I promise! Until then, go make some peanut butter pizza. You'll thank me!

Peanut Butter Pizza

One of my very favorite resteraunts in when I lived in the Bay Area was a place on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland called Spettro. They served an eclectic menu and atmosphere. They served wine while you waited for a seat (and there was always a line!) and the room was decorated in skulls, white Christmas lights, and intriguing artwork. They served a variety of pizzas as well as semi formal fare such as pomegranite marinated whole hens and a Boo Berry salad that boasted berries, greens, feta, and candied walnuts. But my go to dish was usually the Peanut Butter Pizza. So when I moved to Washington 12 years ago, I began going through withdrawls. I set off on the task of learning to make the pizza myself. It's an odd mix of salty/sweet, chewy/crunchy. Getting people to try it usually takes some coaxing but once they try it they are hooked! So I thought I'd share mt recipe with the world. I am not sure if it is the exact way that they do it at Spettro but it has worked for me for the past 12 years. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Boboli Pizza Crust

Crunchy peanut butter (about 1 cup)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup shredded parmesean

1 tomatoe

1/3 cup chopped bacon

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2) Spread peanut butter over crust as you would sauce, should this be any ordinary pie- but it's not! Feel free to add more or less peanut butter if you like.

3) Mix chesses together and spread 1cup of the cheese mixture over peanut butter.

4) Spread tomatoes and bacon over pizza

5) Distribute the remaining cheese over pizza. Oh. It's gonna be good.

6) Bake on cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is cooked and slightly browned.

I would ove it if you left comments after trying the recipe! Let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I do!