My parents and sister hosted a baseball-themed baby shower in honor of me, Sean and baby Meatball on June 22nd. It was a beautiful day filled with family, friends, good food, cute decorations and — of course — lots of adorable baby clothes.

My family once again showed that they’re experts at party planning and hosting.

My mother-in-law, Eula, hosted her a baby shower in NY a few weeks before the California party. We tried to Skype in, but there were technical difficulties.

We’ve been very blessed by our families’ and friends’ generosity. I know it’s cheesy to proclaim “so blessed!” on social media, but I can’t help it.

It’s the truth.

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I’m at 35 weeks now.

Our doctor took an estimate of Meatball’s current weight, size and position. He’s getting big and he’s in position ready to go.

I’m not sleeping as well and am a little more tired, but it’s not too bad. There were a couple of nights where I woke up every 2 hours, but most nights I only wake up twice. The only things about sleep that are annoying are trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in or waking up with a cramp in my leg or foot.

I’ve only had one sorta dizzy spell. Nausea is coming back with occasional vomiting. It makes me wary of taking the prenatal vitamin because it always makes it worse.

Sean and I have been taking several classes. So far, we’ve taken the four-session prepared childbirth (Lamaze) class. The class was pretty small with only about 10 couples and we did it in two Saturdays. Our teacher, Christina, seemed like a cross between a very knowledgeable labor & delivery nurse/lactation consultant and a stand-up comedian/your hilarious friend. She had the props, stories about family members (mainly her sister), stories about her fiancé, silly gestures/facial expressions and even had the timing down. It was a nice change of pace from the generic DVD we watched in between her bits.

We’ve also had Tuesday evening classes at the hospital where we’re delivering. Our teacher, Gwen, has the same qualifications as Christina but instead she’s an older Jamaican woman. She’s not as funny, but I still like her classes and responses to some of the odd questions she gets. So far, we’ve taken: labor and delivery, breast feeding with success, and newborn care basics.

I feel like I’ve learned a lot, but still have a bunch of questions. I also fear that I’ll miss some early signs of labor or forget what I’m supposed to do.

My baby shower is later today. My sister said she and mom stopped counting the RSVPs after 100 people.

I’m 31 weeks along today! I wanted to take a cute picture of my bump to mark the date but my plans changed after something unexpected this morning. Now, I don’t even want to bother with putting on pants.

I did take pictures today, but they’re dramatic and don’t show much bump. I only took them to pretend I’m a badass or freak out my siblings (depends on the sibling). But, I’m not an alarmist jerk, or I try not to be. When I texted the photo of the IV in my arm and the patient bracelet, I made sure to add that Meatball and I were okay.

Now, for two stories. I’ll tell you the end right now: I was sent home from labor and delivery after some tests/monitoring and am okay and so is Baby Meatball.

Sunday night: Midnight visit
My first thought when I saw the blood in the toilet and on the toilet paper was, “Should I tell Sean?” Of course, I knew I had to. I know spotting early in pregnancy is normal, but this wasn’t early. I was 30 weeks along.

I went back to the bedroom and turned on the lights. “So… there’s some blood.”

He immediately got up and stayed calm. While looking for the number to the doctor’s office, we double-checked what the Mayo Clinic book and literature from Kaiser said about bleeding at this point. The doctor’s office put me through to the advice nurse who asked a few questions and then told me to call labor and delivery. I summed up my issue in one sentence to a nurse. She responded succinctly, “Yup, you need to come in.”

We changed quickly and were at the hospital five minutes later. (I’m glad I live so close.) It was a little after 12:15 when I checked in.

Once admitted, I was monitored by the nurses for contractions and asked several questions about the bleeding and my medical history/pregnancy thus far. The doctor on duty checked me out and concluded that everything looked okay (cervix is fine, placenta was away from the cervix thus not the cause of the bleeding, no contractions). I was sent home with directions to not have sex and return if there was more bright red blood or cramping.

I’ve never been admitted to the hospital for anything, so the whole experience was surreal even if I was just there a couple of hours. The scariest thing, according to Sean was when the machine monitoring my contractions made a long beep noise. Seriously, it sounded like it was flatlining. A nurse rushed back and said, “oh, the printer is stuck.” Sean did not like the printer’s warning beep.

On the bright side, I did get to see Baby Meatball briefly during the quick ultrasound. He looks good and definitely has Sean’s lips. We got home a little before 3 and I emailed my boss to let he know I’d be taking the morning off.

Today: Too many needles
Despite starting off the week at the hospital, I felt fine for the next few days. I was especially happy this morning because Baby Meatball is now 31 weeks old.

I went in for my monthly appointment with my OB. It was short and sweet. The nurse who checked me in gave me a TDAP shot (ouch!). My doctor mentioned my low blood pressure, but wasn’t worried since it’s been like that for the past few months, my heart rate is fine, and I’m asymptomatic. We talked about baby’s growth and what to expect when I come back at 35 weeks. Everything looked good during the quick ultrasound and then she sent us off on our way to my next appointment with the lactation nurse.

While Sean and I were in the RN’s office listening to her talk about how to get the baby to latch on, I started to feel sick. I had the same symptoms I had on the bus in February and after the Café Tacuba show last month. I told the nurse I didn’t feel well and she gave me a plastic trash bag so I could vomit. The nausea and faintness were relieved by vomiting, my vision returned to normal and I cooled down again. The nurse took my blood pressure and consulted with my doctor. Instead of sending me home, they sent me next door to labor and delivery.

Once again I was monitored for contractions. My blood pressure was checked every 15 minutes and I had blood drawn for a few tests (blood sugar, anemia, electrolytes). I was hooked up to an IV to ensure I got more fluids in case I was dehydrated. I got my results and everything looked normal, I didn’t have any contractions and once again Baby Meatball was fine. The midwife on duty ruled out potential causes for the dizziness and then said I was fine to go home to rest. Before I left the nurse gave me warning signs for preterm labor, pre-eclampsia, and tips on dealing with dizziness during pregnancy. I spent the rest of the day resting at home and Sean went to work.

It was funny, shortly before I got sick, Sean thought we were going to be in and out of our appointments quickly. Hah. I guess I had other plans.

*Countdown to the expected due date. Of course, I know this is plus/minus several days.

A few weeks ago, I went in for my monthly appointment with my doctor. While waiting to check in, the woman ahead of me told a teenage girl next to her, “I keep seeing pregnant women. It must be a sign.”

“Huh? I’ve only seen two,” replied the teenager.

“I’ve seen five. Three walked by. One was just ahead of us in line. And there’s the other woman in line behind us.”

She wasn’t talking about me. She was clearly talking about another woman who looked much further along in line behind me.

When Sean joined me in the waiting room, I told him the story and offered a fake cry. I was a little bummed about not yet looking pregnant to strangers. I guess there’s benefits to that.

I can still wear a couple pairs of pre-pregnancy jeans if I use a ponytail holder looped through the button hole. Strangers don’t reach out to touch my bump or try and make conversation about my pregnancy. No one has said “Wow, you’re getting big!” or made other rude comments about my size. Nor do I receive unsolicited advice — actually we’ve been asking friends for advice and they’ve been awesome. I’m on pace for the recommended weight gain.

And I got accused by my cousin Nancy of exaggerating my bump in the Instagram photo above (taken at 23 weeks). She was right, but how often do you pose for a picture by sticking out your belly?

Anyway, I know this will change as I approach the third trimester.

***

When I got in to see the doctor, she started with her usual, “how are you feeling?” We followed up about my near fainting episode. She then went on to the routine ultrasound. She hadn’t been looking around for more than two minutes when she stopped.

“Let me go get my colleague. I want her to see something.”

She left the exam room and returned with a second doctor. The second doctor introduced herself, asked me if I’d been leaking fluid (no) and went on to continue with the ultrasound. They took some measurements and determined that there was a normal amount of amniotic fluid.

“Sorry for scaring you,” she offered.

The whole thing happened so quickly, that I barely had time to get scared and think of all the what-ifs. Sean, on the other hand, had plenty of time to get worried.

I was told to focus on drinking more water throughout the day.

***

I probably would’ve been more scared if I hadn’t felt Baby Meatball move for the first time just a day before my appointment.

Since then I’ve felt his movements gets stronger and Sean’s been able to feel him too. It’s still weird, but I don’t want it to stop.

***

I passed on the baby registration process to Sean after our initial visit to Baby’s R Us (his post on that). I was a little overwhelmed by the various products. Sean’s been taking his job seriously and doing a lot of research. He’s awesome. Also on the awesome list: the friends and family who have offered hand-me-downs (e.g., my boss who gave us the crib her daughter has outgrown. w00t!)

***

We’re close on two important decisions:

1. The name. We have the same first choice and no clear second choice. Sean is ready to choose [NAME]. I feel like I need to see Meatball first to know [NAME] is right, but maybe that will change in the next few months. How did you know the name was right?

2. The paint for Meatball’s room. We just have to decide if we want three neutral walls and one brighter accent wall or four walls of the brighter color. I think both would be good with the crib we just received.

***

My dad is worried Meatball is gonna stick as a nickname, especially if he is chunky. My cousin Nancy thinks it’s inevitable.