Pregnancy Week 35 - Friday January 16th, 2009

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Today we went in for our 35 week check up. It started off as a normal visit but turned into a series of life changing events for both of us.

The appointment started off pretty typical. Check in, pee in a cup, weigh in (190lbs, son!) and have Lois the office midwife check our vitals. Lois took note that my blood pressure was on the high side, but attributed it to the sometimes faulty machine. She also made a comment that your weight measured by the ultra sound the night before was on the low side (they estimated you were 4lbs 11oz). Other than that everything checked out. As the appointment was ending, my OB Dr. Parekhji bursts through the door and told me to get undressed. She told Lois that they found a high amount of protein in my urine and she needed to check me out immediately. Lois filled her in on my high blood pressure and your low weight. I’ll never forget how frantic she looked as she checked my cervix and uterus.

After she gave me a full inspection she told me that I have pre-eclampsia and asked me the location of my local drug store. I had no idea what pre-eclampsia was, but figured that the prescriptions she was writing would solve the problem. I asked her what the prescriptions where for and she told me pain medication in case I have the baby today. WHAT!?! I seriously think my heart stopped. She went on and told me that pre-eclampsia was a serious complication of pregnancy that can affect both you and me. If left untreated it can lead to severe seizures for me and lack of nutrients for you (that explained your low weight). She went on to inform me that the only cure for pre-eclampsia is delivery and that I would need to go to the hospital to check into Labor and Delivery immediately.

At the hospital, they immediately checked into a room and hooked up a monitor to observe your heart rate. Of course I forgot my cell phone that day, so I couldn’t call your dad until I was settled into my room. Once I got a hold of him and he recovered from the shock of the news, he came over immediately to the hospital. I think he probably suffered from a mild anxiety attack.

My doctor decided that she wanted to screen my urine for a 24 hour period to determine the severity of the pre-eclampsia. Since I was only 35 weeks she preferred to wait a week to deliver rather than induce immediately. If the protein level in my urine was high (above 3 grams) they would deliver. If it was under 3 grams they would put me on bed rest and wait a week or so to deliver. I didn’t have any other major symptoms of pre-eclampsia at that point except for a slightly higher blood pressure, so I felt pretty confident that we wouldn’t have to deliver.

At this point the only thing we could do was wait.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 32 and 33

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I decided to take a break from the computer over the holidays for some quality time with the family. Unfortunately my hiatus included not posting in our blog. I figured that this would be the last big break I’ll get for a very long time.

We enjoyed the holidays at home this year with a week long visit from your grandparents (on my side). Christmas day was spent lounging around the house, opening presents and of course eating. Your Aunt Val and her boyfriend Greg also joined us after getting up early and running 5 miles. Thank goodness that I have you as a nice little excuse not to get up and run.

You even got some Christmas presents this year including some clothes and a Tokidoki diaper bag (see picture). Well ok, maybe those presents are more for mommy than for you, but at least you’ll be cruising around in style.

During their trip, Grandmom Knapp, took us out to buy you some clothes at the mall. We found so many cute stores and since it was after Christmas everything was on sale. We got you some really adorable clothes including this cute wool hat with a brim. I think little boys look so adorable in these hats. It’s crazy how much baby stores cater to girls clothing more so than boys. I guess that’s a sign of what’s to come in the future. Mommy better have her fun now buying you cute clothing before I have to drag you to the mall when you’re older.

As you can see we’ve both been growing over the last two weeks. I can’t imagine how much more you’ll grow in the next 6 weeks!

People have started to notice that I’m pregnant and not just fat. I’ve been getting a lot of extra attention when I’m at stores and out in public. It’s pretty nice because people go out of their way to be nice to the “pregnant lady”. However, one thing that’s annoying is whenever people ask me how far along I am they always comment on our size. “Wow, he must be small” or “Lucky you that he’s not going to be that big”. The doctor says that you are average height so far. People just carry different than others. Just because it doesn’t look like there’s a basketball in my stomach doesn’t mean that you are small or tiny. Luckily for me (and you) I’m just tall with a long torso. Guess that means more room for you! I knew these child bearing hips were good for something.

What you crave this week:
Hmmm, haven’t really been craving anything lately. I’m starting to feel nauseas again during the day which has been curbing my cravings. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still super hungry, but not really for anything in particular.

Love,
Mommy

Baby Registry

Everybody’s been asking where I’m registered, so I finally went out and put together a gift registry at Amazon and Babies R Us. We don’t expect ANY gifts from folks, but if you’re feeling the need feel free to select from our registry.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/baby/homepage
Search for: Michelle Nakasone or Jon Nakasone

Babies R Us: http://www.babiesrus.com/shop/index.jsp
Search for: Michelle Nakasone, Michelle Dietrich or Jon Nakasone
It’s Registry # 88204195 due date 1/18/09.
I accidentally registered twice (doh!). Also, I’m due 2/18/09 not 1/18/09, so don’t get too excited. The lovely people at Babies R Us recorded the due date a month early so I could get a special coupon in advance.

Shout out to Jon who had to endure Babies R Us for 3 hours while I registered.

Pregnancy Week 31

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Sorry it’s been a while since I last wrote to you. The last past 2 weeks have been extremely stressful and unfortunately I haven’t found the motivation to write. Yahoo!, the company mommy currently works for, had a large anticipated layoff last week. Over 10% of the workforce was let go due to the downturn in the economy and restructuring the company for positive growth in the future. Of course it couldn’t come at a worse time considering that my maternity leave starts in February. That would mean me being cheated out of my maternity leave and possibly going back to work sooner than I had anticipated. I was looking forward to an anxiety free maternity leave and easy entry back to work. Both of which would have been killed completely if I had been laid off. Luckily your mom made the cut and we’re still employed… for the time being. Hmmm, it should be interesting to see if Yahoo! is the internet giant it is today when you are a teenager.

On top of all the activity going on at work, our doctor found some abnormal cells on mommy’s cervix (yeah I’m sure you’ll love reading about this). Of course that created a stir since they can’t remove the cells until after you are born. So off we go to a specialist to make sure the cells haven’t progressed into cancer. Thank god the cells haven’t progressed much and we can wait until after you are born to remove the abnormalities.

Ugh, not a fun week.

In more positive news, you seem to be developing into a very healthy baby. We went in to the doctor’s last week for our monthly checkup and everything is functioning according to plan. The doctor mentioned you have a very strong heartbeat. On top of that you’re still kicking around like crazy. It’s fun to watch my belly move and shift while I’m in work and in meetings. I think your dad is a little nervous that you’re going to be an exceptionally active baby.

What you crave this week:









Key Lime Pie – Every year during the holidays one of our work partners who based in Tampa, FL send me a key lime pie. This is no ordinary key lime pie… it is the mother of all that is delicious key lime pies. I’ve discovered that you LOVE key lime pie. You start bouncing every which way after I eat a slice (probably more because of the sugar). Luckily for us it’s too tart for Daddy, so we get it all to ourselves. I should be saving it for when granddad and grandmom come over the Holidays, but we just can’t wait that long.

Love,

Mommy

Pregnancy Week 28: Rounding Third Base on Our Way HOME!

Whoa there Nakasone-Chan. It appears we had a little growth spurt in the last week. It may be because we are FINALLY entering our third trimester.

Your dad took this picture of us while we were shopping in downtown San Jose over Thanksgiving weekend. We thought that the graffiti in the background was appropriate for my 28 week shot. I can’t believe how much you have grown in the last week. Not only am I starting to look bigger, but my weight increased by 3lbs this week. Well, that extra 2lbs may be attributed to the lovely taco salads in the Yahoo! Café. In many, ways I’m very thankful for your growth spurt because (most importantly) it means you are growing into a healthy baby boy and secondly I am actually starting to look pregnant. Believe me it’s not fun just looking really fat. However, your growth spurt is starting to do a number on my back.

This week your dad and I celebrated Thanksgiving at home. You and I were supposed to travel back to Pennsylvania to visit family and friends, but our doctor wasn’t too keen on us flying 5 hours to the east coast. Instead we spent some quality alone time organizing the house, shopping and relaxing. It was actually really nice for me and your dad to spend one last holiday together (your grandparents come out over Christmas). Look, we even finished your nursery:

Your dad had a really good time decorating your nursery. He picked out and purchased all of the pictures, frames, shelves, bedding and toys. I think he’s secretly happy that you’re a boy so he can relive all of his childhood memories. Next up: Star Wars sheets

What you crave this week:
Brownies

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 27

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Here we are 27 weeks and 20lbs later (well probably only 2lbs for you). I’m getting slightly rounder, but overall look a whole lot thicker. It’s like that inner tube around my stomach keeps expanding in all directions… north, south, east and west.

Now that we’re approaching the 3rd trimester I’m noticing that my skin is getting a whole lot worse. The pimples from the first trimester are coming back with a vengeance. I’m not talking about the small tiny pimples, I’m talking massive crater pimples that don’t go away for 2 weeks. On top of that I’m noticing my face is getting really red… especially my nose. The makeup that I normally wear is starting to look muddy and accentuates the redness. I’m really hoping that this is just one of those lovely characteristics of pregnancy that will go away after you come.

You still have been moving around and kicking like crazy. I’ve noticed that you’re kicking and moving more during the day then ever before. Plus your movements are so much more pronounced. I think you’re in the process of getting in final position for your launch in February.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty relaxed. Usually you can find us lounging around the house after work and spending time with friends and family over the weekend. We haven’t made too much progress with your nursery, but you did get some baby gear and clothing from a close friend (thanks Ryall). Your canine brother Iki, who is obsessed with all things baby, is delighted by all the new “toys”. In fact we find him occasionally sleeping in your bedroom:
http://flickr.com/photos/sandyrat/3020767642/

What you crave this week:
Taco Salad - They make a pretty mean taco salad in the Yahoo! Cafe, which has probably contributed heavily to that 20lbs. Keep in mind it's a generous portion and of course I devour the entire thing.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 25

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

I feel like 25 weeks should be some sort of milestone for us. However, we still have a good 15 weeks until you take the world by storm. While I’m sure you’re growing like crazy on the inside the only major development I’m noticing out here is that my hair isn’t falling out all over the bathroom floor. I’m not complaining it’s nice to have thick(er) hair for once in my life.

Our doctor told us this week that I'm carrying extremely well. She said that I can attribute that to my height and width. This is the main reason why I'm not showing as much as others at this point. Hey, I guess those "child bearing" hips have come in handy for once in my life.

One event that I wanted to comment on was that this week our country took a huge step and elected our first ever African American president. I’m so happy that you will be born in an era that can look past racial differences and actually stand up for what is right. While your dad and I watched Barack Obama’s speech, I kept thinking to myself that you could live in a world that doesn’t judge you based on the way you look or your racial make up. One day that could be you up there and it won’t matter that your mom is white and your dad is Asian. No matter how you feel about the candidate who won, it really was a proud day in American History. Your dad is excited for the fact that he went to same high school as Obama: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punahou_School)

What you crave this week:
Egg Salad Sandwiches

Love,
Mommy