Spring is here!

This is a life post rather than baby post.

Spring has come! Flowers are blooming and birds are singing! I've been taking walks to get some exercise, enjoy the weather, and see the beautiful cherry blossoms that are so popular and famous in Japan. I've shared my pictures on Facebook so most, if not all, of you have probably seen them. But I'm going to share them here as well :)

They really are more beautiful in person, but I did my best with the phone camera to capture the beauty.

Finally Time??

Time to share some updates!

I'm now 39 weeks! My due date is this coming Tuesday! But of course we all know that due dates don't really matter. On that note, I had my weekly appointment the other day and received some information. I took my 3rd non-stress test and discovered that I've been having contractions! They aren't regular and I barely notice them...I thought I was just feeling Jacet's movements. They checked my cervix and I went from completely closed last week to 2cm this week! I've been taking a lot of walks and cleaning the house this week so maybe that had something to do with it :)

But apparently my blood pressure has been fluctuating the past few weeks and at this last appointment was slightly high (145/83). I took it again and it lowered to 134/78 but the doctor was still a little concerned. (I blame the high blood pressure on my mother!) The doctor is worried about the possibility of developing hypertension leading up to pre-eclampsia, which is of course dangerous. He decided to have me go back in Friday or Saturday to re-check my blood pressure after a day of bed rest. If it's still the same, then he would like to induce me Sunday or Monday (eek!). The doctor I saw this time around explained everything to me in English. I'm hoping that if we do have to induce we can schedule it for when he is available. He's the one I'm most comfortable with, because of the English.

As for Jacet himself, he's been perfect. He weighs about 6.2 lbs now, which is small for America but smack dab average for Japan. During the non-stress tests his heartbeat has been steady and he moves around quite a bit. I can't wait to meet him!

So to sum it all up, even though I'm nervous and would prefer Jacet to come naturally and when he's ready, I'm also excited that I might be having my little boy in just a few days!

Full Term!

Today I'm 37 weeks which means I'm considered full term! So little Jacet can pop out any day now and be perfectly fine. I don't think that will happen though. I believe he's quite happy in there and will be late. Just a feeling. I wouldn't mind if he came a little early of course. I'm anxious to meet my little boy!

I've had quite a few doctor appointments since the last baby update, so let me fill everyone in. Starting from March I've been having appointments every week, and starting from last week I've been hooked up to a machine to monitor Jacet's heartbeat. In America (and other countries I'm sure) they check the heartbeat at every visit I believe. Here they do not. They check the heart but I never actually heard it until last week. Such a sweet sound! It's relaxing to hear that it's nice and steady and within the average range. They'll be monitoring his heartbeat for 20 minutes every week until I give birth, as well checking my cervix for dilation etc. plus normal appointment stuff.

Last week Jacet's size was a little small for how far along he is, but luckily he gained almost a pound between that appointment and yesterday's! I think most of that depends on how thedoctor measures from the ultrasound though. He now weighs about 6lbs which is average for Japan, though I'm not too sure about America. I hope he won't get too much bigger!

Following the post is an ultrasound picture of his face. I tried to label it so hopefully you all can tell what you're looking at! His nose seems big to me...maybe that means he's going to have a Canosa Italian nose? :) There's also an ultrasound picture of his face with his hand in his mouth <3 and some belly pictures of course.

That's about it for an update. I probably won't update much between now and the birth because there's not too much that can change.

As for life, we're all settled in at the new apartment. I've been trying my best to keep it extra clean and more permanent home, less temporary feeling. We still have to set up the crib (thanks Andrea) and organize the "nursery" area, as well as buy more baby things!

The weather has been very nice lately. Spring is in the air! The sunshine and warmth has been giving me the energy to take walks and get some exercise thankfully. The cherry blossoms are just about in full bloom and very pretty. I have yet to find a park or something that's good for pictures though. I'll have to explore more.

We still have no Internet so yet again I'm not sure how organized the pictures will look....

The Move

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who has purchased and sent baby items recently, we really appreciate it!

I guess it's about time I updated everybody on how our move to the new town and apartment went! Please keep in mind that we still currently have no Internet and this is being done from my phone, so I'm not sure how organized everything will turn out.

PACKING

First of all, the moving company didn't drop off the boxes until just a week before the move! With Tomo working and me being pregnant and working, plus errands to run, things to cancel, and even a trip to Tokyo to get the keys, we really didn't have a lot of time to pack everything up. The moving van was scheduled to come in the afternoon but decided to come mid-morning instead! Needless to say, we were packing while they were packing and it was a busy busy morning. We finally managed to get everything packed up and labeled and were on our way to our new home!

MOVING IN

The apartment is very nice...a lot nicer than our previous ones. We picked a larger 3 bedroom because of the little man coming soon. It's pretty spacious, the kitchen has SO much counter space and cabinets which I love, the floors are wood and tile, it has huge doors/windows for the balcony, and it feels more like a permanent place to live than the others. (Even though we won't be here that long). The building entrance is very nice and really makes me feel like we're living in a high end place.

Unpacking only took a few days. One of Tomo's previous workers came and helped us get started and I took a day off work to spend the day emptying boxes. One more day was spent organizing everything and making the place feel lived in and somewhat homey.

I'm sorry for the lack of baby update in this post, but don't worry, that update will be coming soon!

Now for the apartment pictures. I tried to take some before and after pictures but the moving people were too fast in bringing everything in and I couldn't really get good shots of the empty place.

Since I can't caption the pictures from the phone, here's a brief description in the order they're posted (I hope):
1. View when you first walk in the door
2. Our bedroom
3. Tomo's "work room"
4. Toilet with all the fixings
5. Bath/laundry room
6. Bath/shower
7. Soon to be baby's area
8. Kitchen 1
9. Kitchen 2
10. Living room
11. View from the balcony

A Lot Going On!

   A lot has been going on lately. Last week I had a birthing class to go to, a doctor's appointment, work of course, and packing for the move. I know I updated recently, but it doesn't hurt to update more right?

Birthing Class:

It was pretty informative. Tomo had to translate some things for me but I think I got the basics. They basically went over what labor signs to look out for, when to head to the hospital, what to bring, how to bring it, what to expect during the stay (we stay for a week), and some breastfeeding information. They handed out a booklet of information that I'll have to go over with Tomo sometime.

Afterwards we took a quick hospital tour, which I think I mentioned in the last post. It was just like the pictures in the pamphlet and website. So old-fashioned and cold looking! I felt like I was taking a walk through the past. There's a labor room where I'll labor until the baby's head is about to pop out, then they transfer me to the delivery room and prop me up in one of those chairs with the leg holders that keep the legs open. Looks so scary! There's equipment everywhere and green walls and it looks so much like an operation room....There's also the possibility of 2 women being in labor at the same time, right next to each other, with just a curtain separating the two chairs. Yikes. BUT the rooms where I'll stay for the week seem very nice. They are all private so there's no chance of sharing a room unless the hospital is overcrowded, which they say very rarely happens. The baby gets put in a little compartment attached to the bed so I'll get to be with him day and night if I'd like, which I would. BUT (yes another but) the room that's included in the price we pay doesn't include a shower, just a toilet. If I want a private shower I have to pay extra so we'll see how I feel about that. Oh and we have to pay extra for TV, but I think I can deal with no TV for a week.

Doctor's Appointment:

     After the hospital tour I had an appointment with the doctor. Everything is going fine. My stomach is small for how many weeks I am (34 now!) but Jacet is still growing on schedule. That's really the only update I have on that, and it's not really an update because it hasn't changed from last time! My next appointment is in 2-ish weeks so maybe I'll "pop" then...

Moving:

    So as many of you know, we're moving because Tomo got transferred. The official move is on Wednesday, so packing has begun! It's hard to pack everything while pregnant but I'm being careful and Tomo's helping of course. Tuesday we'll be going Tokyo to get the key for the apartment and have dinner with Tomo's Block Leader, which means that the packing technically has to be finished by Monday since the movers come Wednesday. Only one day to pack up so much stuff still!

Other Stuff:

    Recently my sister had asked me to send her links to Japanese websites of baby things that I wanted and she would try to get something since I'm not having a baby shower. So, because of that request, I made a short "registry" type list at Amazon Japan. Since it's based in Japan, the shipping is cheaper or free and they have English so I think (hope) it'll be easy to buy things. I don't want to sound like a beggar, but I do get jealous seeing all the people in my baby forum having their showers around now! I'm not going to ask everyone to buy me things, the list is more for people who were thinking of buying things anyway or want to buy things. The items are mostly Japanese, but I wrote little descriptions in English on the right hand side :)


Here's the link for the list: http://www.amazon.co.jp/registry/wishlist/33AAEEREEBVP7/ref=cm_wl_act_vv?_encoding=UTF8&reveal=&visitor-view=1
(If the link doesn't work, just copy and paste it into the address bar)

Our new address is on there as well for anyone who would like to know it :)

That's it for now. Stay Tuned!

Counting Down...

     It's been too long since I've updated! I haven't felt the need since not much has changed recently. Nothing too exciting anyway. This coming Tuesday I will be 33 weeks along!A lot has happened the past few weeks so I will update you all on some of that :)

Baby Update: 

  Jacet is still growing strong. At the last appointment (just about 1.5 weeks ago), he was a little bigger than average, weighing about 4.2 lbs and about 18 inches. He seems to be healthy. His heart is beating strongly, he's kicking me nonstop all day, every day, and moving around just fine. I can't wait to meet him!

 It's not a very clear ultrasound picture, but you can see his eye socket and if you look closely you can see his nose in the right frame. His hand is up by his mouth. The left frame shows the ribs and the shading part is his heart I believe. Or maybe his stomach. I don't know!




Me Update: 

   My belly hasn't grown very much recently. It's only grown about 1 or 2 cm in a month. I was a little worried at first, but since Jacet seems to be growing fine and the doctor hasn't mentioned anything, then I guess I'm fine. I guess I just carry small :) My blood pressure was a little high at the last visit so I was prescribed some Calcium pills which is supposed to help. At least that's what the doctor said. Hopefully it goes down next time!

 The first two belly pictures are from 31.5 weeks, the last is from today....about 32.3 weeks. I think most of my weight gain is going to my butt! 

   We registered at the hospital and have a birthing class this coming and the next Tuesday. It's free and provided by the hospital which is nice. Afterwards is a hospital tour which I'm looking forward to. The pictures in the brochure and website seem so...cold and old-fashioned. I hope that the rooms look more comforting and warm in person since I have to stay there for a week!

Other Stuff:

     Now for some more general baby related stuff, as well as some life in Japan stuff.

Tomo had a 2 week vacation so we took advantage of that and did a good amount of stuff.
      First we searched for an apartment. We're moving to a city about 30-40 minutes away. It's closer to my job and it's also still close enough to my hospital so I don't have to change doctors, which is awesome. Since the last 2 moves we were too far away to really pick an apartment on our own, we had fun browsing the internet for available places and then going to see them before picking. The apartment we decided on is very nice. It's a 6 floor building and ours is the 4th floor. It's a 3 room apartment: 2 western rooms, 1 Japanese style room. It's very modern. There's an elevator, a lobby, a park nearby. The train station is about a 10 min walk (which is closer than the current 23 minute walk). Basically everything is about a 10 minute walk away, which is totally fine once I want to lose all the pregnancy weight! Anyway, I will be taking pictures once we move at the end of the month!

     Second, Tomo went snowboarding with our friend Ryuoh as a sort of last hurrah for the boys before Jacet is here. Ryuoh stayed over and we drove him to his hometown (which is nearby) where we met his mother. She generously gave us a type of Moses(?) basket for the baby!
     Tomo's mother and sister then came to visit for the night and next day. They were in Tokyo from Hokkaido to look at apartments since his sister will be moving there for a job. We had a nice dinner with them and then the next day we went shopping for baby! We bought a lot of necessary things and I'm so grateful. It was very exciting as that was the first time we actively went shopping for him. I realized that we still need SO MUCH STUFF. It also made me realize just how close the due date actually is!
    A list of things we bought: some onesies/undershirts; a few bibs; bath towels and small face towels; a baby blanket; a baby dress thing that covers his feet to keep him warm; a baby carrier; a car seat; nursing bras and some nursing tops; other maternity stuff for me; slippers for the hospital that I apparently need to bring; PJs for the hospital; a baby bag. I think that's about it. I still need a lot more stuff, but we'll worry about that after moving. Now for pictures!

Tomo really wanted the "America" shirts since Jacet will be half American....

           

(sorry for the not so very eye appealing line-up of pictures. The blog site is super annoying and doesn't let me put them where I want....)

The next day, Tomo and I took a short 1 night 2 day onsen (hot spring) trip. We stayed in a nice hotel and had a lovely soak in the hot water. It was our last relaxing 'trip' together before we have to start bringing a little baby with us everywhere :)

That's all for now! My next doctor's appointment is on Tuesday but I probably won't update for awhile because nothing much will be changing. Next time will probably be after we move, so look forward to new apartment pictures :)

27 weeks...Third Trimester: Here I Come!

    First of all, Happy New Year everyone!  Second of all, 27 weeks this week! About the equivalent of 7ish months! Only 3 more to go! Time is flying by and this little guy will be here before we know it. Again, there's not much to update on as from here on out it's just about making sure he's growing and healthy. Appointments will be every 2 weeks from now.

Doctor's Update:    

We went to the clinic at a different time than usual which led to seeing a different doctor. I didn't mind at all. My usual OB is an older lady and I believe the one we saw this time was her son (it's a family clinic). He was very nice and friendly and I actually think I like him more than the woman! He took his time with the ultrasound and explained everything he showed and was doing, which is more than my usual doctor does. Of course I didn't understand everything but he did try to use English when he could. Basically, Jacet is growing fine and right on target with how far along I am. His heartbeat is strong and everything looks to be correctly formed. He now weighs about 1166g which equals about 2 1/2 lbs. The doctor was also able to get a very lovely picture of Jacet's cute little face.

Me Update:

Apparently the younger doctor does not believe my weight is a problem. He didn't mention anything about it. My sugar levels are also normal. I knew it was just all the Christmas cookies I had eaten...
I don't really have any pregnancy symptoms. I get tired easily and it's getting a little uncomfortable to sleep at night...and my legs fall asleep often. Not to mention nighttime pee breaks. Other than that and the fact that my belly (and butt. and face. and thighs.) is growing, I feel perfectly normal. Now for some belly pictures :)  the first few are from last week (26 weeks) and then some I took today.

 Other Stuff:

Since we only have about 3 months to go (yikes!), I've started researching baby stuff to buy. We're most likely moving at the end of Feb/beginning of March, so most of the big stuff will have to wait until then. But I've narrowed down my options and made a list of other necessities to get in the meantime. There are so many little extra things that we have to get! So here is where I ask you all for any advice and opinions for things I definitely need vs things I really don't need :)

Stay Tuned for more updates!