Meralgia Paresthetica

Happy Friday!

Preggo has developed a new condition called Meralgia Paresthetica.  I don't know why they have to make the names of conditions way more complicated than they actually are! Here's the run down: a hand-size spot on my upper, outer thigh (left) goes completely numb, tingles and goes into a burning pain if I stand or walk for an extended period of time. Extended meaning, three trips up and down the stairs and/or in and out of the car a few times.....really just day to day walking and standing. 

Originally I thought it was simply the baby lying on a nerve. During my second trimester she would randomly lie on a nerve that would cause my entire nose to go numb and now she has a nerve she lays on that causes me to go numb right above my right rib cage. So when I felt the tingling and numbness yesterday, I just assumed that's what it was. I started noticing it at work but it was mild and so I didn't really pay it much mind. Then after work, I had a couple of errands to run. I went to two stores and was in and out of both very quickly; just a walk to get what I needed and back to the car. After the second store I started noticing a pain radiating from the spot as well as the tingling and numbness. I text my bestie to see what she thought and she said what I had been thinking; baby on a nerve. But after getting home and going up and down the stairs three times (to the apartment, get the dog, take out dog and back up the stairs) I suddenly had a pain so sharp that I almost fell over. Not only was the spot on my thigh hurting/burning but it was starting to move further down my leg. I quickly grabbed a snack and headed to bed. Just getting in the bed relieved it a little but it was still very painful. I ended up staying in bed about two hours; took a nap. When I woke up I could still feel the tingling and a slight burning. That's when I took to the Internet to see what I could find.  Now most people would say not to do that and self-diagnose, however, I've correctly self-diagnosed three conditions that I've had so far; conditions that not even doctors could diagnose. Therefore, I'm pretty confident in my ability to figure out what is going on with my body by checking out symptoms online. Sure enough, on a pregnancy thread I found meralgia paresthetica. After looking up the definition, I knew immediately that's what it was. I go to the doctor on Monday and I'm sure he will confirm (if he really even can diagnose something like that). But the fact that it clearly states the "outer thigh" and that every single symptom listed is what I have AND that it's common in pregnancy lets me know that it is, in fact what I'm dealing with. 

Sooooooo, where does that leave me? Well, luckily I sit for my job so I am not up and on my feet a lot during the day. However, I still have several things that need to be done before the baby gets here. Since I am limited on how long I can walk/stand without having the pain start, I'm trying to stick to just the necessities like showering, getting dressed etc. I have decided to break things that need to be done into 10-20 minute blocks. This will allow me to come home from work, where I have been sitting all day and get a couple of things done before the pain gets to the point that I can't stand. So tonight I'll go home, put up the dishes in the dishwasher, load the dirty ones, change, make a TV dinner and get in bed. That will probably wipe me out and sadly will be all I can do for the evening. After I rest a few hours I will get up and take a bath, probably take the dog out again and then back to bed. I hate it, but I'm afraid this is just my life for the next 5 weeks.  I just hope having a plan to get things done will allow me to do just that. Luckily, I was smart enough to put her crib and changing table together months in advance. Her Pack N' Play is together, her stroller is together and her car seat is in place and ready to go. Nothing really needs to be done in that aspect. Now it's more things like organizing shower gifts and making sure the house doesn't go into complete disarray.  

Wasn't that a pleasant post leading into Mother's Day?! Teeheehee.  I will close by saying: Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there and all of the mothers-to-be! I hope your weekend is filled with love and appreciation. Until next time, here is me and mine. 

Baby Shower Saga....Part 1

Pardon the rant, but I am LIVID!

Here's the deal:

Back in DECEMBER I contacted my apartment complex regarding holding my baby shower in their clubhouse.  I was originally told when I moved in that you could not rent out the clubhouse, however, upon looking at the website I noticed that it stated among the amenities "Beautiful and spacious area for entertaining in clubhouse."  So, I decided to call and verify and also suggest that they change their website if in fact you could not utilize the clubhouse as the wording was deceiving. After getting someone on the phone I was told that they were "pretty sure" I actually could use the space but they needed to verify.  I was put on hold and ended up speaking with a second tier manager (the one actually who originally said I couldn't rent it out).  I said, "I remember you telling me that I couldn't use the clubhouse, but the website says, etc. etc." She responded, "Oh no, you can't use after business hours." To which I replied, "I don't want it after business hours, I would like to use it during business hours for my baby shower."  She tells me, "Oh yeah, that's fine. When were you wanting to use it?"  I told her the date and time and she made it sound like she was writing it down. 

Fast forward to three/four weeks ago. My best friend is giving me the shower and called the apartment complex to verify where we were having it, get parking info and see how much liberty she would have to decorate. The woman on the phone confirmed the party, gave her info to give to my guests for parking and told her that she really couldn't do much decorating since it was already a decorated space.  We had figured that would be the case and were totally okay with that. 

Rewind to last night.  As I'm leaving my job, I get an email from my apartment complex "reminding" me of the COMMUNITY WIDE BRUNCH ON SATURDAY FROM 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.  The EXACT time and date of my shower. I panic, call my bestie and ask her when she last spoke to them. She tells me three weeks ago and gets on the phone with them immediately.  Long story short: the woman that I spoke to in December now blatantly denies that she spoke with me at all and told me that I could use the space. She claims she never would have done that and that parties are never allowed in that area. I took it to her manager who apologizes but says there is really nothing they can do. However, they've offered me an outdoor space that I can use (mind you it will be 39 degrees outside the night before and only 65 at the time the shower is scheduled for.) Other than that, the option is to have the shower in my tiny one bedroom apartment. As of now I have close to 20 people confirmed and another 20 that I've not heard from. People were asked to only RSVP if they could not make it so there could easily be another 20 people on top of those already coming. There is no way in the world I could fit that many people in my apartment. I am going to be doing good to fit the 20 that I have already coming!!!!!!!!

Sadly, it's too late in the game to change venues, as this is happening in 2 days. I am beyond beside myself with all kinds of emotions and actually had about an hour of contractions last night after finding all this out. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm done. I guess check back on Monday to find out what happens in the Baby Shower Saga.....geeze.

14 Weeks and Counting.

Today marks week 26. Only 14 more to go!  I went to my doctor today. All is well. Starting from today I will be going in every other week until 35 weeks and then we go up to once a week.

I've been feeling great other than today. I'm very, very dizzy. Ran into a wall this morning and have almost fallen down twice. The doctor said to go home and go to bed, but I'm at work. I had to stay home a couple of days last week due to a minor bout of a head cold. I sit for work and can put my feet up so I think I'll be okay. If it starts to get worse, I'll go home. But for now I'm just breathing slowly and not standing up suddenly.

I have lost all ability to sleep comfortably as of last week. I toss and turn most of the night and never get in a comfortable position. The only way I'm comfortable is flat on my back and I know I'm not supposed to sleep like that so, I will lay on my back to get relief and then roll over to my side. Peanut also makes it hard to sleep with her moving about. She is a serious night owl these days. I was awake until 2:00 AM this morning trying to fall asleep. She doesn't just move at night though, she moves all the time! I read somewhere to track your baby's movements and that you should feel them move 10 times in an hour. I counted last night and she moved 10 times in 10 minutes. No joke. I taped her shenanigans a few nights ago. Here she is in all of her glory!

You can see how much she moves in just 40 seconds, so imagine 10 minutes. Craziness! As precious as it is, we are getting to the point where some of her acrobatics actually hurt. I assume that will only get worse in the following weeks.

Well, until next time, here's a bump update!

26 Weeks. 

Anyone Know Where I Can Find Mary Poppins?

Obviously due to my route to motherhood, I am going to be a working mom and I am totally okay with that. Even if the circumstances had been different and I had been married, I still think I would have gone back to work. The thought of someone else being responsible for my survival is not something I'm very fond of.

Originally I planned on getting a nanny, but the prices they charge are almost equal to a regular full-time job. And I do get it; it is a full-time job. However, it is one you can go to in your pajamas, do your own thing when the kid is sleeping, watch movies, talk on the phone, eat, etc. I guess for that reason I hadn't expected the cost to be as unruly as I see it. The only nannies who are in my price range are about 19 years old and look like they are headed to the club. Not. Gonna. Happen.

So, unless some miracle happens between now and mid-August, I will have to put Peanut in daycare.

I hate daycare. Even before I worked in several, I have always hated them. After working at one, my fears were confirmed and I now hate them even more. The child/teacher ratio is ridiculous. No one person can give adequate attention to 6 infants without something or someONE falling by the wayside. I know some parents will argue and say that it's good for the children to be with other children and at an older age, I totally agree. But in infancy I totally disagree. A child that young doesn't need to socialize with their peers. They need to be cared for by adults. They need face time/bonding time and lots of it. The thought of my child just lying in a crib the majority of the day or on the floor on a blanket is very unsettling. And I don't care WHAT the teachers tell you, that's what happens. I know, I lived it.

But, I knew going in that this was a possibility.  I just keep reminding myself that it's not forever. Once she hits the age of really learning and grasping things I will find another alternative. I will NOT have a daycare teach my child. I know for a fact they have the young children watch movies that I do not approve of and if you read my previous post, you know that I don't approve of young children watching anything really. It's a group parenting mentality and I will not allow my daughter to experience it. If I have to sell my car and buy a clunker or do away with my iPhone to afford personalized care, so be it. What she experiences in her early years will shape a lot of her world in the years to come and I've made a commitment to ensuring that those experiences are what I choose for them to be and not what someone else thinks they should be.

My Favs!

I'm not going to post the whole shoot (because that would be way too many pictures! ha!) but I'm going to post a few of my favorites.

All photos courtesy of Megan Ella Photography

Maternity Pictures!!!!

My maternity pictures are complete!!! I am madly in love them!! Instead of posting them here, I'm going to link to my the blog post by my fabulous photographer (Megan Ella Photography.) She is awesome!!!

Halfway There!

Today marks 20 weeks! We are officially halfway through this pregnancy! 

This and That.

It took me awhile but I finally realized that I haven't posted a picture of baby girl. Here she is in all of her glory.

Nonni thinks she is just beautiful and loved the fact that the nurse thought she was photogenic. Hehe. I had to bring her back down to earth: "Mom, they say that to everyone. And all babies look like that at this stage." I will say, she does look pretty darn cute in this picture though. Proud momma talking, of course.

Well last week was somewhat of a whirlwind but it's back to reality this week. I've got to start getting serious about my apartment. I need to get my table and chairs set up. They've arrived at the store, but I need to get them home and set up. That's one of the few bad things about not having a man. I can't just say, "Honey, go pick that up and bring it up here, please." Instead I have to call the concierge service and pray they'll get someone to pick it up and bring it to me without charging me an arm and leg.

Once that's done, it's mainly going to be about organization. I need to make sure everything has a place before we start adding on baby things. I've started doing some shopping, but I'll admit I've held back a bit. While the nurse said she was pretty certain it was a girl, she did say to leave the tags on things that I buy. Peanut's umbilical cord was in between her legs and she was not moving for anything. So, when I go back in 4 weeks, we're going to do another scan just to confirm. At that point, I'll feel better and start up with the cute clothes buying. I did however, purchase her something over the weekend. Every girl needs a party dress, right?

It looks a bit big in the picture, but it's itty-bitty. So precious I couldn't leave it there. It does still have the tags on it though, just in case she proves to be a he. 

On the actual pregnancy front, my back has become a complete and total wreck. I've been in quite a few car wrecks in the past and my back has taken a real beating; I have no curve in my spine nor my neck.  I've been pain free for awhile now, but I had a feeling the pregnancy would trigger the pain again. And has it ever. I've been on the heating pad for the past few days almost as soon as I get home. And I've actually brought to work with me a couple of days. It's my sciatic nerve and it seems to be getting worse. I plan to make an appointment with a chiropractor next week and see if I can get some relief. I would also love a pregnancy massage, but I haven't decided if I want to plunk down the funds. I'm reaching the stage where it's not safe to lay on my back for an extended period of time and that sucks. That's actually the only way I can get relief; flat on my back on a hard surface with my heating pad. I know this is part of pregnancy, but I have a feeling my case is worse than the "norm" given my back injury history. Say a quick prayer for me if you think about it. 

I'll sign off with the weekly baby bump shot: 

18 Weeks 

Merrily We Bump Along.

Hello everyone! I hope your Christmas was merry and bright! Mine was fabulous. But as reality would have it, here I am back in the saddle (at least for a day).  I had lots of time to think over the holiday so be prepared for several long posts to come. But first a baby update.

Today marks 4 months. It seems like it's going by so fast yet creeping by so slowly. It seems like I may finally be out of the woods symptoms wise. I still get a random headache here and there but nothing that is unmanageable. I've developed two cravings: Cheez-It's and chocolate milk. Not necessarily together, but not necessarily apart. Hehe. I'm finding my appetite is slowly creeping up there and I'm starting to get hungry more often than before. Sleeping has become a total pain. And I mean that in a literal sense. I wake up hurting every morning; primarily in my back/neck, but lately also in my stomach. Peanut is growing leaps and bounds and I have the belly to prove it!  I cannot believe how much I'm showing at just 16 weeks. Totally mind boggling for me. I find out the gender in 9 days!!!! I am crazy excited. Although I have a preference, I know I'll be thrilled either way. I'm just ready to go shopping!

P.S. I promise the next post will be more "meaty." Lol. Taking a bit to get back in the swing of things!

16 Weeks 

Nursery Blues

So last night I got a little sad because I don't have a nursery to decorate. Granted, it's highly possible that was a manifestation of preggo hormones since I have been rather touchy lately. Hehe. I tend to go from really happy, to really upset, to really sad, and then back again. BUT, I know some of it was just true emotion.  I was very much looking forward to making Peanut's space all his/her own. I had a ton of ideas for the wall hangings and shelves. But, life happens. I still plan on putting up a few things in my room that are the "baby's." A couple of shelves and a cute little hanging rack for clothes. I have decided against a crib and will be getting a co-sleeper. I know that I would most likely have the child in my bed anyway, especially since I'm single. So I might as well set up the room for it and save some space. They have one in a more chocolate color which is probably what I'll get:

Long story short, it attaches to the side of your bed so that you can just reach over and get the baby. I think it will work out really well. 

As far as the other parts of the house go....YIKES! It's somewhat starting to come together but I am missing two major staple furniture pieces - a couch and dining set. The hope is that I will get my bonus this year (fingers crossed) and that money will go towards those things. If not, it will most likely be March before I'm able to get them. I'll live but it's a total pain in the butt. And I can't really do much decorating until I get a couch and see what sort of feel the room is going to have. Oh well. It is what it is. 

Nothing too exciting on the pregnancy front. OH! I felt or am pretty sure I felt Peanut move over the weekend. The doctor told me I should before the next appointment. It was really, really weird. Haha. That's what made think that was probably it. I can't wait until he/she starts kicking! I did find some maternity pants that fit me FINALLY! I have been searching everywhere. I have the issue of being 5'9 which makes most things too short. Then there is also the cost issue, which is really my issue. I REFUSE to buy expensive maternity clothes. While I may one day be pregnant again (hopefully) I still don't see investing more money into my maternity wear than I would in my day to day wear. Anyway, I didn't realize Old Navy had maternity clothing in store, I thought it was just online. But I ended up finding a pair in store what were the right size AND the right length. Yay! Now I just need a pair of skinny jeans and I think I'm set. I will most likely stick to dresses and shorts in the summer and by that point who knows how big I'll be. Ha! 

All in all, things are going pretty good. Only 3 more weeks until I get to find out Peanut's gender!!!!! Can't wait!