33 Week Update (and other fun things!)

Yesterday was a busy, yet productive day. Keith and Jacob left at 9am to head to PA to visit Keith's mom for the weekend. I stayed back from the trip so that I could get some things done around here. I had a busy day planned and was hopeful to get a lot accomplished while they were gone.

First, I had a PT appointment for my knee at 11:30am. My knee is feeling a lot better than it was a month ago, but it still gets stiff when I am sitting/laying still for awhile (like at night). It is also painful at times when I try to completely straighten it and my ability to bend it is not what it should be. I am able to kneel a little bit, but still have some pain when I put a lot of pressure on my kneecap while kneeling. I think the PT has helped - there are a bunch of exercises that the therapist has me do, mostly to strengthen the muscles around my knee to help with the knee pain. She also wrapped it with tape the past two appointments (once last Friday and then again yesterday) and that helps a lot. The tape is kind of a pain because it starts to curl up and come off after a day or so, but while it is on there, it stabilizes my knee and makes it feel better.

After my PT appointment, I drove into Charlottesville and got some lunch at Applebee's. I had a gift card and thought their Oriental Chicken Salad and French Onion Soup sounded really good. I have never been really comfortable eating at a restaurant by myself, but it wasn't really all that bad this time. I wasn't in there very long and it was interesting to just listen to the conversations going on around me. The table behind me was a mom with two small children and I couldn't help by smile when I heard her telling the kids some of the very same things I say to Jacob when we are out to eat. It actually made me miss him, but I was also very thankful for the quiet time that I was getting by myself. I was actually able to eat in peace and not have to worry about anyone else!

Once I was done with lunch, I had a few minutes to go to BabiesRUs and pick up a few things that I needed - a new hamper cover for the baby's room (the old one was accidentally ruined by bleach in the washing machine when Jacob had the stomach flu last month), some crib sheets for both the baby's room and Jacob's new toddler bed, a new crib mattress pad, and some of those disposable bags for times when the baby has messy poops while we are in the car (I am hoping I don't have to use too many of those, but Jacob was famous for having blowouts while in his car seat!). I was also on the hunt for a lamp for Jacob's new room and a new booster seat for him to use at the table (he is still currently using the high chair, but he is getting too big for it!). I did not find either the lamp or the booster seat, but was happy with my other purchases.

Of course, I spent too much time wandering around BabiesRUs, so I was rushing to get to my 2:45pm OB appointment.  I arrived just a few minutes late and I was called back to the exam room within about a minute of sitting down in the waiting room. It was a very quick and uneventful appointment. I saw Dr. Heider again because I had to reschedule my original appointment, which was in the morning, because 11:30am was the only PT appt available. The nurse did the regular stuff - weight (up 1 lb for a total of 18 lbs) and BP (it was kind of high at 140/85, but I attributed that to me eating the salty food not long before my appointment and the fact that I was rushing in 100 degree heat to get to the appointment! They never re-checked it so I assume it was nothing to worry about). Dr. Heider came in and asked how I was feeling (my answer: OK, not great, but not bad either) and if I had any questions (which I didn't). He measured my fundal height at 34 cm (it should be roughly equal to the number of weeks pregnant you are, so that was a good measurement). He then listened to the baby's heartbeat - he said it sounded good and was in the 130s (this is lower than it has been, but the heartbeat does get lower towards the end of pregnancy). Before I left, the doctor told me that they would do the Group B strep screening test at my next appointment. My Group B test with Jacob was positive so I will not be surprised if this test comes back positive too. If it does, it just means that I will need to be given antibiotics when I go into labor.


After my OB appointment, I drove over to the UVA Football office - my old "home away from home" - to visit with some of my old co-workers. It was pretty quiet in the office since a lot of coaches and staff were on vacation, but I did get to visit with a few people. I ended up staying for a lot longer than I had planned (two hours!) but it was nice to be able to stand around and chat without have to chase Jacob down the halls or worry about being anywhere! It is always nice to go back and visit - the sight and smells of the offices bring back such great memories of my two years working there. I really miss those good times and think that maybe some day I would like to go back and work there again!


After my visit to the Football office, I went to Kohl's to return some things and then headed to a local Thai restaurant to meet up with two of my friends. We had a great meal and then headed over to the movie theater to see "Magic Mike", a fun movie about male strippers. Unfortunately, the movie was playing one hour later than we thought (we thought it was playing at 9pm, but it actually didn't start until 10pm!). We made the most of it and took a trip up the street to Target (where I did find a cool lamp for Jacob's room!) before returning to the theater about 45 mins later. The movie was good, although the plot was a bit weak. It was just nice to get out and have dinner and see a movie with some great friends. I didn't get home until close to 1am and I was definitely tired! It was also strange being in the house all by myself (first time that has happened in the three years that Jacob has been alive!). But, when I crawled into bed, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep pretty quickly.


It certainly was a super busy day, but also enjoyable. I am glad that I got so much accomplished while also taking time to savor the alone time. I am now on the every-two-weeks pre-natal appointment schedule so my next appointment will be on July 17th when I am 35 weeks (wow...time needs to slow down a bit)! Look for another update at that time.