Aloha Baby

Decorating the nursery has been a challenge for me. Not knowing if we're having a boy or a girl is part of that, but it's also because I'm just not altogether artistic or creative and trying to pick out all this cutesy baby stuff hasn't come so naturally.




I've spent a lot of time surfing websites looking for the right crib bedding and although I found some that seemed acceptable, nothing really blew me away and made me think, "That's it!" And crib bedding collections are way more expensive than you'd think... add shipping to Hawaii and you're looking at $400+ which just seems ridiculous to me.


But my baby is not going to sleep on a sheetless mattress, and I'm already feeling the pressure to be a good mommy and provide the cutest stuff for my kid, so I persevered with my search. Finally I found the "Aloha Baby Collection"... sweet! Totally unisex and decorated with palm trees and surf boards. That's perfect. I'll spend $$$ on that. Click to order. Add to basket. And then the notice appears:


Order cannot be processed. Item has been discontinued.


What??


I checked several more websites and they all said they same thing... item unavailable. I was pretty bummed. Back to the drawing board.


I figured rather than spending all that extra money to have some random crib bedding that I didn't even like so much shipped here, that I would just go into town and shop around in person at the two baby stores we have here on Oahu. (We don't have Babies-R-Us which is a bummer.) Anyway, with some amount of ambivalence, I walked into the first store to check out what I knew would be a limited selection of stuff.


And then there it was. I spotted it immediately from across the room.

Me: (to store clerk): Is that the Aloha Baby Collection?


Clerk: Yes. Let me check though to see what we actually have in stock...


I waited, almost holding my breath, until she came back and told me they had 2 left. I'll take it! And just like that I plopped down my credit card and took those palm tree decorated sheets, bumpers and mobile home to my nest.
I also got the Aloha Shirt shaped diaper stacker...
And the cute Beach Baby hamper...

The nest is almost complete! And Mama Simmons is happy. :)

Ocean Running

S.A.T. Test prep for the day:

Ocean Running is to Pool Running as Trail Running is to Road Running.

It was actually pretty cool today. Scott and I headed out to Lanikai Beach, which is on the Windward side of Oahu, which means that during normal Tradewind weather (east winds), the water is gonna be choppy. Don't be fooled by the apparent serenity of this picture. It was choppy!

But I looked at it as a good challenge. I had to be much more alert through this run so I could avoid a) kicking a surprise piece of shallow reef rock, b) getting surprise smacked in the face by windswell water and thereby suffering a salt water eye wash, and c) any painful portugese man-o-war stings.

I was mostly successful. Only one really good salt water eye wash, one small brush with kicking the reef (no broken skin), and a complete avoidance of man-o-war today.

The whole thing was way more interesting than pool running though b/c the views were so much much better and time went by faster since I had to pay attention so much more for my own safety. I kind of ran back and forth between two bouys that were out there and it was like doing hill repeats because going against the chop was way harder than turning around and going back. Scott surfed for 50 minutes and I was in there running the whole time. :)

Afterward Scott wanted to take another picture of my belly but I'm kind of over the belly shots at this point. But I did allow this one... just for its artistic value.

I swear I used to think that pregnancy made my butt and boobs so much bigger. Clearly, the butt and boobs have been dwarfed!

Faked Out

It appears that the 'false labor' episode of last week has subsided. The contractions I'm having now are more like the ones I'd been having all along- totally irregular and mostly painless. A couple times a day (more often actually at night) I get one that feels crampy but it hasn't been lasting as long.

I didn't know much about 'false labor' until I googled it. Apparently its pretty common to have an episode or two like what I had prior to actually going into real labor. And it can be hard to tell the difference at times too. What I wonder about is how long between the fake episode and the real one? Because I'm ready for the real one. Bring it on.

The problem is that you can't sit around counting and timing contractions or you'll drive yourself nuts. My new pact with myself is I'm not going to do that again until I can't breathe through them. ;)

Yesterday I managed to get to the pool for a swim and water run. An hour of exercise makes everything better. Although what I'm really craving is several hours of really hard core training. The kind that leaves you feeling like a wet noodle afterward... and then with sore muscles the next day. I find myself day dreaming about that a lot.

Today Scott and I are going to go to the beach so he can surf a bit and I'll water run while he does that. Seems like a good way to spend a Sunday in Hawaii!

Today Is NOT That Day

To steal a quote from Frayed Laces...

I am torn between being relieved and being disappointed.

Doc says I'm 1 cm dilated, which is a change from last week, but essentially all these contractions I'm having aren't having a real big effect. Doc seemed to think that could change at any time, although I just read that a breech baby doesn't cause a woman to dilate as rapidly b/c the head is not pressing on the cervix...

It's really too early to have this baby... it would be quite little if it were born now (less than 5.5 lbs) so it's really better to let it stay in there and grow a little more before coming out to meet us. On the other hand, thinking about continuing to have these painful menstual-like cramps nearly full time for the next several weeks isn't exactly a thrilling thought for me.

Looks like we're scheduling the External Version (to turn the baby head down) for sometime next week (assuming I don't actually go into labor first). She said they might not actually even try it if I'm still having contractions every 3 minutes because my uterus would be too hard for them to get in there and manipulate baby's position. I'm waiting for a call back from the hospital where they would do it to get an appointment.

Doc also said that if the turning doesn't work and baby stays breech (or turns itself back afterward), that a perinatologist at that teaching hospital may go ahead and allow me to try a vaginal breech delivery. I'll have to cross that bridge if/when we come to it. Anyone out there reading this ever delivered a breech baby vaginally? If so, please contact me and let me know about your experience!

So the contractions continue. It doesn't seem to matter if I sit, stand, sleep, shower, or swim... so I think I'll spend the rest of my pre-labor time in the water... Then again, if I don't get some sleep soon I'd probably drown. Being up the last 2 nights with these contractions is taking its toll. Nap time now for mommy.

Am I Going To Have My Baby Today?

It's 3:00 AM and I got up to time these contractions again. I've been trying to ignore them because I keep telling myself that it's too early and that these are just BH contractions so they don't count.

But they have gotten increasingly painful over the last 48 hours... like bad menstrual cramps... and I've even felt some pain radiating into my back and down my thighs. Not hugely painful... manageable pain... like a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Some are definitely worse than others.

They come pretty consistently now, 3-4 minutes apart, for about a minute each.

I'm still in denial that this could be the real thing because I just think its too early. But I suppose I'll call my doctor in the morning and she'll probably tell me to go into the birth center, which will be good because at least they can tell me if I'm starting to dilate or not.

I haven't hit the magical 36 week mark yet so if indeed I am going to have my baby today, they'll send me to Kapiolani to have it cut out (since baby's head is still up under my right rib). I can't believe that's going to happen today. I don't even have a bag packed. And the car seat hasn't been installed. And we don't have a plan for what to do with the dog.

I'll update later in the day if I'm not undergoing major surgery to remove my little uterine tenant.

Boy or Girl???

So I've been getting lots of comments lately about whether I'm having a boy or a girl... Everyone seems to have their theory based on the size/shape of my big belly...I'm kind of leaning girl... not sure why. Maybe it's because 4 of my close neighbors here just recently had boys and I think that for the sake of evening out the world's population I have to have a girl! But Scott has had some definite boy premonitions (even though he can't decide on a name yet if indeed he's right).

What do you think? I set up a poll on the sidebar to the right... You can practice voting starting now! :)

My Pregnant Journey

One month to go. So near, yet so far.

Being this close to the end has caused me to spend some time looking back on this inaugural pregnant journey... bear with me as I try to remember it.

Month 1. Why am I waking up with a little nausea? It's just a little. Hmmm... Could I be pregnant? No. Couldn't be. I'm training so well right now and feeling faster and fitter than I ever have in February. Go to the drug store. Buy the sticks. Go for a bike ride. Feel these little weird twinges in my uterus area while riding. Get home. Pee on the stick... It's just a faint little line. What does a faint line mean? Go online and google 'faint line'. Says a faint line is a positive. Can't be. Next morning. Try to test again but I'm so nervous I drop the whole stick in the toilet. Must wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow morning. Pee on stick again. Faint line again. Remind myself to breathe. Tell Scott. Call my doctor.

Month 2. At this point I still don't understand what all this is going to mean to my life, but I know that I probably shouldn't be training like I had been, so I decide to give that up for now. I'll still exercise, I promise myself, but there's a big difference between training and exercise. How long am I going to be able to keep this secret from my training partners? Me showing up on the Saturday morning ride is as predictable as the sun coming up. After two weeks of pitiful excuses (cop-out via email) about why I'm not going to be on the ride or at the track, one of my training partners calls me and asks what the heck is going on. I tell him but ask him to keep it to himself because it's all still really early and everything I read says don't tell anyone yet... I spend the next week emailing race directors asking for partial refunds for the spring races I was entered in and planning on doing. Looking back now, I probably could have completed them without issue (alright, the 1/2 Ironman at 20 weeks may not have been a good idea), but I don't generally do triathlon races just for the heck of it. I'd rather race. The really good news about this month is that Scott and I got engaged! Better hurry up with the wedding planning... baby's on its way!

Month 3. I'm starting to adjust to the idea of being pregnant. I'm traveling a lot for work, running some, still lifting weights, but hesitant to swim because I'm feeling fat. Looking back, that was such a joke. I was not fat. But my stomach wasn't concave like it had been and since I wasn't telling a lot of people yet what was really going on, the thought of people quietly thinking to themselves, "She's gaining weight!" was beyond my comfort level. So I only went to the pool when I felt confident that no one I knew would be there to see me in a bathing suit. Wedding plans were in full swing though and eventually it was no longer a secret what was going on with me. Hmmm... let's see... Michelle stopped training and pulled out of the spring races, she and Scott are getting married next month, and she's not drinking beer. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, folks.

Month 4. Busy month that involved getting married! And meeting my inlaws! And Scott got to meet most of my family... what a crazy time. But really fun. We had an awesome and beautiful perfect wedding and everyone seemed genuinely happy for us. :) I was thrilled to be marrying the man of my dreams, and Scott has always wanted the family with the white picket fence (ok, skip the fence for a house on the beach but you know what I mean)... so all was well in the world. I was just barely showing- I could tell that I had a little belly but I guess someone who didn't know me wouldn't have guessed. I was still running and lifting, and had started back swimming since the reason for my little pooch was no longer a secret.

Month 5. Business as usual. Baby's growing according to schedule. I'm in a little routine of working and exercising and getting used to being married. It's time to think about getting stretchy pants and longer tops that accomodate my growing belly. And a new swimsuit that will fit. The more astute (and brave!) people at work start to notice and ask questions. I don't really mind. I'm swimming a lot now and even do a couple of the summer ocean swim races that I have loved doing over the last few years.

Month 6. My boss calls and I hear the news that the layoffs at my company are actually affecting me. As in, they're not employing anyone in Hawaii anymore. What??? I pick myself up off the floor and thank my lucky stars that I have such an awesome and supportive husband to help me get through all this. The changes in my life in the last 6 months have been enormous and I start to wonder who I am?? What happened to that independent athlete gal with the great career? Oh, now she's barefoot and pregnant staying at home reading books about how to raise babies. If it weren't for Scott, I'm sure I would have spent my entire severance at the therapist's office.

Month 7. I'm settling into a different routine that involves a lot of cooking and cleaning and gathering baby items. Baby stores overwhelm and scare me. I start to think about how to decorate baby's room, which is a bigger challenge than you'd think when you don't know if you're having a boy or a girl. Thank goodness for blogging. I'm still swimming but not running or lifting anymore. I discover water running which, if nothing else, makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I can retain some running fitness so I don't have to start over like a total novice after baby's born. My doctor continues to tell me that everything is fine, and all those contractions I'm having are just Braxton Hicks so nothing to worry about. I'm actually glad that my uterus is training so hard for the big event coming up soon.Month 8. The whole pregnancy can't be completely without issue. This month I'm continually plagued with knowing that my baby hasn't figured out where its head is supposed to be in order to get out of my uterus the way its meant to. I keep feeling the head trying to carve out its own exit right underneath my right rib. And then there's the pre-term labor scare with all the excessive contractions and my new goal becomes trying not to deliver a baby that can't yet breathe on its own at 33 weeks.Month 9. Home stretch! Still trying not to have baby too early, which may still prove to be a challenge... just for the heck of it last night, I started timing my contractions and counting how many I was getting while I was sitting on the couch watching my Tivo'd version of The Biggest Loser. I could have set my watch by them every 3 minutes. I had 20 between 8:21 PM and 9:21 PM. Nice. That worried me a little but I was waiting for them to intensify before thinking about going into the hospital. They didn't get any worse so I went to sleep.

I have a feeling the rest of this month will include a lot of wondering if I'm going to give birth today... we still have a lot more last minute preparations to do so I'll keep myself busy doing all that and before you know it, I'll be the one posting pictures of little junior on this blog and talking about how I'm not sleeping much and the kid pees on everything within a 3 foot radius. But of course s/he is going to be the cutest baby ever to be born... and then one of these days I'll blog about how I got to use my super stealth baby jogger for a whole 2 miles today...