Doctor Visit at the Scary Time :-O

     Yesterday I had my 28 week checkup.  It went well.  Very well.  So why do I drive myself crazy?  They did the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.  Not so worried about that.  I really don't think I have it, and if I do...well...I know several people who did and it's fine as long as you're careful and follow doctor's orders.  They also did an ultrasound, where we got to see my darling baby boy sucking on his hands like a madman.  He's hungry, clearly, and can't wait to get out and get some real chow.  Baby looks great.  So, why am I worried?  My cervical length is back down to 3.1.  Doc says it's fine as long as it's over three.  But a few weeks ago it was at 4.3, so it has shrunk back down considerably.  However, it was right at three before then even early on, so I really shouldn't worry as long as my doctor doesn't...right?  Wrong.  I worry because that's what I do.  However, I will be a frequent flyer for the next month or so.  This is the precise time that I went into preterm labor with my son.  And he was born about a week and a half from now, so that's the reason for all my worry and the doctor's concern.  Can't imagine going through that again, and putting a wee baby through it.  So here's to keeping him in there!

     I've also completed my baby registry at Target.  I don't remember what I'll need, and I didn't use a list because they are so padded with things that they don't need but that the store really wants you to buy.  So I just took my registry gun and went down the aisles and registered for my favorite one of everything.  We are just going to have to figure it out as it comes.  I'm like a clueless new mom again.  But that's ok.  My first boy helped me to finally grow up.  And this one will keep me young.

Kicking, Joe, and Harry

     I must say, our Halloween costumes were a hit.  Those of you who are fans of the movie "Joe Dirt"  will appreciate the fact that not only did we allow our eight-year-old to watch the movie (we did fast forward through a questionable scene or two), but we insisted that he dress up as Joe for Halloween.  Luckily he was more than willing.  The result was the most adorable version of the character I've ever seen.

     Hilarious.  We borrowed the wig from a friend who was Joe a few years ago, and I used some eyeliner to do the goatee and  voila!  How cute is that?

     The obvious costume choice for me was to go as Joe's friend Kicking Wing, since even with a pregnant belly I evidently look like a Native American man.  I borrowed the western style shirt and the cowboy hat, and went to the nearest movie theater to get 3-D glasses so that I could pop out the lenses.  Where else was I going to find glasses that clunky?  Then I took three minutes to braid my hair and I must say I looked pretty damn perfect, don't you agree?

   
      We were unable to convince my husband to go as Joe's lady love, Brandy.  I think the thought of wearing Daisy Duke shorts was just too much for him to deal with.  He decided on a whim to go as Harry Potter.  We made quite the crew to our friends' Halloween party on Saturday.

     The following day we went to Boyd's Orchard in Versailles, Kentucky for a birthday party for a friend of Ridley's.  It was a gorgeous day for it, and I highly recommend the place for anyone who will be near central Kentucky before it gets too cold to enjoy the outdoors.  The gorgeous farm has a corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, a petting zoo, restaurant, and lots of farm-made goods for sale.
     I had been feeling lots of soreness and a little pressure in my lower abdomen since the previous day.  I knew I would be walking around a good bit, so I decided to try the belly band again.  I really think it helped quite a bit.  After just a short time wearing my Motherhood Maternity Belly Band, I noticed that the soreness was gone.  And as I was going to bed last night it hit me that I didn't have any back pain at all.  Score one for the belly band!  I will definitely be using it from now on when I know I'll be on my feet.

Fall Break Long Weekend

     Back to real life after a nice long weekend.  Ridley really needed a break from school, and Matt certainly needed one from work.  And I really needed some quality time with them both.  Ridley had Friday and Monday off, so Matt took those days off, too.  Late Friday morning we packed up our little camper (really little---15 feet!) and headed to Fort Boonesboro for the night.  It's only about 20 minutes from home but it always feels like we are far away.  The campground was busy, and it was incredible how many Halloween decorations that had been put up by the campground and campers alike. 

     There were hundreds of carved pumpkins, lots of lights, and even a resident Michael Meyers who was following kids around in a very creepy fashion.  Two families came down to join us, each bringing several children, so Ridley really had a great time running wild.  The others didn't stay, but stuck around until after dark when it started really getting cold.  After they left, Matt and Ridley and I played cards and yahtzee in the camper until we all admitted we were ready for bed.
     The following day we drove two hours to Harveysburg, Ohio to attend our first Renaissance Festival.  I couldn't believe how enormous it was.  All the people working there wore period costume and affected English accents.  There were vendors of all sorts of handmade products that I would have loved to buy, but knew I would not want to lug around all day.  We did a ton of walking, and I really did fine back and belly-wise.  I still haven't been wearing my belly band, but I'm thinking I will probably really come to appreciate it eventually. 
     We also saw an incredible acrobatics show called The Kamikaze Fireflies.  The one-man one-woman show was really entertaining.  They were not only fantastic acrobats and skilled with fire tricks, but they were absolutely hilarious.  They have a facebook page if anyone is interested.  Sorry, I don't have the actual address, but if you do a search on facebook they pop right up. 
     It was a great day, but a lot of the shopping and sightseeing really didn't interest Ridley that much.  And the food was expensive and... well...disgusting.  Matt and I have decided that next year we will get a sitter for the day and the two of us will go.  We plan on dressing up, drinking lots of beer, and doing absolutely everything and watching every single show.  We haven't decided how we'll get home after all that beer, but we'll figure something out.
     On Sunday we decided to go geode hunting in a little town right outside Danville, KY called Perryville.  I had never been there before, as close as it is, but it was a lovely little town.  I wasn't really feeling up to wading in the water looking for potato-sized rocks with the boys, so I took some pictures of the gorgeous scenery instead.

     Matt and Ridley found about 20 geodes!  They cracked one open with a hammer, and it burst to smithereens.  Next time they'll be using a saw, I believe.
     Monday was a day of relaxation, Ridley had a friend over, I caught up on some reading, and Matt was rather bored.  He did harvest some of the last bits of garden goodies.

    
     We had a wonderful weekend.  I'm ready for another.

I'm a Halloweener

     The time has come to start figuring out Halloween costumes.  My eight-year-old son, Ridley, has decided to be Joe Dirt.  How amazing is that?  I cannot wait to see this.  We have a friend who was Joe for Halloween a few years ago and still has the wig, so that's covered.  Next, we will have to put together an outfit.  We are thinking a flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off over a white t-shirt or wife-beater.  Then, all we will need is to draw on a scruffy goatee and presto---little Joe.  Don't worry, I will definitely post pictures.
     I really need some ideas for a costume for me that will accentuate and possibly poke fun at my giant belly.  I really don't want to bare the belly, though, and most ideas I've seen on websites involve a bare belly with things drawn on it.  That just really grosses me out for some reason, and I just really don't want my big vulnerable belly hanging out for all the world to see.

 

 



     I'm sorry, but the above picture and those like it are just...yuck.  Not doing that.  And if the baby starts moving you have a gyrating, distorted pumpkin.  No.  A couple ideas I've thought of are Pregnant Prom Queen 80s style, and Pregnant Schoolgirl.  Both are verging on inappropriate, but I think cute nevertheless.  Halloween is supposed to be an irreverent holiday. 
     I could really use some feedback on this.  I know I have a lot of lurkers, because I can see how many people view this page!  So, come on!  A little help here!

The Little Guy

     Well, not sure if you can quite make that out, but that's a nose, not a penis.  However, we did find out that our little peep is a boy.  I asked the doctor about that single contraction that I had felt, and she was reassuring without being dismissive.  Told me to just come to the office if I ever really got freaked out by anything going on in there.  Everything else looked good.  I was concerned about cervical length, as mine is very short, but it checked out ok.  And baby is just the right size and is moving around like crazy. 

     I see that I've had a few lurkers on here.  Please please please comment!  I'd love to hear if anyone else is or has gone through a high risk pregnancy.

 

Greetings

      Hello all.  I'm Amy.  Mommy's Delightful Mess is a blog about life, my own in particular.  I'm the proud mama of a brilliant and beautiful eight year old boy and am embarking on the surprise adventure of having another.  I'm especially interested in beautiful things, beautiful people, lovely food and cooking, and at the moment about pregnancy (mainly of the high-risk variety like my own).  I've started this blog to help me work through the trials of finding oneself and keeping onself after having children, and to preserve our inner children by appreciating the little things.  As I get this blog moving, I hope to hear from other women, mommies, and just at the moment, mommies-to-be that have been given that high risk diagnosis.