i am ready

Sunday. April 24th. Five days past our estimated date of arrival. Not yet technically overdue I know. I still have 1 week and 2 days until that would be the case. However, I am ready. Ready for this 'imminent' birthing time that is currently lacking any signs of happening.

Today we cleaned out a bit more of Judge's stuff from his - our - room at his parents' place, and did some of the final furniture rearrangements, and unpacked a lot of the baby stuff that we will be needing the first month after she's born. Feels good!

I was hoping to be done our sit-a-month before my mom arrives (May 20th) as the assumption would be both me and bebe would be a bit more awake to hang out as well as do a tiny tiny bit of travelling (we want to take her to Taichung and Tainan on a two-night three-day trip or so...to show her Feng Chia University where we met, meet my good friends there, and eat some good eats that I miss...and feed the squirrels and birds on campus, and in Tainan we want to visit and share with her our favorite city, hopefully catch some temple parades, and of course eat some more of our favorite eats - sushi, hongkongese goodness, hotpot, and more! - and meet some friends too of course).

But, looks like sit-a-month will be completed at our apartment by my mom *grin*. Now I'm just hoping she decides to make an appearance before mother's day (May 8th), not only so I can celebrate my first mother's day with a baby 'outside' but especially because my mom leaves on June 9th, and in order to keep some peace it is preferable that no trip is taken prior to completing sit-a-month~~.

Thankfully there's not too much stress in me about it all though, as my mom's purpose for coming isn't to travel and explore and experience Taiwan but rather to be with the three of us during this fresh-new time. That means if we don't get that tiny trip in, it's ok, there is always next time.

So I am focusing on trying to get baby girl back in optimal birthing position again, just as she has been all the way up until two days ago, and relaxing, and not being impatient. I'd logically and technically and truly rather she come when she is ready than too early, as I believe that makes a huge difference for the smoothness of how things go once she's on this side of the womb. But - I am also very ready for her to be ready ;P

[Taken today on our car-cruise into the mountains.]

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feeling like things are imminent...esque at least

Today we went in for our first over-40 check-in (we're at 40 weeks and 4 days). We drove up and after peeing on a stick (not so easy any more, but it IS easier than peeing in a cup!), weighing in (at a whopping 2.7kg more than last week~ noticed some extra water-logging the past few days so I'm going with that), and checking blood pressure, it was time for the ultrasound (where she measured actually a tiny bit less than last week - ultrasounds are oh-so accurate :P).

Yesterday I noticed she had switched sides - her kicks and punches were on my left now, and the ultrasound confirmed this. Boo - but not as boo as if she had switched to breach! I'm assuming it's because I haven't been walking so much this past week, but rather just laying around nursing a cold as well as frontal pelvic pain, and a lot of the laying during the night is on my right side because sometimes I just really need to switch it up.

Anyhow, after the ultrasound, as we are over 40 weeks, I had to do 15 min of bebe-heart-rate monitoring where I was required to lay on my back with my legs flat. What the heck! I got a pillow and blanket behind me, and once the nurse left Judge jacked the head of the bed up a bit, so at least it was a tad more comfortable. All was fine and I measured as having contractions at 6-7 min apart - that I could actually feel~ Exciting! (I had been feeling them yesterday as well).

Leaving, the front desk nurse didn't book us for next weeks appointment so I had to ask her to - and she was surprised ("Didn't the doctor tell you when you need to go in?"). It still isn't common here for people to go past 40 weeks and definitely not past 41 weeks without scheduling an induction and/or c-section, and next week we'll be 41W+4. Thankfully we're with the birthing center doctors and thus as long as heart-rate is good, amniotic fluids are good, size is good (which is debatable in my eyes but luckily we won't have to have that debate) then it seems my doctor is not yet putting pressure on us to go in for an induction. Yay!

We then went for lunch and met with an insurance sales person who was to explain their system for us to consider for me and our bebe - and I realized the contractions were suddenly coming a lot closer and getting stronger. I started timing them and they were 3-4 min apart. Not yay. I hadn't put our birthing bag in the car yet, and hadn't brought our camera~! After half an hour of timing, I mentioned to Judge that it may be best to finish up and head out - either home to pick up the stuff or to the birthing center maybe as we were still in the neighborhood. Judge: O.O

After getting up though and walking to the car, they spread back out to 6-7 min apart. So we decided to go to the birthing center anyhow but just to do the penecillin skin test (ends up I'm a bit allergic to it - who knew!) and we got to peek in through the window on all the fresh babies in there. Ack - so cute!

And now we're home. Still just braxton hicks going on - but today made me feel like there was progress at least, with them being so close apart as well as me actually feeling them finally. Looks like we may be having a baby soon - and if not *soon* then I'm still assuming within the next two weeks at least ;P


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one year

Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary. We started off with a doctor's check-in in the morn, then went and had lunch at our favorite pasta restaurant that we had come across about a month ago as we were walking around waiting for Judge's military buddy to show up for a lunch-date with us at our favorite hot-pot place (up in the nearby town of where we do our doctor's visits).

We hadn't actually eaten at this place before, but it's part of a chain that we often frequented back in our Taichung days, and that we were ecstatic to find here in Hsinchu when we first moved here...which disappeared shortly after (seriously, all our favorite restaurants seem to get shut down ... or at least a few of them, where that's a few too many in our humble opinions).

[enjoying our beloved bolognese at 'I know pasta']

We then visited the fabric heaven in Taipei since we were in the hood - relatively speaking of course - looking for a 28" silver colored metal-zipper - unsuccessfully unfortunately. Seriously amazing place - an indoor fabric market with I don't know how many fabric stalls. Didn't have time to search around for some other fabrics I'm wanting to buy though because poor Judge was waiting for me in the car as there was no easy parking in the area.

On the drive home he almost fell asleep probably about 20 times - had just finished 12 days in a row of work with the last seven being little nights - meaning he had gotten to bed around 3am the night before - and all the while been fighting a cough. After lunch he had taken some new meds he had gotten the day before - and they were stronger than expected. Poor guy.

So, once we got home it was time for an afternoon sleep (not nap), before heading out to our favorite Japanese bbq restaurant for dinner. Seriously - and I mean *seriously* - yum!

Finishing up we got us some teas and headed to the ocean where it was a bit windy and high-tide with waves breaking on the break wall.

Wonderful.


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cracked pelvis

So, for the last while, basically the one and only pregnancy discomfort I've been having is pelvic pain (that, and some groinal ligament pain when baby girl punches some kind of nerve once in a while). It occurs when I'm lifting my foot to put on my shoe or pants, tossing from one side to the other when laying down, standing up or shifting positions, and sometimes when walking. And sometimes there's a clicking sound (when walking up stairs or tossing). I've kind of just ignored it, kept movements slow when necessary, and done stretches and other kinds of slow, simple exercises.

Last night however, there was a *huge* cracking/popping sound when I gently and slowly heaved myself from my right to left side, and the next time I got up to visit the loo - lo-and-behold no pain! It was just like, you know how sometimes your back is a bit off, and you stretch this way and that and it pops and feels much better, or sometimes you need to crack your fingers or toes and once you do its bliss? Same-same!

This comfort lasted until a bit into the morn...and now the stretching discomfort is back. Boo.

Other than that I've been filling my days with editing work (thankfully a few cases came in at the beginning of this week - I'm hoping to get in my self-set 'quota' [of earnings] for April before baby girl arrives). And keeping up with housecleaning. And sewing stuff. And resting. And enjoying mornings and early afternoons with Judge as he's on little-nights this week again (little-nights are *seriously* great!).

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makeover

So, Judge's room at his parents house hasn't really ever been his room (imho) as there's this huge display case/shelves/cupboards along one of the long walls filled with ceramic sample figurines from way, way, WAY back in the day when his parents used to have a factory painting these bitties.

And he hasn't lived there for the past 7 years really (since going into university) so there's also a lot of other stuff being stored in there - along with his old stuffs.

AND this is Taiwan - so the paint on two of the walls is moldy.

This past weekend however we started the renovation process. Started off by taking away HEAPS of comic books to give away. Today a painter came over to assess how much it will cost to repaint the three walls and ceiling of our room - as well as his parents' bedroom. Judge's mom is bringing paint-color samples over tonight so we can choose the color. She is also going to be packing away all the figurines - and thus the display case will be perfect to put all the baby clothes and some of our clothes and our books and the cupboards perfect for storing tons of our stuff too. YAY.

Also going to be removing two table-sets and putting in two big tables in an L-shape where one can be my craft table!

And last but not least we're getting in a maybe 10 cm mattress for the bed (king-size) so that we can sleep on a bit more softness than there is right now (being pregnant I can't sleep there any more because it hurts my hips too much).

Didn't take any pictures of the mess it was before, but will most definitely be taking pictures once it's all done and has been transformed into 'our space' - which hopefully will be within a week or so! Want it ready for when baby girl decides to arrive, as that is where I'll be doing sit-a-month.

PS. Am at 38 weeks today. Last check-up on Saturday she was 2.8kg (based on ultrasound measurements which can be quite off, I know). Everything else is in good form, as am I - for the most part at least ;)

And also enjoying not working - and not even editing these last two days - so I've been scooting around doing errands and cruising, seeing as my scooting days are numbered (boooo).


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