I can't wait...

• To meet Lola and see what she looks like
• To see how Max interacts with Lola
• To be done with heartburn
• To be able to put socks on with ease
• To be able to go to the grocery store
• For the other small child I birthed, 'Roid to go back where he came from
• To wear normal clothes and my high-heeled boots
• To not have pain in my pelvis/lower back
• For the next 48 hours to go quickly and uneventfully
• To be back home again as a family of 4
  

Almost There...

I had my last (LAST!) pregnancy check-up today. Some days (most days) it feels like I've been pregnant for years, but it's pretty surreal that we're going to have a baby in less than 6 days! The check up went well. I've gained two pounds in the past week (and my stop by McDonald's after the appointment sure didn't help) and Lola is now about 7 lbs.

I'm shocked, stunned, amazed glad we made it to December, for the health of the baby, of course, but also because I like December better than November. November has it's turkey, which makes it a contender, but it's just there... Fall Break is over, it's almost Christmas and the end of the teaching semester, it's almost...

I need to squeeze in one last pregnancy picture this week.

John's now on paternity leave (with a couple of quick visits to school for meetings) until next Wednesday. He gets ten days, but it's hard this time of year with finals, so he may be going in a bit part-time and won't use all his ten days, but he gets three weeks for Winter Vacation, so the timing couldn't be better!

Never Thought I'd See This!

Well, at least not while the baby was inside me!
FULL TERM!!!!!

I go to the doctor tomorrow for my last check up before my hospital admission on Monday. I'll let you know what happens, since I have nothing else exciting to report!

Week 35

Let's just say there's not a whole lot for me to post about since I don't really leave the house, and I'm sure you're not interested about what I made for dinner last night or the laundry I've done, or how there's a fly in the house that's driving me crazy. But an update is due.

I did leave the house a couple of times in the past two weeks. One was for the Shi-chi Go San ceremony that didn't quite happen (for us). Max refused to put on his gorgeous kimono and he and Mom ended up in tears, both taking an early nap at 10:00 am. That afternoon, after sleeping off the morning catastrophe, we ventured out into the beautiful fall afternoon onto the Green Belt behind our house and got a couple of nice pictures, not like the family ones at the shrine I was envisioning for our Christmas cards, but they're cute nonetheless.
Yesterday, I had my check-up/second blood draw. Lola is active and running out of room! Her measurements put her a couple weeks ahead size-wise (with a huge femur and belly) and her guesstimate weight this week is 6 lbs! I've read online that that can be off by a pound or two (either way). I think she has bruised my ribs internally; her cute little flutters and kicks are full on karate chops which have me in pain and make me a little nervous (like I'm going to pee my pants) when they end up on my bladder. My second blood draw (of 3) was yesterday, and felt much better than the first one, so I actually ventured to the 100 Yen store (in the same building) for wrapping paper and stocking stuffers - talk about a big day out!

Not much else... Just anxiously waiting for the 7th. We hope for logistical reasons that I can make it to that date, but really, we've made it SOOOOO far and she's practically full term, so we can't complain at all!

Practicing...

We've been talking a lot about Lola lately. This summer, Nana gave Maximo many "big brother" books and they are regularly making it into the nightly mix. He knows where baby Lola is and is using words like "little sister" and "baby", but really, he has no clue.

He was intrigued when John installed the baby hammock, and wanted to climb into it. Then he pulled some of the teeny diapers out of the diaper changer, so I figured, let's practice on his stuffed animal monkey. We talked about him helping change Lola's diaper and holding her (only when Mommy or Daddy is around!). He seemed to enjoy giving his monkey the attention at least for about 3 minutes - enough to put a diaper on him, swaddle him, rock him a bit, and then tuck him into bed and read to him.

We're really interested to see what Maximo is going to think of all this. I'm sure we'll have plenty of stories to tell.

Big Girl

The latest guesstimate from the ultrasound:

(A screenshot of my iPhone as I use my handy-dandy metric converter)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My visit today went well. We're now at 33 weeks and she's measuring a bit big (on Japanese charts) which is fine by me!

The doctor didn't scold me for my weight gain... 3 lbs in two weeks. (I just think she forgot as she was getting my paperwork ready as I was leaving.)

Incompetent Cervix is proving competent when you stitch her closed.

Blood banking starts next week for the three weeks up until my scheduled c-section.

Are we going to make it?

Oh, I really do hope so!

Location:Rokko Island Hospital

The Only Evidence

We live in a two bedroom apartment, so we've been trying to figure out how this baby's going to fit. Sleep schedules are important to us - imperative to me, because I'm a train wreck without sleep. So after many discussions and different scenarios, we've decided to keep Lola in our room at least for the first six months and then maybe bunk the kids together.

Since our two bedroom apartment happens to be in Japan, we don't have huge rooms. It's more common for Japanese families to all sleep together. Normally they use their tatami rooms for this and pull out futons, but I think younger families actually use beds and bedrooms (I don't know what else you'd use the "bedrooms" for). We currently use our tatami room as our dining room and have no heating/air in that room, so that doesn't really work for us anyways.

Since it's nearly impossible to fit the crib in our room with our bed, we're going to try using a baby hammock. Friends of ours from school gave one to us, so we're going to give it a whirl. Hopefully it'll work out. Let's see if we manage sharing a room with Miss Lola for six months (I'm sure John will find his way to the couch, which is where he'll need to be to get a decent night's sleep since he's got to get up for work). And then after that... who knows. Maybe the boys will bunk and the girls will bunk... or maybe, just maybe, the stars will align, and the kids will easily share a room. I used to love jumping off the top bunk on to sharing a room with my sister.
So for now, besides me being a current fixture on the couch, this is the only evidence there's a baby joining the family:

The Decision

Well, the doctor made the decision for us at my last visit. She said that she didn't think it was wise for me to keep working since I was continuing to have contractions. So, my agonizing over making the decision, was brought to an end. I appreciate all of our friends and family who gave us their thoughts, which overwhelmingly were "STOP WORKING!". This doesn't mean I don't feel guilty about my students, but they'll survive. A good substitute has been hired for the rest of the year, so hopefully I can tie up all my loose ends in the next week or two (and complete my report cards) and have a little closure with that.

So, what else did the doctor say? Lola is doing well. She's growing and is measuring over four pounds! Yipee! I was still having contractions, so the doctor told me to just stay on the anti-contraction medication until my c-section. Yesterday, my contractions seem to go away a bit. Today, I've had a few, but not like I was having. My cervix is still long and closed, so the stitches are doing their job.

BUT, of course there's a but, there is some concern that my uterus is adhering to my old c-section scar which could cause problems during my c-section, specifically "massive bleeding". These are two words that really give me the shivers. Like I haven't put my dues in with this pregnancy... so if I make it to my c-section date, then I have to worry about profusely bleeding?? So, the doctors want to have blood on hand, just in case I need a transfusion. They will actually start taking some of my blood in the upcoming weeks to store for my surgery - hopefully they'll just be able to toss it when my surgery is over. Seriously, these Lemley kids are high maintenance from such an early age (but worth it).

I've been sitting around the house, feeling okay. Actually feeling very normal when sitting down, and a bit uncomfortable when I'm walking around, so I hope I'll make it, as long as I take it easy.

I had a lot of questions for the doctor the last visit, many "what ifs". The biggest ones was what if she comes early... well, besides having to deal with another emergency c-section, and premature baby in the NICU, I would not be able to have the baby at the hospital I've been going to (the one 5 minutes from our house) and my doctor would not be the one performing the delivery. She said that she would deliver the baby as early as 34 weeks, but no earlier. In my head, 35 weeks is when I feel we can breathe easier. I hope, I hope, I hope!

Here's me today, @ 31 1/2 weeks (starting to get a little rounder everywhere):

A Lot of Time to Think

Taking it easy is easier said than done when living with a three year old. Maximo loves to be outside and the weather this weekend was gorgeous, but I couldn't enjoy any of it. John has been fantastic about getting Max outside and letting him romp around, which is what he needs, daily... or we have a monster on our hands. For me, I have to get a little more creative with my activities with Maximo. In lieu of watching tv all day, which neither of us wants to do, I'm trying to think of good "sit down" activities for Max and I to do. We spent a half hour on the floor bowling balls into each other to make them crash, which was fun for about the first five minutes.

Then I went to some of my trusty craft/motherhood blogs and found this craft for us to do. Max LOVES marshmallows, so I had to convince him that he had to put down ten marshmallows before he could eat 2 (which usually turned into about 4 he stuffed into his mouth before I could count). He is also recognizing his name and the sounds letters make, which has been fun. Lately, he'll say, "Look, Mommy, M for Max" whenever he sees an 'M' out and about. This is what we created.
And we stuck it on the refrigerator.

Then the next morning when I was distracted and talking to my brother on the phone, I found him licking it and taking little nibbles of the marshmallows (and probably Elmer's glue):

(but of course, I took a picture, before I wrestled it out of his hands)

Today, Max and John went off to school and I stayed home to "take it easy". I feel fine sitting down, although I'm still having an occasional contraction when walking around. I keep changing my mind by the minute as to what I should do about work.

Should I go back? Should I stay home and not risk it? It just feels weird to be at home and feel fairly normal and I am feeling guilty about my students and my obligations as a teacher. Some minutes I've convinced myself that I just need to stay home regardless of how I feel and the next, I'm thinking, I feel fine and probably feel more pregnancy symptoms - my lovely heartburn, the aches in my pelvis, etc. because I'm just sitting around doing nothing.

I'm going to wrestle around with it for a few more days. I don't know what I'll do.

Superstition

I think I mentioned before how superstitious I am. When I was growing up, I'd follow the same routine if my softball team was winning or I was hitting well - everything from eating the same food, not washing my uniform and wearing the same clothes down to my underwear. This continued when Max was little - whatever worked for him to have a good night's sleep: I'd try to replicate it exactly - the number of books read, the amount of milk he drank, the lighting in the room, music, the number of blankets... I know a bit obsessive.

Well, yesterday was the "day" during my pregnancy that Maximo was born. Coincidentally (or not), I ended up in the hospital yesterday with pressure and contractions. I don't think it was psycho-somatic, but really, who knows. Lola is fine and my cervix is still long and closed, so that was reassuring, but I'm still feeling pressure like I did with Maximo. So, I'm going to take the next few days off of work and I'm taking anti-contraction medication. I really just want to make it at least 4-5 weeks more. I've at least made it past "30 weeks and 6 days". I remember when Maximo was born, all I wanted to get past was September 3rd (the day my dad died). I don't know why, superstition perhaps, but I was worried the whole day, like this was just a day of doom and he was going to be taken too. Luckily, it was an uneventful day (as uneventful as the NICU was then) and I hope Lola hangs out in the womb for a wee bit longer. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday to see how the babe and the infamous incompetent cervix are doing. I'll tell you one thing, this body is not made for pregnancy.

Labeled

I remember way before we ever even thought of Maximo, struggling to "see the baby" when looking at a grainy black and white sonogram picture and usually not figuring out what I was looking at...

But in the past three years, I've looked at over thirty or more and we've been lucky enough to get to see sonograms each time we visit the doctor (for both kiddos). Because anatomy and physiology have always fascinated me, I ask the doctor many questions as he/she has checked the baby's measurements and we've watched them flipping around. So now, I'm a pro at "guess the part of the baby", although you may be not.

So, I've labeled the "creepy" sonograms of Lola:
And not to leave out big brother, here's a recent picture of him at the Osaka Castle playground, which he LOVES!

A Baby and Maximo Update

It's been ridiculously busy at work - so much so that I barely feel like I'm balancing everything. I'm trying to "take it easy" as much as I can, and I normally feel pretty good physically, but this week has been rough... and this week is continuing for me into the weekend as I have signed up for a workshop which is being hosted at our school Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print when I signed up for a full-day workshop for the whole weekend, but, fortunately, it was great today and motivating.

I had my check up this week and Lola is doing well. Her size is good (1550 g *3.4 lbs.* about the size of Max at birth) and my cervix is still completely closed! This is encouraging because this was the same time as the check up I had with Maximo when I learned that things were taking a turn for the worst. She's jumping, dancing and kicking around quite a bit. So much so, that I have a hard time sleeping at night.

I'm getting big as you can see:And this is what the little lady looks like:
I get ultrasound pictures every time I have a doctor's appointment, which is a perk of having a baby outside the US. Unfortunately, my doctor likes to get "head on" shots of the baby. All the photos are creepy alien -like vacant-eyed skull shots. Not those cute, profile, baby shots you normally see. So, I'll spare you those shots, or maybe I'll make a photo montage for Halloween.

I get these updates weekly through BabyCenter. It's a nice little weekly email to look forward to which explains where the baby is developmentally and its approximate size. And as the kids get older, it switches to monthly emails, which I still receive for Maximo.

And now on to Maximo... he has been really fun lately. The things he does and says are always entertaining to John and I. He, of course, has his moments, like when he pitched a fit this week because he didn't want to wear pants to school (because his Thomas underwear were just too cool)., or when the stem of the banana broke and he couldn't peel it from the top by himself - you know, HUGE toddler problems. But on a whole, he's been a joy and so curious and excited about everything around him.

To add on to our busy week, both John and Max were a bit under the weather. Maximo has a nasty cough, but has been fairly happy, so he's gone off to daycare all week. Today we got this note (we get notes everyday, and love that connection with what's going on during the day).
This one takes a bit of deciphering...

She's Crafty

So far, no news is good news. I said I'd post after every doctor's visit, but this is a week (and a half) late. Work has been insanely busy and I'm not getting everything done and my to-do list gets bigger by the day.

I had my doctor's visit the other day after an overnight trip with the fifth grade class... and everything looked good. Since running around with a bunch of 5th graders didn't put stress on my body, I'm hoping that I'll go the distance with bebe #2.
I did get another "talking to" about my weight, but... I'm not too concerned, let's just say that my prenatal vitamins have a tendency to slow things down... so I had a little extra weight (ah, hem 5-6 days worth) in my body. (Sorry if that was too many details!)

While I was waiting at the hospital (for the hour it took to do the gestational diabetes test), I was playing with my iPhone. There's a new option on facebook to "show your location". So, I posted where I was. So, my facebook profile read:

Julie just checked in to Rokko Island Hospital.

Luckily the location was in Japanese, but for a few of my friends, it was a bit alarming. I'm hoping I don't have to write a crazy post like that from my iPhone in the hospital, but I'll be more clear in the future.

This pregnancy is SO much different than when I was pregnant with Maximo. This one has been much harder - I had horrible morning sickness and vomiting until about 22 weeks and my weight gain is very different (I don't know how much I gained with Maximo or even with #2, because I've never cared much about wait, but with Max I got huge everywhere and with this one, it really is mostly in my belly). Even before all the "Maximo birth drama", I'm was actually surprised how pregnancy felt so "hard" on my body. I've always been pretty healthy/athletic and carrying a baby rocks my world (and not necessarily in a good way).
With this one, after I started feeling better, I am much more of a nester (John probably wouldn't notice, because I could never keep up with him with housekeeping), but I adored planning/decorating/cooking for Maximo's birthday and I am holding an afterschool activity this semester for Grade 2-5 (girls) called Wearable Art, where we make, well, art that you can wear. We've made friendship bracelets, beaded bracelets, headbands and I'm excited for the next two weeks - tie-dye shirts and one of my favorite childhood crafts, ribbon barrettes.

16 girls... lots of beads, ribbon, fabric, glue and even dye! What fun!

I was going to post my enormo bod in this post, but by the time John and I settle down for the night, I don't want to get up again, unless it's lugging this enormo bod to my bed. So, I'll get a picture before the next doctor's visit (next Wednesday) and will try to post in a timely manner.

And Her Name Will Be...

We didn't want to share the name until at least 30 weeks when we felt like we were more in the clear... but it's kind of slipped out.

That is, unless we change it in the next 10 weeks^_^

(And no, we didn't name her because of this song... that would be a bit weird... but it is a great catchy tune.)

Growing, growing, growing...

We're rounding week 25. I had a check up last week and everything is good and closed, so that's good. I only gained about a pound and a half, so my doctor was happy. The baby looks good - a little big (but she assured me her measurements were for Japanese babies, and I was okay with my big gaijin baby:). I'm now on a two week rotation for appointments which makes me a little more comfortable. Next Friday, I go in for a diabetes test - I hate drinking that sickly sweet concoction.

I have no idea what it's like to have a baby in the US, but I love that both here and in Peru you get to see the baby through an ultrasound every visit.

Work is definitely making the time go by faster, which is nice. It's ridiculously hot here, which leaves me feeling horrible at the end of some days. I try to drink a lot of water throughout the day and then take a cold shower when I get home and it seems to help.

I'll try to continue to post about HER and my health after each visit. I continue to keep my fingers crossed that I make it to DECEMBER!!!!!!! (Please do the same.)

Not Knowing What to Expect

We've had another full week. Japanese classes - playing with Maximo - dealing with a temperamental Mother Nature (Rainy Season).

John mowing our lawn with his newly purchased "mower".

Maximo is getting the poopy bit down better.
The Pirate Potty book seems to help.
And he loves getting his special stickers when he poops in the potty.
"Look Mommy, Daddy! Big Poopy!"

In a couple of hours I check into the hospital. I'm a bit anxious. I've read maybe too much on the internet and really just want to get through the next 48 hours. I have NO idea what to expect at the hospital, I know what is going to happen with my surgery, but not the rest.

I'm sure I'll forget to take my shoes off in the wrong place and will be the awkward gaijin on the floor. It adds a whole new level to staying in the hospital when I probably won't be able to communicate with any of the nurses and staff there, besides my doctor.

I'll be in the hospital for the week to recover. Hopefully all will go well. I'll keep you all posted.

Because an Apology Just Won't Cut it, Again...

Will this do?

This is the reason I haven't posted in so long. I'm sorry, really. But, most days I'm barely getting through.

This is what my days have been looking like:
5:30 Wake up with Max
Get ready for work, get Max breakfast, dressed, packed...
7:30 Drop off at daycare then head to work
7:45 - 4:30 Work
4:30 Try to make dinner - but mostly John is making it because I can't stand the smell of food
5:30 Eat dinner
6:00 Start bath time
7:00 Max goes to bed
7:02 I go to bed
I have been ridiculously tired this pregnancy. And I have much more "morning" sickness than I did with Maximo. John has been really helpful with making most of the meals and doing almost everything around the house. I was taking a course on Tuesday nights which just finished this week and we now have two weeks until the end of school. We can't wait! The end of work for a while and hopefully I'll feel better because I'll be at the end of my first trimester.

So, what else...
The due date is Dec 26th.
I'll probably going in for surgery in 3-4 weeks for a cerclage to help prevent what happened with Maximo.
I'm already beginning to show! YIKES!We're super excited and a little nervous.

Hopefully I start to feel better soon (and am able to stay up past 7) to post about this experience and our summer!