Save The Date

Every time I see a date now, I immediately think of it in relationship to my due date. For example, I need to change my Brita filter on 4/15. My brain simplifies this to "I need to change my Brita filter after the baby is born."

Certain events get related to the baby's birth, too. Yesterday, I had my last hair cut before the baby is born.

I can't stop thinking this way. My brain is in super baby mode now.

Kid Free Day

Foster Son is on his first overnight visit. No more talk about kids allowed for today.

Baby Basics Class

Husband and I went to a "Baby Basics" class last night, held by our county health department. It was really simplistic and seemed to be geared toward a less-educated group of people.

We learned a few things, I guess. What they might be completely escapes me right now. But a refresher never hurts, right? We learned about safety and about choosing a good day care.

Everyone in the class was pretty quiet, except for this one lady. I'll call her Tweedle Dee. She didn't seem very bright, but she came across as extremely honest and sincere. I liked her. She was pregnant with her 4th baby, but all of her other kids were a lot older so I guess she wanted a reminder about what it's like to take care of a baby.

At one point, the teacher asked Tweedle Dee, "Why might a baby cry?" and Tweedle Dee pursed her lips and sat back in her chair and said, "Because they're SPOILED."

Sigh.

Good luck to you, little baby in Tweedle Dee's belly. Good luck.

Charley Horse Returns

I'm having a lot of trouble verbalizing lately. Poor Husband. He must feel as though I am constantly on the verge of disaster.

I woke him up last night yelling, "Ow! Owwwwww! Help me! It hurts!"

"What does?!?"

Then my throat closed up. "Ch-ch-ch-ch..." Finally I said, "Charley Horse!" I think Husband was relieved to hear that's all it was.

But, oh, it hurt. I'm still quite sore today.

Please don't tell me that this is what labor contractions feel like.

Something To Think About

This might seem counter-intuitive, but now that I've experienced pregnancy, I have so much more empathy and understanding for women who decide to terminate their pregnancies.

I just can't imagine enduring this process without being committed to it. I wanted a child, I have a supportive husband, supportive friends, family, and coworkers, I have insurance and a great OBGYN's office-- and you know what? Being pregnant is still hard. It's hard physically and emotionally and mentally. I can't imagine not wanting to be a mother, not having a good support system in place, not having the financial resources in place and then having to suffer through all of the problems and uncertainties of pregnancy.

When my morning sickness was really bad, I literally thought to myself at one point, "this baby is going to kill me." Granted, I had thrown up so much that I was a little bit loopy and not making much sense (to Husband's shock and dismay). But I can see where, under different circumstances, that experience might have been a breaking point for me.

I've always been pro-choice and I support Roe v Wade as it stands today (no elective abortions past the point of viability and all that), and of course I believe that there should always be exceptions for medical necessity to any prohibitions on abortion. But that was all an intellectual excersize before. I believed in those rights without fully understanding what they meant.
I love Elise so much and I'm so happy that she's grown healthy and strong inside of me. I'll endure whatever it takes to bring her into this world.

But not every pregnant woman feels the way I do about their pregnancy. And I understand better now why that's the case.

Bad Luck Day

From about 7:00 Monday night until about 7:00 last night, Husband and I had a string of bad luck. I'm hoping it's over. I'm trying to think positively and say to myself, "at least it happened all at once and only ruined 24 hours, rather than dragging out and ruining several days." That's a good way to look at it, right?

Monday night, Husband's computer crashed. The hard drive was ruined. About a year's worth of our pictures, a lot of music, and a lot of work Husband had done on personal projects was lost. Why didn't we back that stuff up? Lesson learned. The hard way.

Then yesterday morning, Husband woke up with a terrible cold. Poor Husband.

Yesterday at lunch, I fell and skinned my knee. I've been REALLY off balance lately, and now that all of my ligaments and whatnot are loosening up, I'm a wobbly mess.

I was walking down some steps with Husband, on our way out to lunch, and my ankle just totally gave out. I couldn't catch my balance because I was on the stairs. Fortunately, I was about to step down to the last stair, so I didn't fall far. I did skin my knee up pretty good, though.

I landed on all fours, so my belly never got bumped. In fact, Elise slept right through it. She didn't even stir. She woke up later for lunch, so I know that she was okay. I'm okay, too-- it was just sort of embarrassing. I haven't skinned my knee since I was, what-- 7 years old?

Another lesson learned the hard way: use the f***ing hand rails on stairs when you're 9 months pregnant.

The last bad thing that happened was that Husband and I locked outselves out of our house yesterday evening. Foster Son was on a visit, which doesn't usually happen in the middle of the week, so Husband and I were planning to go out for a nice, relaxing dinner. We went home and got ready after work, walked out the front door, and realized that somehow neither one of us had grabbed our keys. Evening plans ruined.

Fortunately, we both had our phones. We called my sister, who we knew would be busy for the next hour and 1/2, then walked to a nearby, less nice, less relaxing restaurant for dinner. My sister was able to meet us and let us into our house just in time for Husband to leave and go pick up Foster Son from his visit.

So far so good today, though. Hoping that the bad luck has passed...

Everything's Bigger In Pregnantland

Shortly after I got pregnant, I stuffed a pillow under my shirt and proudly announced to Husband, "This is what I'll look like in 8 months! Can you believe it?"

No.

Pregnant ladies (for the most part) do not look like non-pregnant ladies with pillows under their shirts. More than just your belly gets big. EVERYTHING gets bigger. The belly overshadows the other parts, but when it's your own body, you notice the changes everywhere.

Pregnant feet spread out. Pregnant thighs get fatter. (I think that my thighs are the most devastating of the changes so far. I understand that they're helping to balance out my ginormous belly, but I still can't completely appreciate the utility of having fat thighs during pregnancy.) Pregnant lady parts get bigger (which came as a bit of a surprise to me). Pregnant butts get wider as pregnant hips spread. Pregnant boobs, of course, morph into the aforementioned porn star boobs. Pregnant upper arms get a bit thicker. Even pregnant faces get fuller.

I saw a pre-pregnant picture of myself the other night and I was like, "OMG! I was so thin! I've never thought of myself as thin, but I look thin there!" It's all relative, I suppose.

After this baby comes, if I can lose my pregnancy weight, I swear that will never complain about my thighs again. Ever.

Better To Keep Some Things To Yourself

Yesterday I was having some hard Braxton-Hicks contractions, so Husband suggested that we practice what we might do while I'm in labor. As we were standing up rocking back and forth and Husband was rubbing my back, Husband began giving commentary, pretending that he wasn't actually talking to me, but just that I could hear his thoughts.

Husband: (Well, here we are in hour 72 of labor...)

Me: I'd better not be in labor for 72 hours! That's not funny!

H: (Wife no longer has a sense of humor. Things are getting tense in here.)

M: Well, YOU try laboring for 72 hours!

H: (Massages are helping, but my hand is starting to cramp up.)

M: Oh, really? Your hand? Just your hand? Not your entire midsection?

H: (Considering asking doctor to perform the epidural into the back of her head, somewhere above her mouth...)

My Pregnant Feet

My observations regarding my feet at 35 weeks pregnant:

1. It's really weird to be standing up and realize that you can't see your own feet when you look down. Of course, I can look around my belly, or stretch my foot out, but it's still a mildly unsettling feeling.

2. Clipping my toenails is a gigantic pain in the ass.

3. My feet look wider. Not a lot. I don't need new shoes, like some pregnant ladies do. But they look slightly more... duck-like. Kind of like cartoon duck feet. Narrower at the back and more spread out at the toes. I'm sure it helps me stay balanced to have my feet more spread out. Plus, I read that the hormones that help loosen your hips up for the baby to come out can't just target one spot on your body, so all of your ligaments get a bit looser. Feet included.

4. Throughout this pregnancy, whenever I don't feel well just about the only place that I can stand to be touched is my feet. I have a feeling that that will hold true for labor, as well. I hope Husband's prepared to rub some feet!

Baby's Hospital Bag Is Packed

Husband's mom made a lovely tote bag, light blue and white, that we took home with us after our Christmas-time visit at her house. This is going to be the baby's hospital bag. It's very roomy, so I figure that if we get any samples or some kind of presents at the hospital, we'll have extra space to pack the stuff we get and bring it home.

I've packed 3 receiving blankets, a heavier blanket (in case it's cold or it rains), 3 burp cloths, a onesie, and an outfit to bring the baby home in (a shirt, pants with footies, mittens, a hat, a bib). I'll throw in a diaper and some wipes, just in case we need them, although I know that the hospital provides that stuff for your stay.

Last week at my OBGYN's appointment, my doctor advised us not to pack too much. "Some people show up looking like they're ready to move in. You aren't staying for a week, just a couple of days. Don't pack too much. They provide you with most of the stuff you need at the hospital."

Yeah, yeah. Better safe than sorry. That's what I say.

Pregnant Brain Craziness

I blame everything weird that happens to me on the fact that I'm pregnant. Here's what happened on Friday:

I decided to wash some more baby blankets/towels/washcloths/etc. and I had been in the baby's room, putting a load of laundry together. When I was done, I put my cell phone on top of the stack of laundry, walked through the house, spaced out and lost about a minute's worth of awareness of my own actions, and then put the laundry into the washing machine.

I sat down at my computer for a minute or two, and then looked to my left, expecting to see my cell phone. But it wasn't there. Where had I put it? Hmmm. The last place I remembered seeing it was... OH NO! ON TOP OF THE PILE OF LAUNDRY!!!

I screamed. I ran into the laundry room, and began pulling sopping wet, soapy baby blankets out of the washing machine. Husband was right behind me, very concerned about my screaming.

"Help me find my phone!"

"Okay! Okay!" Husband started sorting through the blankets I had pulled out of the washing machine.

"No! Go look somewhere else. Look in the living room or something!"

About two seconds after husband walked out of the laundry room he shouted, "Found it!" Was it really in such an obvious place? How had I overlooked it? I felt relief that Husband had found my phone, but I felt incredibly stupid for what had just happened.

Husband walked back into the laundry room and looked around at the mess I'd made. I was wet and soapy. The blankets were wet and soapy. The floor was wet and soapy. I felt so embarrassed.

"Hey. Maybe next time you can tell me what's happened when you scream instead of just screaming. I thought your water had broken or something."

Oops. Sorry, Husband.

I seriously don't remember taking my phone out of the laundry basket. I'm glad that I did, but I thought for sure that I'd dumped my phone in the wash. Wow. Pregnant brain strikes again.

Vegetarian and Pregnant

Did I ever explain that I'm vegetarian? I think I mentioned it in passing. I eat eggs and dairy, so I guess that makes me a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I don't eat fish.

I just want to say that my diet has created no problems with my pregnancy. I make sure to get enough protein with the eggs, dairy, and soy products that were already a part of my diet. I eat a lot of greek yogurt now, because it has a good deal of protein in it. And, of course, I take my prenatal vitamins.

I wondered when I first got pregnant if I would crave meat. I've heard that a lot of vegetarian women do. I wondered if I would give in to that craving. I've been a vegetarian for about 12 years, and I just didn't know how my body would react to eating meat again.

I haven't had a single craving for meat, though. I guess that I'm getting enough protein elsewhere. I never much liked the taste of meat in the first place. I love the sauces that go on meat-- barbecue, sweet and sour, stuff like that. But I just put those sauces on vegetarian dishes and I'm as happy as I ever was with a piece of chicken or pork. So there's no part of me that "misses" meat or feels deprived by not eating it.

Husband and I talk about what we'll do with regard to Elise's diet. I think that the agreement (correct me if I'm wrong, Husband) is that she'll be vegetarian until she has her own curiosity about meat. Until she herself wants it. Not in a babyish way where they want to put every single thing within reach into their mouth. But in a sincere I'd-like-to-try-that sort of way. Foster Son eats meat and we don't stop him from having it. We eat vegetarian at home, but when we go out to restaurants, Foster Son usually wants chicken nuggets or a hamburger. Husband usually has chicken. Plus, Foster son has breakfast and lunch at preschool 5 days out of the week, and those meals are certainly not vegetarian.

Maybe Elise won't even like meat, since I've never given it to her in the womb. Who am I kidding? I've basically ensured that she'll grow up to own a slaughterhouse, right? She'll have to rebel somehow.

Here We Go!

Had my 34 week checkup yesterday. All is well with momma and baby.

After the checkup, I had my first painful Braxton-Hicks contractions. They had just been annoying and then uncomfortable before yesterday. Now they're getting more intense.

I had a lot of them. I knew they weren't real labor because they didn't get stronger with time, and also, they were interruptable. They started getting really bad after Foster Son went to bed, so I took a hot bath and that stopped them for a while. Husband sat in the bathroom with me because I didn't want to be alone. Once I got out of the bath, I had a few more contractions, but they weren't as bad.

On top of the contractions, Elise kept her elbow poking into the edges of my hernia. It really, really hurt. I don't understand how sitting with her elbow poking out like that can possibly be comfortable. But she does it nonstop lately.

Oh, and one of my cats unintentionally clawed the crap out of me last night. She left little bits of claw in my skin and Husband had to pull them out with tweezers.

I had a crummy night last night.

Momster

Last night as I was getting undressed to take a shower, Husband says to me:

"Wow! I don't think you're gonna make it another 6 weeks. You're so pregnant! You're more pregnant-looking than anyone I've ever seen!... Except Octomom. But she's a monster... Well, not a 'monster'... but her face looks like a cartoon cat's face."

Tinkle Tinkle Little Bladder

For the past 3 days NONSTOP I've felt like I have to pee. I go to the bathroom, stand up, and the feeling instantly comes back. It's like having a urinary tract infection without the burning pain around my urethra.

I hope you like your comfy bladder pillow, little baby.

I can't really tell when my bladder is full now. I just try to go to the bathroom periodically to make sure that I don't end up peeing on myself. It's a gamble. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And my legs.

Infant CPR Class

Husband and I took an infant CPR class this past Saturday. The instructor covered not only how to perform CPR on babies, but on children and adults, too.

It was very informative and I'm so glad that we went.

I'd never taken a CPR class before. It seems like everyone that I know had to take one in high school, but I never did. Husband had taken one before-- I'm not sure how I missed it.

The class taught how to perform CPR and what to do if a person is choking. A friend of mine in high school told me that his baby sister had died while choking on some food in her high chair. And his dad was a doctor. So it can happen to anyone.

Hopefully, I'll never need to use it, but better safe than sorry.

Work Baby Shower

We were given a baby shower at work this past Thursday. It was very nice-- potluck lunch with a Valentine's Day theme. We got lots of great presents and it was so nice to see all of our coworkers supporting us and being excited about the baby.

We seriously have almost everything we need now. I want to get a few more outfits in bigger sizes-- 9 months and 12 months. And maybe a few educational toys, like those rainbow colored stacking rings. But other than that, we're mostly set. We have 3 months worth of diapers, 6 months worth of wipes, and lots of toiletries. We have all of the bath stuff we need, a play mat, a swing, a crib, a bassinet, a car seat, a diaper pail, etc., etc.

Now we wait...

Breastfeeding Snacks

In our breastfeeding class, we talked about ways that dads can help out with the baby. If dads can't help feed the baby, there are still lots of other things they can do to help, of course, like burping the baby and bringing the baby to its mother. One thing that we talked about that I hadn't really thought of is that the dad can make sure that the mom has lots of good food prepared and easily accessible. Especially in the first few weeks, when it's harder for the mom to get around, since she's still recovering.

The instructor suggested preparing sandwiches and putting them in the fridge before the dad leaves for work in the morning. Making sure the grocery shopping is done. Getting bottles of water to put next to the area where the mom will be breastfeeding.

Husband and I have decided to start stocking up now. We bought some individual serving cups of applesauce this weekend. I want to get some more fruit cups and some dried fruit, too. That'll be a good start. And none of that stuff needs to be kept in the fridge, so we can stack it next to the rocking chair where I'll be feeding Elise.

More Stuff For Husband's Hospital Bag

We've added socks, a pair of jeans, a sweater, mints, Jolly Rancher candies, and the DVDs for season 1 of "Arrested Development" to Husband's hospital bag. His backpack is completely stuffed full. I figure that if there's anything else that Husband needs, someone can bring it to him.

Now I have to work on my bag. All I have packed so far is a toothbrush, a travel size of contact solution and a contact lens case, and some fuzzy socks. The basics. The necessities.

I'm 34 weeks along now, which means that if I go into labor, even though the baby would be early, the hospital that I go to probably wouldn't try to stop the baby from coming. That's what we were told in our childbirth preparation class. I keep having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions, which is a good sign that my body's getting ready.

As soon as you're ready, Elise, I'm ready, too!!!

Keeping It Clean

Husband and I bought some dye and fragrance free, sensitive skin laundry soap for the baby about a week ago. Forget Dreft or whatever it's called. I'm sure it works great, but it also costs a lot, too. Baby-specific soaps and creams and toiletries in general always seem to cost inordinately more than kid or adult stuff does. What a racket.

Anyway, I've started washing baby stuff as of tonight. I have a load of crib sheets and receiving blankets in the washing machine right now. I can't wait to pick which receiving blankets to take with me to the hospital. I think I'll bring maybe 3 of them. Just to be sure that I have enough.