Jenny Ford, founder of Monkey-Toes.com - Week 37

Week 37

Have I introduced our dog Tate to you yet?  If not, now might be the appropriate time (confused? Be patient).  Tate is our 3 year old rescue Beagle and is quite quirky.  We’ve actually nicknamed him “The Piggle” – Pig + Beagle = Piggle.  Why you ask?  Because he is lazy, snorts, rolls in dirt, snores louder than I’ve ever heard an old man snore, drools, digs in the trash, eats soap and I am sure there are many other pig-like characteristics I am forgetting here, but hopefully you get the jest.  I know, nasty, but he’s ours and he brings us hours of entertainment and lots of laughter.

So why the detailed description of our dog?  Because I believe that this pregnancy is turning me into a Piggle.  Tate and I have clashing personalities and I think it’s because we are becoming similar – ever had that connection with a friend? Or should I say “Frenemy”?  Of course there are going to be some similarities between you and your dog – getting excited when Tim walks in the door, searching non-stop for food (though I don’t dig in the trash for it – unless maybe it was cake that isn’t touching anything.  C’mon you’d do it too.), enjoying a good walk, love a nap on the couch (even though the dog is NOT supposed to be on the couch, but he ignores that rule and my scolds), finding the perfect sunny spot to lounge in, etc.   As you know from earlier posts I started snoring.  It’s gotten completely out of control now.  I caught Tim making a bee-line for the door in the middle of the night because it was so bad – he was headed for a quiet couch somewhere in the basement where the sounds might be muffled, ya that’s right just muffled, he’d probably still hear a little of my old man snoring.  How embarrassing.  And when he describes my snoring he depicts Tate and how bad and loudly he snores.  I’ve tried to control it through cleansing my sinuses before bed, blowing my nose, etc.  It is doing no good.  Another really hot pregnancy trait, recently I’ve been waking up in pools of drool.  This is no small amount folks.  This is “a fish could swim in the puddle I created on the pillow” quantities.  I’ve hit an all time low.  It’s official and I’m admitting it - I am Tate.

I had an appointment this week, looks like things are progressing for this Piggle.  I have topped the scales at this point at 162, which I believe puts me at….carry the one….40 lbs of pure, sexy pregnancy (I’m changing my mindset – it’s not “weight” it’s “sexy” and I’ve gained a lot of it.  Watch out Justin Timberlake – the sexy’s been brought back in the form of 44” around my waistline).  I also had my cervix checked which revealed a softening and 1 cm dilation.  I know it’s not much, but as a pregnant woman you rely on the comforting fact that you won’t be in this state forever or delivering a child who is going right off to college when he walks/jogs/runs out of your womb to a fraternity party for keg stands (I have no experience in this, I’ve just heard people talk about it. *snicker*).    It’s progress and I’m proud of it.  There have been a few times where it feels like our little UFC fighter is kicking me in the butt – literally and internally.  I think preggo’s out there know what I am talking about, it is the strangest feeling.  But hopefully that just means he’s dropped so much he’s going to come out quick…thinking positive.

So I’ve been contemplating trying that whole natural birth thing (cannot actually believe that I am writing this).  I joked months ago that if I could have the epidural at 20-something weeks I would.  Now all of these women are coming out of the woodworks saying that they haven’t EVER had one - and look they’re still alive!  I so admire that.  I don’t have a birth plan, I only have my past experiences which was 2 inductions due to my high blood pressure – the first one hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks, the second I had an epidural at 1 cm and felt no pain.  With this pregnancy going so smoothly and healthy I might just change my birth plan to say – who the heck knows what I want to do, I will decide as I go.  I am looking forward to just letting things take their course.  I have been woken up in the middle of the night to contractions, but obviously nothing has progressed enough to produce a baby.  This is such a mentally draining portion of pregnancy - the whole “when” question keeps popping into my head.  I go back and forth (so does Tim), I think now would be good because Monkey-Toes holiday sales are going to be picking up soon and I’ll need to be here to work.  Then I think, oh I could be totally fine having him after my due date because then the USPS shipping deadlines have passed and we’re in the clear at the end of our holiday season.  If he waits until after the 10th then Tim will be off for Christmas on FMLA leave.  Who knows! I know it’s all in God’s hands and He will have him enter the world when he is good and ready – but that control part of me just wants to know!  We’ve all got a birth poll going for our guess of the due date.  Tim has December 7, I have December 8, Ella has December 13 and Rose has December 17.  And the prize?  A baby.  (what? Not good enough?)  Jenny - MomToBeDepot predicts it will be 13th too.  :)

Ahh, I can finally say that our home is back together after the two weeks of hardwood-floor-laying-chaos and mess.  Tim is amazing and such a hard worker!  He worked non-stop to get it done on his days off.  I’m such a proud wifey.  This house looks like a completely different place and now we can actually focus on getting the baby’s furniture put together which I believe he plans to attack today.  Next up we’ll work on putting up the Christmas tree. I think at this point I am actually able to let myself get really excited to hear the most precious sounds a baby can make – his first cry.  *sniff, sniff* there goes old (snoring) water works again!