Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A Little Bit Uncomfortable and A Lot Restless, Anxious, Fidgety... and Tired (37w3d)
This post-37 weeks business is tough.
I really shouldn't complain too much. It could be so much worse.
My ribs (right side only) are aching at the moment, so I've got my sleep bra pulled up to take the elastic off the sore spot... leaving me with protruding boobs while I type. This sore rib business is complicated because bras hurt... and not wearing a bra hurts, too, because then the weight of my breasts rests on the sore spot. I thought the problem was underwire for a while, but sometimes the underwire is better than the elastic of the sleep bra. Until I'm out relaxing with a friend somewhere, and find I have to pry a finger under the underwire and lever it up and away from my ribcage for a while.The only thing that doesn't ache is lying down. Not always practical.
Still, the pain isn't that bad. Just annoying. And it comes and goes.
I'm also just tired and cranky. I don't like it. I want my other personality back. Especially because I have no right to be cranky! I'm off of work, and just trying to cross things off my to do list. This is an extremely lucky situation to be in, and I know it. I am very grateful. So why do I feel so cross?
Yesterday I made a relatively brief trip to another part of Brooklyn to pick up an organic mattress pad for the crib... and then that was it. For hours. I was just exhausted. This is unacceptable. (I also did a 20 minute workout on the elliptical beforehand... with difficulty. Despite taking the day off from it the previous day.) And last night I was impatient with my friend's overtired, over-excited (from moving to a new apartment yesterday! a thing she is entitled to be excited about!) three year old. Not cool.
I'm having the occasional lower back twinge, and lots and lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but other than that, no sign that labor is coming any time soon. My midwife pretty much laughed at how far off it was at our last visit... and didn't even want to see me back this week! I thought after 36 weeks one was seen weekly... but she said I didn't need to come in unless I became really uncomfortable.
I don't really want my Lentil to come yet. I'd like a little more time to get things done. And for her to get fully baked. I feel like before 39 weeks is not ideal for her. And yet, the one good thing about her coming sooner would be that then I could stop wondering about her arrival date. Not a good reason, but a real one, nonetheless.
Oh, and then I would know that my sister would definitely be able to be here. But both my sister and my midwife are away this weekend, taking their daughters to summer camp, so this weekend is definitely out.
... Okay, a workout was accomplished. Here's hoping for a better, more energetic day.
I really shouldn't complain too much. It could be so much worse.
My ribs (right side only) are aching at the moment, so I've got my sleep bra pulled up to take the elastic off the sore spot... leaving me with protruding boobs while I type. This sore rib business is complicated because bras hurt... and not wearing a bra hurts, too, because then the weight of my breasts rests on the sore spot. I thought the problem was underwire for a while, but sometimes the underwire is better than the elastic of the sleep bra. Until I'm out relaxing with a friend somewhere, and find I have to pry a finger under the underwire and lever it up and away from my ribcage for a while.The only thing that doesn't ache is lying down. Not always practical.
Still, the pain isn't that bad. Just annoying. And it comes and goes.
I'm also just tired and cranky. I don't like it. I want my other personality back. Especially because I have no right to be cranky! I'm off of work, and just trying to cross things off my to do list. This is an extremely lucky situation to be in, and I know it. I am very grateful. So why do I feel so cross?
Yesterday I made a relatively brief trip to another part of Brooklyn to pick up an organic mattress pad for the crib... and then that was it. For hours. I was just exhausted. This is unacceptable. (I also did a 20 minute workout on the elliptical beforehand... with difficulty. Despite taking the day off from it the previous day.) And last night I was impatient with my friend's overtired, over-excited (from moving to a new apartment yesterday! a thing she is entitled to be excited about!) three year old. Not cool.
I'm having the occasional lower back twinge, and lots and lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but other than that, no sign that labor is coming any time soon. My midwife pretty much laughed at how far off it was at our last visit... and didn't even want to see me back this week! I thought after 36 weeks one was seen weekly... but she said I didn't need to come in unless I became really uncomfortable.
I don't really want my Lentil to come yet. I'd like a little more time to get things done. And for her to get fully baked. I feel like before 39 weeks is not ideal for her. And yet, the one good thing about her coming sooner would be that then I could stop wondering about her arrival date. Not a good reason, but a real one, nonetheless.
Oh, and then I would know that my sister would definitely be able to be here. But both my sister and my midwife are away this weekend, taking their daughters to summer camp, so this weekend is definitely out.
... Okay, a workout was accomplished. Here's hoping for a better, more energetic day.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Getting Closer, and "Fun Problems"
Even though I know I'm just 3 weeks and a day from my "guess date," seeing the BabyTicker say "22 days" is really a trip!
I'm feeling very, very grateful to not be working now. I was so worried about being bored, and maybe I will get there yet, but I'm staring to doubt it. In any case, despite good progress on my ToodleDo to do list, I'm not there yet! If I ever finish that (hah!), maybe I can experience boredom.
Yesterday was a [too] busy day. I went to a local new-and-expectant moms group in nearby Ditmas Park (it's a neighborhood, not a park) for a meet-up in the backyard of a local coffeeshop. There must've been at least ten new moms there, plus three of us pregnant ladies. It was a little overwhelming, all the strollers, plus being sandwiched between two brand new moms nursing tiny babies, and not wanting to disturb anyone when my pregnant bladder called for relief.
It's also a little weird for me because of my profession. I don't really advertise (offline, anyway) that I am a pediatric nurse practitioner, and even if I did, I'm not 100% sure that people connect that to being very much like a pediatrician. And I think it's really important for new mamas to get their sea legs under them, so to speak, and not hear from me, some sort of professional, pronouncing "God's own truth." And then there's the fact that I haven't worked with babies since my training, which ended five years ago, so I'm not actually an expert on all things baby at this point. Still, I have a pretty solid foundation... especially when you add in the fact that I've been doing the online coursework to become a lactation consultant... though there's still HUGE holes in my knowledge there.
So I stay silent a lot, especially since I don't have a baby yet (on the outside) to offer me an opening into the conversation. Which left me feeling a little bored in the beginning. Later on, when the group size shrank and was a little more mixed (two pregnants, one newborn, two older infants), I felt like I had more to contribute and had a better time. But I'm curious -- will newborn talk be more fascinating to me when I am in the throes of newborn-hood? Certainly I am all about cataloging late pregnancy woes and tricks these days!
Anyway, after the group, I walked with former summer camp friend/SMC friend Emily over to her apartment, just two blocks from mine, with her three year old daughter. She moves in next week! I helped her figure out where she wants to put furniture... mainly by making suggestions which helped her realize where she didn't want things. But I stayed longer than I meant to, and my feet were tired by the end.
Shortly after I got home, my SMC friend Catherine (now 41 weeks 4 days, and no sign of labor yet, poor thing!) came by to bring me a book. She was willing to chat with me while I lay on the couch with my feet up, so that was nice. And right after she left, I mixed up a smoothie (yay for my new blender! after having a bad experience spraying blended blueberry all over my shirt, pants, and cabinets, I finally threw in the towel on using the hand blender with frozen fruit) and then my friend Stephen picked me up to take me to Ikea. He and his wife had given me an Ikea gift card for a shower gift, with the assumption that I would get a ride over there to boot (since he's given me rides there before).
I bought two new dressers, since I've been having "fancy dresser" envy ever since I got one for Lentil -- hers is so much nicer than what I've been using. So I upgraded from the $69 Ikea dresser to the $150 Ikea dresser. See what comes with dreaming big!
After the Ikea trip, I still had to listen to my Hypnobabies CD. (Aside: I don't know that I'm getting to a good place with Hypnobabies. I feel like it's starting to bug me.) I am supposed to practice entering hypnosis five times a day, plus listen to one 30 minute recording per day. I'm doing well with the daily listening sessions, but I'm lucky to do one additional entering-hypnosis-practice session. Last night I had to keep wriggling my legs, and just couldn't stay still during my listening session. (Hey, does anyone know the difference between wiggling and wriggling? I sure don't.) So I'm not sure what to think or do about my feelings towards Hypnobabies. Maybe my fabulous doula, Chloe, will have some suggestions. I do think that doing my listening earlier in the day seems to help a bit.
Today I woke up with a marked sense of lethargy and pronounced heaviness in my legs. It's interesting to watch my endurance levels decline! I meant to work out, since I achieved my goal of five days in a week (at 20 minutes each) on the elliptical as of Wednesday, but nope, way too tired. So far I've accomplished almost nothing, except for ordering Medela replacement tubing for the breast pump today. My apartment is looking increasingly cluttered, all the more so now with Ikea boxes leaning up against the furniture in my front hall. But so far, I haven't mustered up the energy to create an ever larger mess by unpacking the boxes and assembling the dressers.
Last night, after again not finding a rug I loved at Ikea, I finally, successfully, found and ordered a rug I like from HomeDepot.com last night. For only $147. Hopefully this will appease the sound-sensitive aka persnickety downstairs neighbor. The next step is to measure my bedroom, and figure out how much of my furniture needs to come out in order to lay down the rug.
And finally, does anyone else find that pregnancy has made them an incredibly boring conversationalist (and blogger)? I seem to have almost nothing to add to conversations these days.
Thanks to all for the photo feedback!
Update: the floor was measured, and I know now where the rug will go -- under the crib and under one end of my bed. One dresser was assembled, taking an ungodly amount of time. I'm pretty sure that lugging around and assembling furniture was not on the list of "Things Your Midwife Recommends You Do Without Help In the Final Weeks of Pregnancy," but at least it's done. And with it, I earned some well-deserved satisfaction, especially since there were a couple of times I thought I would have to throw in the towel and get help. And it looks great! No more Mama-has-fancy-dresser-envy for me!
I posted a listing for the two used dressers on the local parents' listserve. Selling each for $20... but if that doesn't work, there's always Freecycle dot com.
And I took the "before" photos to post... once I get to the "after" phase. Let's hope it's soon!
Oh, and the jogging stroller arrived this afternoon, and is taking up lots (and lots) of real estate in the hallway. <Sigh> This better mean that running (jogging) will be taking place soon!
I'm feeling very, very grateful to not be working now. I was so worried about being bored, and maybe I will get there yet, but I'm staring to doubt it. In any case, despite good progress on my ToodleDo to do list, I'm not there yet! If I ever finish that (hah!), maybe I can experience boredom.
Yesterday was a [too] busy day. I went to a local new-and-expectant moms group in nearby Ditmas Park (it's a neighborhood, not a park) for a meet-up in the backyard of a local coffeeshop. There must've been at least ten new moms there, plus three of us pregnant ladies. It was a little overwhelming, all the strollers, plus being sandwiched between two brand new moms nursing tiny babies, and not wanting to disturb anyone when my pregnant bladder called for relief.
It's also a little weird for me because of my profession. I don't really advertise (offline, anyway) that I am a pediatric nurse practitioner, and even if I did, I'm not 100% sure that people connect that to being very much like a pediatrician. And I think it's really important for new mamas to get their sea legs under them, so to speak, and not hear from me, some sort of professional, pronouncing "God's own truth." And then there's the fact that I haven't worked with babies since my training, which ended five years ago, so I'm not actually an expert on all things baby at this point. Still, I have a pretty solid foundation... especially when you add in the fact that I've been doing the online coursework to become a lactation consultant... though there's still HUGE holes in my knowledge there.
So I stay silent a lot, especially since I don't have a baby yet (on the outside) to offer me an opening into the conversation. Which left me feeling a little bored in the beginning. Later on, when the group size shrank and was a little more mixed (two pregnants, one newborn, two older infants), I felt like I had more to contribute and had a better time. But I'm curious -- will newborn talk be more fascinating to me when I am in the throes of newborn-hood? Certainly I am all about cataloging late pregnancy woes and tricks these days!
Anyway, after the group, I walked with former summer camp friend/SMC friend Emily over to her apartment, just two blocks from mine, with her three year old daughter. She moves in next week! I helped her figure out where she wants to put furniture... mainly by making suggestions which helped her realize where she didn't want things. But I stayed longer than I meant to, and my feet were tired by the end.
Shortly after I got home, my SMC friend Catherine (now 41 weeks 4 days, and no sign of labor yet, poor thing!) came by to bring me a book. She was willing to chat with me while I lay on the couch with my feet up, so that was nice. And right after she left, I mixed up a smoothie (yay for my new blender! after having a bad experience spraying blended blueberry all over my shirt, pants, and cabinets, I finally threw in the towel on using the hand blender with frozen fruit) and then my friend Stephen picked me up to take me to Ikea. He and his wife had given me an Ikea gift card for a shower gift, with the assumption that I would get a ride over there to boot (since he's given me rides there before).
I bought two new dressers, since I've been having "fancy dresser" envy ever since I got one for Lentil -- hers is so much nicer than what I've been using. So I upgraded from the $69 Ikea dresser to the $150 Ikea dresser. See what comes with dreaming big!
After the Ikea trip, I still had to listen to my Hypnobabies CD. (Aside: I don't know that I'm getting to a good place with Hypnobabies. I feel like it's starting to bug me.) I am supposed to practice entering hypnosis five times a day, plus listen to one 30 minute recording per day. I'm doing well with the daily listening sessions, but I'm lucky to do one additional entering-hypnosis-practice session. Last night I had to keep wriggling my legs, and just couldn't stay still during my listening session. (Hey, does anyone know the difference between wiggling and wriggling? I sure don't.) So I'm not sure what to think or do about my feelings towards Hypnobabies. Maybe my fabulous doula, Chloe, will have some suggestions. I do think that doing my listening earlier in the day seems to help a bit.
Today I woke up with a marked sense of lethargy and pronounced heaviness in my legs. It's interesting to watch my endurance levels decline! I meant to work out, since I achieved my goal of five days in a week (at 20 minutes each) on the elliptical as of Wednesday, but nope, way too tired. So far I've accomplished almost nothing, except for ordering Medela replacement tubing for the breast pump today. My apartment is looking increasingly cluttered, all the more so now with Ikea boxes leaning up against the furniture in my front hall. But so far, I haven't mustered up the energy to create an ever larger mess by unpacking the boxes and assembling the dressers.
Last night, after again not finding a rug I loved at Ikea, I finally, successfully, found and ordered a rug I like from HomeDepot.com last night. For only $147. Hopefully this will appease the sound-sensitive aka persnickety downstairs neighbor. The next step is to measure my bedroom, and figure out how much of my furniture needs to come out in order to lay down the rug.
Do y'all think, for maximum sound reduction purposes, that the rug should go under the crib? The rug I ordered is 8 x 10 feet, and my bedroom is roughly 12 x 16.5. I figure it doesn't need to go under my bed, or under the dressers.
I am not looking forward to having both outgoing and incoming dressers set up in my hallway for a few days while I wait for my new rug to arrive.
I do not do well with clutter. Too bad my apartment seems to be increasingly cluttered these days, with only more possessions due to arrive, namely the [enormous] jogging stroller, plus the crib (currently residing in the closet in its folded up form), and then the rug and incoming and outgoing dressers, of course. I'd also like to replace my futon frame (topped with nearly brand new hand-me-down Tempurpedic mattress which I am most assuredly not getting rid of) with an actual bed frame, albeit a cheap platform bed, so that my pillows stop ending up on the hard wooden "arm rest" of the futon, but that would mean having to figure out what to do with the futon frame, namely, how to get rid of it. That may be too much for my pea sized brain and energy capacity.I am not looking forward to having both outgoing and incoming dressers set up in my hallway for a few days while I wait for my new rug to arrive.
And finally, does anyone else find that pregnancy has made them an incredibly boring conversationalist (and blogger)? I seem to have almost nothing to add to conversations these days.
Thanks to all for the photo feedback!
Update: the floor was measured, and I know now where the rug will go -- under the crib and under one end of my bed. One dresser was assembled, taking an ungodly amount of time. I'm pretty sure that lugging around and assembling furniture was not on the list of "Things Your Midwife Recommends You Do Without Help In the Final Weeks of Pregnancy," but at least it's done. And with it, I earned some well-deserved satisfaction, especially since there were a couple of times I thought I would have to throw in the towel and get help. And it looks great! No more Mama-has-fancy-dresser-envy for me!
I posted a listing for the two used dressers on the local parents' listserve. Selling each for $20... but if that doesn't work, there's always Freecycle dot com.
And I took the "before" photos to post... once I get to the "after" phase. Let's hope it's soon!
Oh, and the jogging stroller arrived this afternoon, and is taking up lots (and lots) of real estate in the hallway. <Sigh> This better mean that running (jogging) will be taking place soon!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Wonderwash!
My newest purchase arrived today... suggested by some folks on the gDiaper listserve, when I mentioned that I didn't think I would be able to use cloth diapers because I don't have a washer and dryer in my apartment. May I present... the Wonder Wash!
It's hand powered (so I feel it doesn't violate the spirit of my lease, which prohibits washing machines... though I don't see any point, in, say, asking the management company if they agree with my reasoning) and takes up to five pounds of laundry at a time. I will still probably use the laundry room in the basement for linens, but certainly baby clothes and perhaps my own clothes as well should be a snap. Which means I don't have to lug an infant (or any age sleeping child) to the basement. And it was only $50... and with laundry being $1.50 a wash (and $1.25 to dry), it should pay for itself pretty quickly. Let's just hope it works as well as people say it does!
For what it's worth, I'm still not planning to use cloth diapers at this point, as I didn't feel like springing for a dryer... but maybe down the road a bit, after we've moved away from newborn poop, I will change my mind.
I also bought three new diaper covers to try with a different hybrid diaper system -- GroVia, also recommended by a mom on the gDiaper yahoo group. These are really cool because both the covers and the disposable inserts are good for 8-35 pounds. So I only have to invest once in the covers! And the woman in the baby store says they definitely still work for her three year old daughter. The inside of them seem to be much better constructed -- there's no removable plastic liner that can leak. Instead, there's a nice wicking, water resistant mesh that covers the entire lining. And they are even cuter than the little gPants!
Update from the Midwife
All went swimmingly at my 36 week visit with Catherine (my midwife).
My blood pressure is nice and low at 100/60, and my weight went up a pound. And my uterus is measuring right on target at 36 cm.
She swabbed me from Group B Strep, and took some blood to see if I am responding to the iron supplements.
Apparently the reason I have a very sore spot on my ribs is because my uterus is pushing against it right there. Not earth shattering news, but I guess that means I can't hope for any improvement until after the baby comes?
She is pretty sure the baby won't come in the next two weeks since her head isn't at all engaged in my pelvis. I could actually feel the Lentil's body bob up away from my cervix when Catherine did a pelvic exam to try to confirm the baby's position.
Catherine was only 99% sure the baby was head down, as the head and the tush are apparently exactly the same size. I guess she got that from the donor, because she certainly didn't inherit small hips from me!
(Just kidding. I know newborns have skinny old man hips.)
So I trotted over to the hospital, just a short walk away, for a quick and unofficial ultrasound with the midwife there (a friendly acquaintance). She pronounced my Lentil as definitely head down. It's so nice not having to fill out any paperwork, and be whisked in and out!
Then I went over to see my friend the acupuncturist (we became friendly through my sessions and also running into each other at the RE's office). Poor thing still hasn't had any luck, despite multiple IUI's and then three IVFs. She seems to have a great attitude, though. I felt guilty to be there, so obviously pregnant, but I had emailed her beforehand to ask if she would prefer that I see a different provider, and she said she was looking forward to seeing me. She's considering going to mini IVF; which would mean switching from our amazing RE that we both love. I'm hoping that the next round brings success for her.
I was hungry when I went into acupuncture, but thought I could relax through my session and get something to eat right afterwards. Not so much. I started to feel nauseous and panicky. I tried to talk myself out of it, reasoning that nothing bad could happen to me from low blood sugar. But then I thought, "wait, maybe the reason it makes me feel panicky is because my baby is running out of gas!"
So I had to take off the eye pillow and sit up, and then I was okay, despite sitting in the dark with needles sticking out of me.
Afterwards, just to be safe, I treated myself to the amazing grass fed burger and fries, plus this incredible Bibb lettuce salad with pumpkin seeds and radishes, at nearby Prime Meats. yum. And I only ate half, so now I have dinner taken care of as well!
My blood pressure is nice and low at 100/60, and my weight went up a pound. And my uterus is measuring right on target at 36 cm.
She swabbed me from Group B Strep, and took some blood to see if I am responding to the iron supplements.
Apparently the reason I have a very sore spot on my ribs is because my uterus is pushing against it right there. Not earth shattering news, but I guess that means I can't hope for any improvement until after the baby comes?
She is pretty sure the baby won't come in the next two weeks since her head isn't at all engaged in my pelvis. I could actually feel the Lentil's body bob up away from my cervix when Catherine did a pelvic exam to try to confirm the baby's position.
Catherine was only 99% sure the baby was head down, as the head and the tush are apparently exactly the same size. I guess she got that from the donor, because she certainly didn't inherit small hips from me!
(Just kidding. I know newborns have skinny old man hips.)
So I trotted over to the hospital, just a short walk away, for a quick and unofficial ultrasound with the midwife there (a friendly acquaintance). She pronounced my Lentil as definitely head down. It's so nice not having to fill out any paperwork, and be whisked in and out!
Then I went over to see my friend the acupuncturist (we became friendly through my sessions and also running into each other at the RE's office). Poor thing still hasn't had any luck, despite multiple IUI's and then three IVFs. She seems to have a great attitude, though. I felt guilty to be there, so obviously pregnant, but I had emailed her beforehand to ask if she would prefer that I see a different provider, and she said she was looking forward to seeing me. She's considering going to mini IVF; which would mean switching from our amazing RE that we both love. I'm hoping that the next round brings success for her.
I was hungry when I went into acupuncture, but thought I could relax through my session and get something to eat right afterwards. Not so much. I started to feel nauseous and panicky. I tried to talk myself out of it, reasoning that nothing bad could happen to me from low blood sugar. But then I thought, "wait, maybe the reason it makes me feel panicky is because my baby is running out of gas!"
So I had to take off the eye pillow and sit up, and then I was okay, despite sitting in the dark with needles sticking out of me.
Afterwards, just to be safe, I treated myself to the amazing grass fed burger and fries, plus this incredible Bibb lettuce salad with pumpkin seeds and radishes, at nearby Prime Meats. yum. And I only ate half, so now I have dinner taken care of as well!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Maternity Photos (36 weeks)
I had no idea what to expect, but I'm really happy with these. Although I was imagining something more like Shannon's, you know, with more clothes on. But I like them. Though they are unlike anything I've ever had of myself before.
Makeup and hair are courtesy of my medical assistant, who very sweetly came over that morning to help out. The eyes are a bit overdone for my taste (to be fair, I told her to go darker... it's just the silvery aspect of it that I don't love.)
I can't quite imagine hanging one on my wall just yet, but I reckon I'll get to that point? Especially when I am not feeling quite so pregnant anymore!
(Last night was my first rough night's sleep as a pregnant woman. I know that I am extremely lucky about this. But it left me impatient to get to the next stage in this adventure.)
I have no idea which is my favorite. If you were me, which would you enlarge and frame?
Makeup and hair are courtesy of my medical assistant, who very sweetly came over that morning to help out. The eyes are a bit overdone for my taste (to be fair, I told her to go darker... it's just the silvery aspect of it that I don't love.)
I can't quite imagine hanging one on my wall just yet, but I reckon I'll get to that point? Especially when I am not feeling quite so pregnant anymore!
(Last night was my first rough night's sleep as a pregnant woman. I know that I am extremely lucky about this. But it left me impatient to get to the next stage in this adventure.)
I have no idea which is my favorite. If you were me, which would you enlarge and frame?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Twenty-Nine Days
Twenty-nine days until my "guess date."
Hypnobabies uses this term, and I like it, as it's a good reminder that library books are due on a given day, but babies pretty much come when they damn well feel like it.
Though I'm very much hoping that Lentil feels like coming, say, a week before her due date.
Yesterday I had tons of Braxton-Hicks contractions, including three about ten minutes apart... that ?sadly resolved when I finally emptied my bladder.
I also experienced painful kicking yesterday from The Girl for the first time. Oww!
Today, though, all is quiet on the southern front. Except for having a couple sore spots on my ribs. I think they are actually tender lymph nodes, and not my ribs themselves. I will ask the midwife what that's about. I've also got a very sore left arch of my foot.
Otherwise, I feel good. I'm still sleeping great, for which I am exceedingly grateful. It's a little strange being home now, full time. I haven't been outside yet today, though I'm about to hit the library, the dollar store, and the shoe/watch repair man. Later I'm heading to the upper west side for dinner and maybe a couple of quick errands, including a new pair of flip flops that will hopefully be easier on my feet.
I made an appointment for acupuncture for next week, my first since first trimester, per the advice of both my midwife and my acupuncturist. Apparently it might help labor start in a timely fashion (which, of course, means not any time in the next two-three weeks, alas). Truly, though, I'm not quite ready for this little girl to arrive... even while I'm impatient. Plus, I know she's better off with a few more weeks in cooker.
Today is my first day home after a visit to my sister's family in the Berkshires, and I made a good start on tackling my lengthy to do list. Of particular note, I finished my will, using Legal Zoom. I agonized over this quite a bit, going the cheap route versus meeting with an attorney and possibly even creating a trust to the tune of $1500 or more, money I don't feel like I necessarily have... But I finally consulted my mother, an attorney, who advised me that unless the will is contested, there's no real issue with the risk of going the cheap-o route. And she doesn't think our family will contest the will. So I decided to save my pennies for daycare instead.
I also completed Health Care Proxy and Power of Attorney forms on the Legal Zoom site. I'm pleased to have this all taken care of, given that I promised myself to complete it at twenty-four weeks. I'm usually better about keeping my commitments to myself about things like this.
I also ordered my jogging stroller, the Bob Revolution, with various accouterments (all a gift from my best friend Scott, the one who gave me the elliptical... he knows how important exercise is to my sanity), a blender, printer cartridge, and baby gifts for a friend. For those who worry about the risks inherent in parenting solo... my dear friend, though married, had a brain tumor a few years back, and has been warned that she has a limited lifespan... typically 7-10 years before the tumor returns... how anyone can make that decision, to have a child or not in those circumstances, is beyond me... But what wonderful parents she and her lovely husband are, I am sure.
Tomorrow I'm having professional maternity photos taken. One more thing to cross off the list of things that must be done before the baby arrives. Next up is theater tickets next weekend to see the Broadway musical Anything Goes, featuring my favorite heartthrob, ?septegenarian Joel Gray. What can I say: I have a thing for old guys. (Actually, my [former] running group, the Hash House Harriers, aka The Drinking Club with a Running Problem... they name all the members... and my name? AARPenis. I kid you not. Because my ex is twenty-three years older than me.)
Every Hash House Harriers kennel has an annual red dress run. This one apparently took place in Lima, Peru.
Hypnobabies uses this term, and I like it, as it's a good reminder that library books are due on a given day, but babies pretty much come when they damn well feel like it.
Though I'm very much hoping that Lentil feels like coming, say, a week before her due date.
Yesterday I had tons of Braxton-Hicks contractions, including three about ten minutes apart... that ?sadly resolved when I finally emptied my bladder.
I also experienced painful kicking yesterday from The Girl for the first time. Oww!
Today, though, all is quiet on the southern front. Except for having a couple sore spots on my ribs. I think they are actually tender lymph nodes, and not my ribs themselves. I will ask the midwife what that's about. I've also got a very sore left arch of my foot.
Otherwise, I feel good. I'm still sleeping great, for which I am exceedingly grateful. It's a little strange being home now, full time. I haven't been outside yet today, though I'm about to hit the library, the dollar store, and the shoe/watch repair man. Later I'm heading to the upper west side for dinner and maybe a couple of quick errands, including a new pair of flip flops that will hopefully be easier on my feet.
I made an appointment for acupuncture for next week, my first since first trimester, per the advice of both my midwife and my acupuncturist. Apparently it might help labor start in a timely fashion (which, of course, means not any time in the next two-three weeks, alas). Truly, though, I'm not quite ready for this little girl to arrive... even while I'm impatient. Plus, I know she's better off with a few more weeks in cooker.
Today is my first day home after a visit to my sister's family in the Berkshires, and I made a good start on tackling my lengthy to do list. Of particular note, I finished my will, using Legal Zoom. I agonized over this quite a bit, going the cheap route versus meeting with an attorney and possibly even creating a trust to the tune of $1500 or more, money I don't feel like I necessarily have... But I finally consulted my mother, an attorney, who advised me that unless the will is contested, there's no real issue with the risk of going the cheap-o route. And she doesn't think our family will contest the will. So I decided to save my pennies for daycare instead.
I also completed Health Care Proxy and Power of Attorney forms on the Legal Zoom site. I'm pleased to have this all taken care of, given that I promised myself to complete it at twenty-four weeks. I'm usually better about keeping my commitments to myself about things like this.
I also ordered my jogging stroller, the Bob Revolution, with various accouterments (all a gift from my best friend Scott, the one who gave me the elliptical... he knows how important exercise is to my sanity), a blender, printer cartridge, and baby gifts for a friend. For those who worry about the risks inherent in parenting solo... my dear friend, though married, had a brain tumor a few years back, and has been warned that she has a limited lifespan... typically 7-10 years before the tumor returns... how anyone can make that decision, to have a child or not in those circumstances, is beyond me... But what wonderful parents she and her lovely husband are, I am sure.
Tomorrow I'm having professional maternity photos taken. One more thing to cross off the list of things that must be done before the baby arrives. Next up is theater tickets next weekend to see the Broadway musical Anything Goes, featuring my favorite heartthrob, ?septegenarian Joel Gray. What can I say: I have a thing for old guys. (Actually, my [former] running group, the Hash House Harriers, aka The Drinking Club with a Running Problem... they name all the members... and my name? AARPenis. I kid you not. Because my ex is twenty-three years older than me.)
Every Hash House Harriers kennel has an annual red dress run. This one apparently took place in Lima, Peru.
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