Not too long now...

Ok, so I'm at about 33 1/2 weeks now, and I hear that 37 weeks is when I'm technically at full term, though the goal is to get to 40. I've been doing well generally, but the PUPPs stuff is back with a vengeance, and has resulted in lovely itchy rashes on my stomach, hips, and thighs. I called the dr.'s office last week when I got desperate, and they prescribed this stuff that a local pharmacy actually creates on site for such occasions. It's a mixture of lubriderm, menthol and some sort of steroid, and costs $35. We'll see if our insurance company will reimburse us. As quickly as I'm going through the stuff, it'd be great if they do, but it needed to be purchased regardless. It makes me cry at times, which is so bizarre; you wouldn't think itching would be such a serious problem, but it is with this. I'll start itching, and Andy will have the lotion in his hand, trying to give it to me, and it takes all my energy to stop scratching long enough to grab the stuff from him; totally insane, I know. I'm just glad to have a full-time job to distract me from it a little during the day.

Otherwise, I have the regular aches and pains that I've had for a while now, but they're manageable. My doctor's office has also said that taking tylenol daily is fine, as is taking benadryl (which makes me sleepy enough that I'm not spending my nights clawing at myself), so that's a good thing. I'm trying hard to remember how lucky we are to be in this place, and I know that even if the aches and the itchiness lasts until Rowan arrives (God, I hope not!!!), I can survive it. I've survived other scary medical things that haven't resulted in a bundle of joy, so I can certainly deal with this a little longer.

I read a blog this morning from a woman who's had several miscarriages and just gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the last few days, and it really inspired me, and helped me remember that in all likelihood, Rowan will be just fine, and I cannot wait for him to get here. Our nursery has all of the essentials, and just needs a few more details to be REALLY done. We'll be taking our childbirth class soon, and after that, it's just waiting a few more weeks to be done with work and ready to welcome him to our world.

Ready...for...the...summer

I cannot wait for the summer to get here. I know it will bring that huge life-changing event, the birth of our son, but I'm ready for it. I typically work til the end of May each year and am off in June and July, but since I have a few vacation days left to use before then, I'm going to make May 23 my last day of work for the year, and it cannot get here soon enough. Work is starting to be a challenge, for a few reasons. Of course, I suppose I could just be having a bad day. Regardless, I'm ready to be home for a while and out of this office.

In non-whining news, my wonderful co-workers threw me another baby shower last night, and it was a lot of fun! There was only one "game" played, and it was for me and the other pregnant guest of honor to chug a sippy cup full of pink lemonade. Not sure what the purpose was, aside from entertaining the rest of the guests, but whatever. The food was great, the presents were very nice, and I'm glad I work at a place with such thoughtful people.

My sciatic/ass pain seems to be worsening over the last couple of days, and I'm starting to wonder just how frequently I'm allowed to take Tylenol, since it really does help me to be more comfortable, especially at night. I'm starting to have, normally a couple of times a day, what the doctor thinks are Braxton-Hicks contractions, but says that as long as they're not happening more than 6x an hour, it's nothing to worry about. Maybe I've just watched too many movies, but aren't those the things that you see people going to the hospital about because they think they're in labor? What I'm feeling is definitely uncomfortable and tight-feeling at times, but nothing that would make me think I'm in labor, not that I actually know what that's going to feel like. I'm just glad to be having such regular doctor's appointments now so all of these questions get answered fairly fast. Speaking of tightness...ouch.