Oops!

So, I had the baby about 4 weeks ago.... This blog is officially closed and updates on Tyler will be made on the regular Andreasen Family Blog. Thanks to all those who actually checked this blog and read my occasional (VERY occasional) updates.

To just kind of finish out the pregnancy . . . .

The last 6 weeks of pregnant life went so quickly. School kept me busy and third trimester misery hardly got me down until about a week before I had Tyler. In fact those last 6 weeks are kind of a blur. I know I was ready to have him, but still scared of the delivery. I know each doctor I saw told me he was small and would likely be past due (shows how much doctors know). I know each day of school grew more and more trying the closer I got to delivery, but some days I thought I would really miss my students (lets me honest, I haven't even thought of them since I had him). I know teachers started putting bets on how soon I would go and each day I came to school one or two would have to drop out of the race. I know that I thought I had all the time in the world so my poor sub had nothing, my room was in chaos, and Tyler was lucky to have diapers and a carseat. I know that I had absolutely no idea how much you could love!!

I will be posting the labor and delivery story on my other blog...eventually :)

Update - lots of writing, no pictures

I have people on a fairly regular basis remind me to keep a journal during this first pregnancy and every time I have this guilty feeling, because what started out as a great journaling blog turned into a failure. I apologize to myself, my baby, and all those who actually read this blog. Can I make one excuse? Kindergarten is sucking my life away!! Who has time to journal and blog when they spend every moment of their life enslaved to 27 five year olds? (Whom I do quite enjoy most the time so I guess I can't really call it enslavement, but you catch my drift). Anyway, here we go, my attempt at an update.

I am 38 weeks and one day today. As of my last doctor's appt (which was 5 days ago) I am 50% effaced, not dilated, the baby is still -3 centimeters from the birth canal (which apparently means the baby has yet to drop), the head is down, although his back is on my left side with his feet and hands poking into my right side, and I am measuring at 35 -36 centimeters. The heartbeat sounds strong and regular and all looks well. I've been having braxton hicks contractions fairly often that are completely painless and the only reason I notice is if I put my hand on my stomach. I still hardly waddle and for the most part feel really good for a 38 week pregnant woman. Tums have become part of my nightly routine and occasionally sneak into my day time one as well. I wake up often during the night for bathroom trips as this baby's favorite spot is my bladder, or to turn over. If he's not on my bladder, he likes to ball up as high as he can under my ribs so that I wake up to some uncomfortable back and side pain. But really, I feel good. I go to school every day and I can walk, I'm not too tired, I have a decent amount of energy - I'm happy. The misery of third trimesterdom has really not hit me that bad. I keep expecting it to get worse as they say its the misery that makes the labor and delivery almost a relief. Right now, I would say that I could hold off on the pushing and contracting for a while longer yet. Speaking of labor and delivery - I am scared out of my mind!! It still seems so unreal to me that I will actually have to get this baby out. The nesting instinct has yet to hit, I still haven't packed my hospital bag, the nursery is not done, the bassinet is still in a box, as is the stroller and carseat, all the shower gifts are still in their bags with tags on, surprisingly we do have diapers and wipes, but that is pretty much it. I'm in denial. I try to picture and imagine it, but all I see is a woman in the hospital bed with no face. I just can't get my face on there. I think at the onset of labor I will be in complete denial (well that or complete panic mode). I've watched live birth videos and they make me slightly sick. That's going to be me??? I can't even fathom. My only comfort is that millions of women do it, my friends have all done it, my mom, grandmas, aunts, cousins, and such have all done it. They all survived. I will too . . . . right? Am I afraid of the pain? Yes. Am I afraid of complications? Eh somewhat. Am I afraid of the unknown? I guess that's it exactly. This the unknown. I've never done this. I have no idea what it will be like, feel like, how long it will take, what to expect, nothing. I guess we just wait and see. Not too much longer.

In other news, we have FINALLY settled on a full name. Drum roll please. Our baby will forever be known as Tyler John Andreasen. YAY!! A name!! And now that I have actually written it all out for the first time, I like it even more. Looks good, looks professional, looks solid and steadfast. As some of you know, Mark had picked out Ty, or Tyler, a while ago and as it grew on me I decided it was a good fit and thus we had a first name. The middle name proved to be much more difficult than the first. We had decided that we wanted a J name for reasons I can't remember. I think just because a J name sounded good with Tyler. I don't know. We had thrown around James and Jordan. Mark just wanted flat out J or Jay which I would not even consider. Anyway, in kindergarten last quarter, we did a name project and as part of that project we sent home papers for the parents to fill out about how their child got their name, who named them, if they were named after anyone, any special meanings or reasons, etc. And as I read those papers as they came back I realized that my son had nothing special in his name, aside from the fact that it was his name and his daddy picked it out. Tyler means tile layer - woopee. Nothing really special there. He wasn't named after anyone. It was just a name we liked. So I sent myself on a mission to get my son a name to be proud of! I played around with Tyler Mark or Tyler David after Mark, but for some reason Mark really didn't want that. I threw around names that had meaning like Wyatt or James, but still nothing. Nothing felt right. Then finally I was talking to someone (I forget who) and they mentioned my dad's name - Thomas. Tyler Thomas...uh no. Just say it out loud once and you'll agree. It just doesn't work. But then I thought, what about my dad's middle name - John. Hey! Its a J name, it has a great meaning, and it comes from a great man!! (Apparently it has some ancestral significance too that I have yet to learn). John means God is gracious and it was the name of John the beloved and John the baptist - two of the most loved and respected of Christ's apostles/disciples. But even better to me is that he will have part of my dad's name - one of the best men on earth and a great example to follow! It just hit me how right that name was. It fit perfectly! Mark was good with it and thus a full name was born. I can't wait to try it out on little Tyler John when he is born!

34 Weeks

So, I've done a terrible job updating this blog and posting pictures of my tummy.  So here you go, here is the most recent picture.  Pretty big, I think.  Although, I get told almost daily by someone new how small I am.  "You're due in November?  Impossible!"  Quite possible, I assure you.  And my personal favorite, "You can't even tell you're pregnant from the back."  Well then, obviously you don't remember what I used to look like from the back.  People, my back, hips, and ever stretching skin can tell you that I am indeed having this baby soon.    

I have 6 more weeks left, give or take.  Hopefully give, being that my mom didn't schedule her flight down here until the day after my due date.  I think I need my mommy this time, Mark is as clueless as I am, if not more.  We are slowly but surely getting the nursery ready (pictures coming soon).  It makes me so excited!!  I just go in there right now and sit for a while.  Yes, I am going to be one of those weird parents that just watch my baby sleep.  I washed all the baby clothes and blankets that I have already in Dreft so its extra soft for my little boy.  Its so weird and fun to think that soon a little baby will be in those clothes and sleeping in that crib and be mine forever and ever!  

As far as pregnancy woes are concerned, I think I have been spared the horrendous ones.  All in all I am still feeling pretty good and can mostly walk normal.  I do have back and hip pain a lot of the time, mostly at night when I am trying to sleep.  I guess Heavenly Father planned it pretty well when he planned pregnancy.  I wake up every hour or two to turn over (which is a quite the process now a days) or go to the bathroom - which will hopefully prepare me somewhat for those night time feedings.  I don't really get heartburn, but I get some big time acid reflux and indigestion.  For a while there I thought maybe my morning sickness was coming back, but I learned it was just indigestion.  The acid reflux is just not fun, but luckily tums seem to help these lovely side effects of pregnancy well enough.  I do miss being able to pick myself up off the floor, get up off the couch or out of bed, and bend over.  Mark thinks its hilarious to watch me roll off the bed until my feet can reach the floor and I can pull myself up.  And when I drop something, I groan in displeasure that I have to somehow pick it up.  Luckily at school I have 28 five year olds who are more than happy to rush to my aid.  Mark isn't quite as eager. . . hahaha :)  I also miss breathing.  I find myself out of breath and dizzy for no reason.  However, all not so fun symptoms aside, I love being pregnant and feeling him move and knowing that soon he will be here with me.  Sometimes I feel like we play games.  I push down on a part of my stomach and he kicks or moves something across that spot.  Then I change spots and he follows me.  I do this for a while and I just love it!  I am so excited (well not for labor and what not) but to have him in my arms!  I can't wait!!!  

Baby Shower

One of the kindergarten teachers threw a baby shower for me and another teacher who is a month ahead of me.  It was so fun!  Here we are in the teacher's classroom.  I'm the one with the blue bags (the other teacher is having a girl - obviously).

Awww!  I love baby stuff!

I know I look ravishing in this picture, but I mostly wanted you to see my girth and I'm even bigger now and its only been a week!

More cute baby boy stuff!  I can't believe soon I will have a baby that will fit into that!

It was a great shower and I got a lot of great things from the awesome teachers at Riverside Prep!  Thank you all!

A Scare

It's been a while.  School started about a month ago and with it went all my free time.  No seriously, ALL my free time.  So anyway, I am 27 weeks and feeling great.  He was kicking like crazy, no swelling, no heartburn, everything was good.   A couple days ago his movement slowed way down, but that had happened before and within a day he was back to his normal self - so I forced myself to continue on with life and not worry about it.  However, the lack of movement continued yesterday and still today.  To further my worry I started having what I think were braxton hicks contractions and all the movements I did feel were lower than they had ever been.  Finally, we get to today and he would not move at all.  I ate and laid on my left side to see if that would get something out of him, but no.  I pushed and prodded and poked - nothing.  Finally we had to leave for the beach for a young men/young women beach trip and I told myself to just go and eventually he would move - wrong again.  I drank coke (and I hate coke) and laid down on a blanket - still nothing.  I ate more - again nothing.  So it had been three days of decreased movement and about half a day with none.  I was really starting to get worried.  I finally gave in and called Kaiser to see what I should do.  The labor and delivery nurse told me to go to the nearest Kaiser and get monitored which of course scared me even more.  I thought she might tell me to go eat or drink juice and lay down or something.  So I pretty much broke down right there on the beach and bawled like a baby while Mark and other wonderful friends got a GPS, some food, and a car for us.  I was also fortunate enough to be surrounded by men who could give me a blessing.  The nearest Kaiser happened to be the Bellflower medical center - a rather ghetto looking hospital.  It was about 30 minutes away and the whole ride over still no movement.  Anyway, ghetto or not, the labor and delivery people were great.  They got me right in, put on a fetal monitor and wouldn't you know it the kid starts moving like CRAZY!!  I felt like an idiot.  They kept saying things like, "Well, he's sure active now."  I promise this is the first time I've felt him all day!  I swear!  They did reassure me that I had done the right thing by coming in, but I still felt a bit embarrassed.  Anyway, embarrassed or not, I am glad I went in because it reassured me of many things - the baby was alive and moving, I had plenty of amniotic fluid, I was not having contractions, and I was not dilating (even though the doctor thought I might be because he was sitting extremely low - so I was right about that).  I think the blessing definitely helped.  I may never know to what extent, but I am sure it did.  So, the scare was averted and all is well.  The doctor said I have a very healthy pregnancy and all is as good as it possibly could be!  I am so grateful!  

So when I got home I googled the hospital trying to find pictures that would show its true ghettoness and lo and behold I find that Octomom had her babies there!  So ghetto or not - that hospital has quite the history!    

Half way!

I am officially past the halfway mark!!  I hit 20 weeks last Friday YAY!!  I am totally over feeling sick and even most food aversions - FINALLY.  I think I am finally starting to eat like a pregnant woman.  I have gained 10 lbs in the last 3 weeks - my doctor would be proud - and I don't seem to be slowing down any.  I also think I have finally joined the obviously pregnant club.  In the past couple days I have popped out a bit more than even my most recent belly bump shots.  Yes, ok, so I am still small comparatively, but for me it's big.  I have even had my fair share of unwelcome belly rubs.  I don't know - I never felt the need to touch another's belly, but to each their own I guess.  I have also started have back pain - not fun.  My new favorite pregnancy symptom is acid reflux - YUCK!!  If I lay down even 2 hours after I eat ANYTHING its up in my throat again within minutes and if I burp its one of those way way nasty throw up burps and sometimes I really think I just will puke.  Gross huh?  At least I don't have heartburn - I hear that hurts.  Baby movements come and go based on his position, I'm assuming.  Sometimes it feels like he is "hu-pa-choo"-ing (my brother's word for karate moves when he was a wee tike) in my body.  Other times I hardly feel him at all and I start to do the crazy paranoid thing and worry.        

Recently, Mark and I went to Babys'R'us and Target to check out baby stuff.  We pushed strollers and carried carseats- well more like hit, flipped over, ran into things, yanked around and threw strollers and carseats- to make sure they were sturdy.  I'm sure the employees of both Babys'R'us and Target loved us.  But hey I want to know that no matter what I put that stroller and carseat through - my baby will be safe and comfortable.  We also looked at play yards and swings and if I could I would have placed 50 lb weights in both and knocked those around a bit too, but I had to be satisfied with yanking, pushing, pulling and putting as much weight in them as possible with my arms.  However, I can say that I feel good about our selections - for the time being at least.  I did find the best, most comfortable glider ever invented and well worth every penny of the $400 it costs.  I am going to give Mark a heart attack.  But I say, if I have to be in that sucker at 3 am I want to be comfortable - got that!  I am still up in the air about cribs and nursery furniture.  The ones I want are all out of stock - boo!  Plus, Mark just doesn't understand that they all have to match.  If it were up to him our crib would be oak, our dresser would be cherry, and the changer would be espresso or something.  How can I explain to a man that the wood has to match?  He almost died when he saw how much a bedding set cost - I mean we paid FAR less for ours and it is twice if not three times as much material.  Dang stores know parents are suckers.  If I were any more domestic I would just make the thing.   

As far as names go, I am pretty sure we have narrowed it down to Tyler, Aidan, or Mason.  And more specifically Tyler and Aidan.  Personally, I think it will end up being Tyler, or Ty.  Mark is really set on having a name that can be shortened into a nickname and Tyler is really the only name that does that out of the names we picked.  It means tile layer...woo that's exciting.  I know name meanings don't mean much but how anticlimatic to be like 13 and look up your name meaning and find out it means tile layer.  Lame.  Mason means brick layer - so that's really not any better and Aidan means little fire, a little bit better, but not much.  We'll just have to give him a middle name that means something AWESOME!  I was thinking Wyatt - it means little warrior.  Tyler Wyatt Andreasen...what do you think?  Mark's cousin named her little boy Wyatt and he is adorable!  We'll see.  Just watch - we'll have 10 different names picked out over the next 5 months and then the baby will be born and we will pick out a completely different name.  When I was looking at girl names, way back when, I found one that meant husband slayer....can you imagine???

Anyway, those are my updates for my 2o week mark.  This is starting to feel really real and close!  YAY!!          

Movement!

Mark felt the baby move today!!  It was so fun and exciting!!  I've been feeling it move for a few weeks now, but mark finally felt it!!  We were just sitting on the couch and it felt like I could feel the movements stronger than usual so I put my hand over it to see if I could feel it and I could so I grabbed Mark's hand real quick to see if he could too and he did!  It was so fun I almost cried and laughed at the same time!  To quote Mark, "Is he trying to kick out of there?" Haha!!  This is one of the best moments of my pregnancy so far!!