Friday! Which means nothing to me. Ha ha. Everyday is Friday!
So, we had a Dr. Appointment on Wednesday, and I am 5cm Dilated! YAY! I have been having daily membrane sweeps ever since (pleasant) which we hope will bring her here soon! I have my third sweep this afternoon.
Besides that, it's business as usual. I have been embroidering onesies to entertain myself, but had to stop yesterday when I had a mighty flare up of Carpal Tunnel in my right hand/wrist/arm. It was so painful. Back to wearing a brace. I did get three and a half onesies done in the past two days. You can see them on Flickr. I am working on a pink drumset right now... but probably won't touch it for a few days to allow my arm to rest and get better. Evan calls me a sweat shop. LOL.
Besides what have turned into daily trips to the hospital for Dr. Appointments, membrane sweeps, and NST's... I am pretty much here at home in my pajamas, with a daily bath or shower, and relaxing. Doing a load of laundry or two, picking up here and there, and watching cable TV, reading, crocheting, and embroidering. Evan escorts me to most appointments, or at least drives me there, drops me off, and picks me up when I am done. He makes sure I am fed and comfortable.
We got the Guitar Hero Game "Encore: Rocks the 80's", and have played that quite a bit. It's fun. My favorite song to play is The Warrior, closely followed by Ballroom Blitz. I guess we've had it for about two weeks now. Evan unlocked the entire game the first night. I played a bit on easy... I get to flustered on Medium. Evan plays on Medium and Hard. It's insanity to watch him play. He's awesome.
So it's Friday, everyone have a great long weekend!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Bliss...
Monday. Technically the last 15 minutes of Monday. So today the cleaning people came. That was good. I also had an NST at the hospital (routine) and the baby passed with flying colors as usual.
I tried to make myself get up by 11 (ha) and took a bath. I washed stoneware (which seems to accumulate and get dirty) and got ready to leave home. I get excited at the prospect of leaving home. But after about an hour or two out in public, I get so pissed and cranky, all I want is to get home. So last night I got all 55 thank you notes done from the baby shower, so today my first order of business was to stop by the post office and get stamps. Of course, the Wyanet Post Office closes from 12noon until TWO PM so it's like you can never freaking get there. And they close at like 10:30am on Saturdays. So after stopping at Wyanet at 1:30, I had to go on to Princeton and go around the block 54 times (per usual) to get into the post office and back out again. Grabbed my stamps. Discovered that the size of the baby announcements (6x6) means that each one will cost 81 cents to mail instead of 41 cents per announcement. Yee.
Then on to Burger King to grab a chicken sandwich. Then on to the hospital for my NST. While having the test I stuck all the stamps on the thank you cards and made a skein of yard into a ball.
Then I had to run to Wal-mart (against my better judgement and midwife's orders) because I was out of Zantac. And we needed dog tie out cables, as ours were shot and tangled together beyond use. Of course Wal-mart in Princeton downsized their dog section and so instead of having three sizes of red cable tie outs to choose from, they discontinued all of them, and only carry a heavier 20 foot cable, that costs $13.96 instead of the old 30 foot $9.96 cables. Ugh.
So I bought two new dog cables, the Zantac, and new metal bowls for under the electric coils on the stove. And by the time I got through those damn aisles, and a bathroom break, I was feeling hot, and my feet hurt, and I couldn't WAIT to get out of there. When I got home I was so cranky! I spent the afternoon on the couch mostly. Crocheting. All afternoon and until 11 tonight. This damn baby blanket.
I had the brilliant idea that I would make the baby blanket big enough to fit on a toddler bed with some room to spare. Well, I didn't figure in that she will be THIRTEEN by the time I finish it because I am using teeny tiny fine yarn and a teeny tiny crochet needle. Today I got one whole skein of little yarn added, and it probably only added 4 inches of length. It's wide enough to wrap up three babies but not LONG enough yet. It's like, not even HALF as wide as it needs to be. Looks like I have lots of crocheting to do. I guess even if it isn't done by the time she gets here, I should have more time after she's born while she sleeps and I am home from work. I hope. I had to stop crocheting at 11pm because I was getting aggravated that even though I was getting somewhere, I wasn't GETTING anywhere.
I also went through my embroidery patterns and thought about making some more onesies. I have 3 white ones left in my package... and then I can move up a size or two if I want. I need Evan to make me some copies of the patterns so I don't waste them when I cut them up.
Tonight I am watching the movie Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. It's depressing and it's good. Wow. Woody Harrelson plays an alcholic in the 50's, and his wife Julianne Moore is always in a good mood, and entering contests for jingles and advertisements in order to win things and money to keep the family from losing everything. It all seems to spiral out of control (finally) when the bank calls and the mom finds out that the dad took out a second mortgage on the house behind her back and spent all the money until the house is being repossessed. They have nowhere to go and all the kids will have to split up and go live with other people. While the dad's busy drinking it away, the mom finds all the kids praying in the closet that she wins a big prize. Ugh. It sickens me. It's like in some ways, she's remarkable for taking all that he dishes out, and in other ways is disgusting that he drinks away the money and there is no food for his kids, or the bills, or the house, and he treats her like crap over and over and she just takes it. She ignores it. She pretends like it isn't happening until her entire life has fallen apart. Then as they are packing up their house to move out, she wins the Dr. Pepper sweepstakes over 250 thousand other entries. Enough money and prizes to save their house. But that won't solve their problems for long. Ahhh... drama.
Well, I can't think of anything else exciting to say. Except that tomorrow I get a PEDICURE! YAY! And Evan is taking me so I don't have to go out in public and have people piss me off with their driving and such. I just get to ride along, get my pedicure, and ride home. True bliss? I think so.
I tried to make myself get up by 11 (ha) and took a bath. I washed stoneware (which seems to accumulate and get dirty) and got ready to leave home. I get excited at the prospect of leaving home. But after about an hour or two out in public, I get so pissed and cranky, all I want is to get home. So last night I got all 55 thank you notes done from the baby shower, so today my first order of business was to stop by the post office and get stamps. Of course, the Wyanet Post Office closes from 12noon until TWO PM so it's like you can never freaking get there. And they close at like 10:30am on Saturdays. So after stopping at Wyanet at 1:30, I had to go on to Princeton and go around the block 54 times (per usual) to get into the post office and back out again. Grabbed my stamps. Discovered that the size of the baby announcements (6x6) means that each one will cost 81 cents to mail instead of 41 cents per announcement. Yee.
Then on to Burger King to grab a chicken sandwich. Then on to the hospital for my NST. While having the test I stuck all the stamps on the thank you cards and made a skein of yard into a ball.
Then I had to run to Wal-mart (against my better judgement and midwife's orders) because I was out of Zantac. And we needed dog tie out cables, as ours were shot and tangled together beyond use. Of course Wal-mart in Princeton downsized their dog section and so instead of having three sizes of red cable tie outs to choose from, they discontinued all of them, and only carry a heavier 20 foot cable, that costs $13.96 instead of the old 30 foot $9.96 cables. Ugh.
So I bought two new dog cables, the Zantac, and new metal bowls for under the electric coils on the stove. And by the time I got through those damn aisles, and a bathroom break, I was feeling hot, and my feet hurt, and I couldn't WAIT to get out of there. When I got home I was so cranky! I spent the afternoon on the couch mostly. Crocheting. All afternoon and until 11 tonight. This damn baby blanket.
I had the brilliant idea that I would make the baby blanket big enough to fit on a toddler bed with some room to spare. Well, I didn't figure in that she will be THIRTEEN by the time I finish it because I am using teeny tiny fine yarn and a teeny tiny crochet needle. Today I got one whole skein of little yarn added, and it probably only added 4 inches of length. It's wide enough to wrap up three babies but not LONG enough yet. It's like, not even HALF as wide as it needs to be. Looks like I have lots of crocheting to do. I guess even if it isn't done by the time she gets here, I should have more time after she's born while she sleeps and I am home from work. I hope. I had to stop crocheting at 11pm because I was getting aggravated that even though I was getting somewhere, I wasn't GETTING anywhere.
I also went through my embroidery patterns and thought about making some more onesies. I have 3 white ones left in my package... and then I can move up a size or two if I want. I need Evan to make me some copies of the patterns so I don't waste them when I cut them up.
Tonight I am watching the movie Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. It's depressing and it's good. Wow. Woody Harrelson plays an alcholic in the 50's, and his wife Julianne Moore is always in a good mood, and entering contests for jingles and advertisements in order to win things and money to keep the family from losing everything. It all seems to spiral out of control (finally) when the bank calls and the mom finds out that the dad took out a second mortgage on the house behind her back and spent all the money until the house is being repossessed. They have nowhere to go and all the kids will have to split up and go live with other people. While the dad's busy drinking it away, the mom finds all the kids praying in the closet that she wins a big prize. Ugh. It sickens me. It's like in some ways, she's remarkable for taking all that he dishes out, and in other ways is disgusting that he drinks away the money and there is no food for his kids, or the bills, or the house, and he treats her like crap over and over and she just takes it. She ignores it. She pretends like it isn't happening until her entire life has fallen apart. Then as they are packing up their house to move out, she wins the Dr. Pepper sweepstakes over 250 thousand other entries. Enough money and prizes to save their house. But that won't solve their problems for long. Ahhh... drama.
Well, I can't think of anything else exciting to say. Except that tomorrow I get a PEDICURE! YAY! And Evan is taking me so I don't have to go out in public and have people piss me off with their driving and such. I just get to ride along, get my pedicure, and ride home. True bliss? I think so.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Why is the Rum Gone?
We have accomplished SO MUCH today. I am trying to work from the couch. I take stacks of things and baskets of things to the couch and sort, purge, organize.
I have almost 24 Thank You Cards written, enveloped, and addressed. I have plenty left to do though. I am trying to keep them all in one basket with all my supplies so that if I have the baby, Evan can bring the thank you's to the hospital so I can work on them. I am not stamping and mailing them yet because I am thinking that I might be able to slip some of them inside birth announcements and save on shipping.
I threw out three garbage cans full of magazines today, that I had looked through and torn out things I wanted to save. I cleaned off BOTH dining room tables, and sorted through the big stack of mail and paperwork that just keeps rotating and has increased and decreased in the last three months. No pile! Miracle!
Everything is vacuumed, even the dog beds. Evan got in on the nesting and cleaned out the entire entertainment center, dusting everything, organizing, and putting the VCR back in place. We hung up lots of laundry, and he would hang it for me in the closet and he even changed the burnt out bulb in my closet that has been driving me CRAZY for over a week. We have been doing laundry together, I watch while he switches loads, and tell him what load to wash next. He carries the clean clothes up the basement stairs for me and pours them out on the bed or the couch where I sort, match, fold, and hang.... then he helps by putting them away. It's fabulous.
I cleaned out the bassinet, It had been collecting clothes here and there. I also washed nursing camisoles and bras, getting ready for what I hope will be coming home to a clean house with clean clothes to wear. I got groceries last week, but we are already getting low on perishable stuff like milk, cheese, lunchmeat, etc. I made a list out on the computer so that if I have the baby (or even if I don't) SOMEONE (maybe Evan or mom) can go get some groceries. Not only am I not supposed to get groceries, but the one quick trip we took to Wal-mart left me miserable, exhausted, crampy and contracting.... so I really think someone else needs to go next time.
Last night an ADORABLE lot of clothes from eBay arrived. a HUGE lot of mix and match Gymboree clothes, that I paid only $20.50 for. They are so super cute.... my favorites are the little navy mary janes and the navy sailor pants. Check the whole lot out HERE.
I got our entire Life Doc Binder filled out electronically. I just have a few questions for Evan and then once the baby is born I need to fill out a page for her with birth date info, etc... and then I can print out all the documents and file them in the binder. Ever since discovering that thing way back when we registered for the baby at Target, I have seen SO Many great things by Buttoned Up. One thing was a "Cross It Off" task binder where you could assign tasks to family members by writing little task notes, tearing them out of the binder, and giving them to someone... and a carbon copy of what you wrote is kept in the binder so you know when you asked and who you asked. I think this would work awesome for a mom with kids at the age of actually helping out at home and having chores.
There is just some really cool stuff by Buttoned Up. And being the computer genius that I am, I cracked the password on the word documents so that I could fill out several and change the fonts, etc.... and so that I can convert them to PDF so that the entire form will print and not just the answers. This means that I can use it over and over, and not have to use up the forms that come in the binder... AND we can do a life doc binder for my parents, etc. without having to spend the $20 on another round of software and the binder and forms. I would like to do the Valuables Binder next.
My excitement of the day was seeing an ad in the new Redbook for a new Cheerios. Clustery Oats and Cheerios together to be exact. I checked the Cheerios website and it's SO new it isn't even on their site yet. I am fixin to try it. Once I get someone to go get groceries for me :)
My cousin moved to Alaska. Carrie is on her way to Alaska, where she and Jay will be stationed. I need to write a letter to my cousin and an email to Carrie. Ugh. I need to make a new list! LOL. I am full of lists. To do lists. Grocery Lists. And the baby already has a Christmas List... and she isn't even born. Things like an umbrella stroller and a front facing car seat. And a toddler swing for next summer/fall. Things that we registered for and I don't want to forget about.
Well, I suppose it's time for a nighttime bath. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am missing out on the Bureau County Fair and Wagon Wheel Days, but being in my pajamas in the AC sure seems to be making me feel better about it. Although I would REALLY like some fair food. Like a corn dog. And those Chicken Pitas. And an elephant ear from the REAL elephant ear man.
I have almost 24 Thank You Cards written, enveloped, and addressed. I have plenty left to do though. I am trying to keep them all in one basket with all my supplies so that if I have the baby, Evan can bring the thank you's to the hospital so I can work on them. I am not stamping and mailing them yet because I am thinking that I might be able to slip some of them inside birth announcements and save on shipping.
I threw out three garbage cans full of magazines today, that I had looked through and torn out things I wanted to save. I cleaned off BOTH dining room tables, and sorted through the big stack of mail and paperwork that just keeps rotating and has increased and decreased in the last three months. No pile! Miracle!
Everything is vacuumed, even the dog beds. Evan got in on the nesting and cleaned out the entire entertainment center, dusting everything, organizing, and putting the VCR back in place. We hung up lots of laundry, and he would hang it for me in the closet and he even changed the burnt out bulb in my closet that has been driving me CRAZY for over a week. We have been doing laundry together, I watch while he switches loads, and tell him what load to wash next. He carries the clean clothes up the basement stairs for me and pours them out on the bed or the couch where I sort, match, fold, and hang.... then he helps by putting them away. It's fabulous.
I cleaned out the bassinet, It had been collecting clothes here and there. I also washed nursing camisoles and bras, getting ready for what I hope will be coming home to a clean house with clean clothes to wear. I got groceries last week, but we are already getting low on perishable stuff like milk, cheese, lunchmeat, etc. I made a list out on the computer so that if I have the baby (or even if I don't) SOMEONE (maybe Evan or mom) can go get some groceries. Not only am I not supposed to get groceries, but the one quick trip we took to Wal-mart left me miserable, exhausted, crampy and contracting.... so I really think someone else needs to go next time.
Last night an ADORABLE lot of clothes from eBay arrived. a HUGE lot of mix and match Gymboree clothes, that I paid only $20.50 for. They are so super cute.... my favorites are the little navy mary janes and the navy sailor pants. Check the whole lot out HERE.I got our entire Life Doc Binder filled out electronically. I just have a few questions for Evan and then once the baby is born I need to fill out a page for her with birth date info, etc... and then I can print out all the documents and file them in the binder. Ever since discovering that thing way back when we registered for the baby at Target, I have seen SO Many great things by Buttoned Up. One thing was a "Cross It Off" task binder where you could assign tasks to family members by writing little task notes, tearing them out of the binder, and giving them to someone... and a carbon copy of what you wrote is kept in the binder so you know when you asked and who you asked. I think this would work awesome for a mom with kids at the age of actually helping out at home and having chores.
There is just some really cool stuff by Buttoned Up. And being the computer genius that I am, I cracked the password on the word documents so that I could fill out several and change the fonts, etc.... and so that I can convert them to PDF so that the entire form will print and not just the answers. This means that I can use it over and over, and not have to use up the forms that come in the binder... AND we can do a life doc binder for my parents, etc. without having to spend the $20 on another round of software and the binder and forms. I would like to do the Valuables Binder next.
My excitement of the day was seeing an ad in the new Redbook for a new Cheerios. Clustery Oats and Cheerios together to be exact. I checked the Cheerios website and it's SO new it isn't even on their site yet. I am fixin to try it. Once I get someone to go get groceries for me :)
My cousin moved to Alaska. Carrie is on her way to Alaska, where she and Jay will be stationed. I need to write a letter to my cousin and an email to Carrie. Ugh. I need to make a new list! LOL. I am full of lists. To do lists. Grocery Lists. And the baby already has a Christmas List... and she isn't even born. Things like an umbrella stroller and a front facing car seat. And a toddler swing for next summer/fall. Things that we registered for and I don't want to forget about.
Well, I suppose it's time for a nighttime bath. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am missing out on the Bureau County Fair and Wagon Wheel Days, but being in my pajamas in the AC sure seems to be making me feel better about it. Although I would REALLY like some fair food. Like a corn dog. And those Chicken Pitas. And an elephant ear from the REAL elephant ear man.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Home Administrator
Today I have found a new job. Household Administrator. I'm the lady that tells everyone what to do. But I try to ask nicely.
As soon as I woke up today, I got a call from the Mayor, of all people. Apparently they have received some complaints from people that they can't see when pulling out on Wyanet/Walnut because our wildflower/native grasses are too tall this year. It's my opinion that it has something to do with this excessive humidity and everlasting rain. So of course, I, the 9 month pregnant chick on bedrest, had to tell the major that I would see that things get "trimmed" (even though trimming will hamper the reseeding to an extent) and then I had the pleasure of telling my husband that things would be trimmed- by him. He was not pleased. I see the need to do it. I can't see when pulling out either. It's not THAT bad, you just have to pull ahead a bit. But oh well. You do what's polite. Now if they would just start to complain about the state of my "flowerbeds" maybe those would get weeded too. LOL.
So today I paid two big medical bills (ack) and packed way some baby clothes. I sorted laundry and started a load, while standing in the 1 inch of water that seems to want to come into the laundry room when you've had 54 inches of rain in the past week, and I have mailed the appeal for my short term disability claim. You see, as I briefly mentioned in the last post, one morning at 4am when I was unable to sleep, I decided to open the mail. I had been waiting for exactly ONE MONTH to hear from them regarding the claim that we filed the end of July. Since I got put on half days, my short term disability should cover a percentage (60%) of my salary for those half days. Well, I hadn't heard from them, and I had called and left a message and they never returned my call. So come to find out at 4am I open a letter from them with the simple statement "Light Duty Not Covered." Um Yeah. You thought my blood pressure was high before, right?
It royally pissed me off because first of all, I was NOT on light duty. I was performing all of my job functions, but just for a limited amount of time per day. Secondly, I could have been NOT working at all and made more money on disability (which I paid my premiums for the past 5 years) than I could have made working half days. Thirdly, when my midwife talked about taking me off work, I would argue and tell her that I was fine on half days. Well. No more of that bullshit. Although by this week I was in no position to argue, my Blood Pressure was so damn high. And I am sure it had plenty to do with the stupid disability claim denial.
So I had to go through the phone conversation with a snotty nasally chick from Allstate, trying to get information on WHAT my policy states because they never SENT me a policy, and she "can't fax it" but she can mail it to me. And I can't access it online. And she can't email it to me. Yeah. Whatever. So I should have this when? Next month? Fuckers. So anyway, we had her read the policy over the phone and then FAX us an appeal form and then I had the Dr. Office write a letter explaining that I was NOT on light duty and that they should reconsider my claim. Of course, then yesterday, after trying to return fax the appeal with the letter from the Dr., it took THREE tries on THREE different fax machines/phone lines to get it to go through. So today I had to call and verify that they had received the appeal, and now I wait 14 days for them to process it. So if I get any money for July 27th-August 21st, working half days, I probably won't see it till the end of September. Ack. Thank GOD I paid my car off or I would be hurting right now.
So on top of the appeal process, we also had to send a Dr. note to them because NOW I am off work full time, and we also had to file my Long Term Disability. So I feel like the queen of paperwork. And being electronic minded, I really try to do as little with paper as possible. Paper overwhelms me quickly. I have good organization skills, but they are put to much better use when I can file things and pay things electronically. I hate paper. So now my accordion file is like 10 thousand times it's original size, and I keep trying to get things as organized as possible so that if I need something and I am in labor or in the hospital, Evan will know where to find it and what he is looking for.
All this when you are supposed to be "relaxing." Luckily I got a good night's sleep last night, about 9 hours with minimal interruptions for pee breaks every 1 hour and heartburn attacks from 3-7am. So here I am in my air conditioned bubble. In my pajamas. Maybe I should at least brush my teeth?
And the baby shower thank you's continue to stare at me.....
As soon as I woke up today, I got a call from the Mayor, of all people. Apparently they have received some complaints from people that they can't see when pulling out on Wyanet/Walnut because our wildflower/native grasses are too tall this year. It's my opinion that it has something to do with this excessive humidity and everlasting rain. So of course, I, the 9 month pregnant chick on bedrest, had to tell the major that I would see that things get "trimmed" (even though trimming will hamper the reseeding to an extent) and then I had the pleasure of telling my husband that things would be trimmed- by him. He was not pleased. I see the need to do it. I can't see when pulling out either. It's not THAT bad, you just have to pull ahead a bit. But oh well. You do what's polite. Now if they would just start to complain about the state of my "flowerbeds" maybe those would get weeded too. LOL.
So today I paid two big medical bills (ack) and packed way some baby clothes. I sorted laundry and started a load, while standing in the 1 inch of water that seems to want to come into the laundry room when you've had 54 inches of rain in the past week, and I have mailed the appeal for my short term disability claim. You see, as I briefly mentioned in the last post, one morning at 4am when I was unable to sleep, I decided to open the mail. I had been waiting for exactly ONE MONTH to hear from them regarding the claim that we filed the end of July. Since I got put on half days, my short term disability should cover a percentage (60%) of my salary for those half days. Well, I hadn't heard from them, and I had called and left a message and they never returned my call. So come to find out at 4am I open a letter from them with the simple statement "Light Duty Not Covered." Um Yeah. You thought my blood pressure was high before, right?
It royally pissed me off because first of all, I was NOT on light duty. I was performing all of my job functions, but just for a limited amount of time per day. Secondly, I could have been NOT working at all and made more money on disability (which I paid my premiums for the past 5 years) than I could have made working half days. Thirdly, when my midwife talked about taking me off work, I would argue and tell her that I was fine on half days. Well. No more of that bullshit. Although by this week I was in no position to argue, my Blood Pressure was so damn high. And I am sure it had plenty to do with the stupid disability claim denial.
So I had to go through the phone conversation with a snotty nasally chick from Allstate, trying to get information on WHAT my policy states because they never SENT me a policy, and she "can't fax it" but she can mail it to me. And I can't access it online. And she can't email it to me. Yeah. Whatever. So I should have this when? Next month? Fuckers. So anyway, we had her read the policy over the phone and then FAX us an appeal form and then I had the Dr. Office write a letter explaining that I was NOT on light duty and that they should reconsider my claim. Of course, then yesterday, after trying to return fax the appeal with the letter from the Dr., it took THREE tries on THREE different fax machines/phone lines to get it to go through. So today I had to call and verify that they had received the appeal, and now I wait 14 days for them to process it. So if I get any money for July 27th-August 21st, working half days, I probably won't see it till the end of September. Ack. Thank GOD I paid my car off or I would be hurting right now.
So on top of the appeal process, we also had to send a Dr. note to them because NOW I am off work full time, and we also had to file my Long Term Disability. So I feel like the queen of paperwork. And being electronic minded, I really try to do as little with paper as possible. Paper overwhelms me quickly. I have good organization skills, but they are put to much better use when I can file things and pay things electronically. I hate paper. So now my accordion file is like 10 thousand times it's original size, and I keep trying to get things as organized as possible so that if I need something and I am in labor or in the hospital, Evan will know where to find it and what he is looking for.
All this when you are supposed to be "relaxing." Luckily I got a good night's sleep last night, about 9 hours with minimal interruptions for pee breaks every 1 hour and heartburn attacks from 3-7am. So here I am in my air conditioned bubble. In my pajamas. Maybe I should at least brush my teeth?
And the baby shower thank you's continue to stare at me.....
Wednesday? Thursday? What day IS it? FRIDAY!!!!
Well Hello there.
I don't really have much to write. I have been leading the glamorous life of a woman on bedrest. Really this means that I sleep till noon and spend the majority of my day and night on the couch.
My Tuesday night Dr. Appt got canceled as my midwife had a baby to deliver, so we rescheduled for Wednesday. my blood pressure was high, 141/96 and 138/98. So I got sent to OB for the Routine NST and blood work to rule out toxemia, and then got taken off work permanently. I was totally ready for that. But I really thought that I wouldn't have the bedrest part to ruin all my good partying. I denied having an internal exam on Wednesday because I pretty much felt that if anyone stuck anything inside me I might burst. So who knows how dilated and effaced I am now. It doesn't seem to matter in the scheme of things so why get myself worked up? So Wednesday I left home at 9:30am, got released from OB around 12:15, spent the next hour in Human Resources filling out FMLA paperwork and filing an appeal for my "denied" short term disability claim (yeah, that was a great idea, to open the mail at 4am and find out that they denied my claim.) Then I went to the Ace Learning Ladder and filled out daycare paperwork and took the tour there. It was awesome there!
That afternoon and evening I busied myself with Parenting and Baby magazines... going through them and tearing out anything that I thought I might actually reference later, and tossing the rest, than organizing the torn out pages by category in sheet protectors.
Of course then about 6pm I had a total scare where I thought I was either dying or in labor. Basically my back was hurting, and Evan went to Princeton to go grab supper, and I thought I would get up for a pee break and take some Tylenol. I tried to pee and couldn't (huh?) and suddenly when I got up I had this horrible stabbing and STRONG back pain, only on my left side. It was bad. I thought it was gonna be one of those strange late pregnancy pains and twangs that just goes away and is unexplained, but it was KILLING me and it wouldn't stop. Steady and strong. I ripped off my clothes and tried to relax and lay down in bed. I couldn't lay down. On either side. I couldn't even position my pillows or pull the blankets over me. I was like paralyzed. Then a sudden panic that something was WRONG. Things are going through my head like "baby's choking" or "placenta is tearing" and then I thought OH MY GOD this is what labor feels like and mine has started and already I am a baby and there is no way I can do this.
I was feeling so nauseous I could barely get down two tylenol (as if that would provide instant relief, ha ha) I called Evan, whimpering for him to come home right away, and got a washcloth with cold water for my forehead. I had started the hypnobirthing CD but couldn't concentrate or even hear it to relax. It was insane. I was completely overtaken by pain. I ended up getting the birth ball and putting a towel over it, and sitting on it while leaning into the edge of the bed with a pillow under my head and the washcloth over my forehead. RELIEF, albeit small and slow, seeped into my back. I needed to get her weight off my back or something. When Evan came in he found me sitting naked on the ball, washcloth on my forehead, head propped up on my elbows. He wanted me to lay down but I was too scared it would come back. He rubbed the spot in my back and it got better and better. Eventually he convinced me to lay down and got me all snuggled in with pillows on every direction and the cloth on my forehead, and he started hypnobirthing over again and I was able to relax and the next thing I know, it was an hour later, and Evan was waking me up with supper ready. He laughed and said he could hear me snoring when he walked in the house. I hadn't moved an inch, but had slept for an hour. the washcloth was still on my forehead.
I spent the night alternating between the couch and the birth ball, when my back would ache in that spot, and I ate supper on the birth ball. I asked my midwife and she was sure that what I had was a back spasm. Holy crap. She assured me that labor doesn't start like that, and that if I am supposed to have back labor, I will feel it later on. I knew they weren't contractions, because they never wrapped around to the front, and there was no start/stop time whatsoever... The spasm lasted for almost a full 20 minutes straight. It actually vaguely reminded me of the hydronephrosis that I had earlier in pregnancy, and I actually had a nurse (who has had kidney stones) ask me if I might have passed one. Who knows. But It didn't last too long and It hasn't happened since. I probably need to go to the chiropractor and get another adjustment. Or maybe another prenatal massage.
So today we had our waterbirth class. It was great. I learned lots, which surprised me considering that I have read an entire waterbirth book, four books on natural birth, and seen countless videos of waterbirths. But every hospital is different and has different policies. I feel well prepared. Evan and I attended the class, then stopped by the midwife's office to pick up the letter for the short term disability appeal. Then we grabbed a few things from my office, since I am "done" like my wireless keyboard and mouse and my mini-fridge.
This afternoon I sat around and went through the last of my magazines. Then I filled out the entire folder of paperwork from the daycare. I read their entire handbook. I organized hospital bills. I opened mail and packages. The wipes warmer finally got here, and a couple more sets of clothes from eBay. I ate some cheeseburger macaroni. And some oreos. I watched a movie. I checked my email.
Tonight I went to mom's for a bit and we watched TV and chatted. I kept my feet up in the recliner. It was nice. Then when I got home I checked my email again, and made up an entire list of things for Evan to remember when we go to the hospital. Things to grab that aren't packed (last minute stuff) and who to call when. Crazy little stuff that floats through my brain like "don't forget to put her footprints inside the Longaberger Purse lid" and "Don't forget to call my insurance company within 24 hours of birth in order for them to cover everything" and other crap like that. It feels good to have that all on paper. I had it in a notebook but it wasn't easy to find and in one place.
Then I made a list of administrative tasks that I can complete- things that I can do sitting down.... and things that need to get done that Evan can do. Not that they have to be done before she gets here, but just like "take out that garbage" and household stuff that drives me nuts while I sit here all day and that I can barely stand not doing. I also made neat little stacks of things like bills and magazines and crap, and re-packed some of the hospital stuff into a bigger basket. I have been keeping a little basket where I put things that I can't "fully" pack, like the camera and camcorder, and the accordion file with all the FMLA and baby paperwork inside. It was bigger than the lil basket I had it in, so I started a bigger one that we can just carry to the car, and added a couple of magazines and a book, since I feel much closer now that the due date is just a week and a few days away.
I need to work on thank you notes from the baby shower. I have a basket full of the supplies and gift lists... it's just a matter of sitting down and working on them. Another administrative task to add to the list.
The cleaning people come on Monday and I can't decide yet what I am supposed to do. Evacuate my own house? Hang out here and look stupid while they clean? Maybe that's where the prenatal massage would come in handy. But my luck as soon as I make an appointment I will be in labor and have to not only cancel the cleaning people, but the massage too.
Hope everyone is well. All is grand here. And since it's after 1am, it's time for bed. I sleep upright now, since the heartburn is so bad that no amount of Zantac mixed with tums and mylanta takes care of it. And believe me, I have tried coating my stomach with milk before meals and sprinkling sugar on pasta sauce and pizza. I don't think so. At least once she's born the heartburn will cease and desist.
I don't really have much to write. I have been leading the glamorous life of a woman on bedrest. Really this means that I sleep till noon and spend the majority of my day and night on the couch.
My Tuesday night Dr. Appt got canceled as my midwife had a baby to deliver, so we rescheduled for Wednesday. my blood pressure was high, 141/96 and 138/98. So I got sent to OB for the Routine NST and blood work to rule out toxemia, and then got taken off work permanently. I was totally ready for that. But I really thought that I wouldn't have the bedrest part to ruin all my good partying. I denied having an internal exam on Wednesday because I pretty much felt that if anyone stuck anything inside me I might burst. So who knows how dilated and effaced I am now. It doesn't seem to matter in the scheme of things so why get myself worked up? So Wednesday I left home at 9:30am, got released from OB around 12:15, spent the next hour in Human Resources filling out FMLA paperwork and filing an appeal for my "denied" short term disability claim (yeah, that was a great idea, to open the mail at 4am and find out that they denied my claim.) Then I went to the Ace Learning Ladder and filled out daycare paperwork and took the tour there. It was awesome there!
That afternoon and evening I busied myself with Parenting and Baby magazines... going through them and tearing out anything that I thought I might actually reference later, and tossing the rest, than organizing the torn out pages by category in sheet protectors.
Of course then about 6pm I had a total scare where I thought I was either dying or in labor. Basically my back was hurting, and Evan went to Princeton to go grab supper, and I thought I would get up for a pee break and take some Tylenol. I tried to pee and couldn't (huh?) and suddenly when I got up I had this horrible stabbing and STRONG back pain, only on my left side. It was bad. I thought it was gonna be one of those strange late pregnancy pains and twangs that just goes away and is unexplained, but it was KILLING me and it wouldn't stop. Steady and strong. I ripped off my clothes and tried to relax and lay down in bed. I couldn't lay down. On either side. I couldn't even position my pillows or pull the blankets over me. I was like paralyzed. Then a sudden panic that something was WRONG. Things are going through my head like "baby's choking" or "placenta is tearing" and then I thought OH MY GOD this is what labor feels like and mine has started and already I am a baby and there is no way I can do this.
I was feeling so nauseous I could barely get down two tylenol (as if that would provide instant relief, ha ha) I called Evan, whimpering for him to come home right away, and got a washcloth with cold water for my forehead. I had started the hypnobirthing CD but couldn't concentrate or even hear it to relax. It was insane. I was completely overtaken by pain. I ended up getting the birth ball and putting a towel over it, and sitting on it while leaning into the edge of the bed with a pillow under my head and the washcloth over my forehead. RELIEF, albeit small and slow, seeped into my back. I needed to get her weight off my back or something. When Evan came in he found me sitting naked on the ball, washcloth on my forehead, head propped up on my elbows. He wanted me to lay down but I was too scared it would come back. He rubbed the spot in my back and it got better and better. Eventually he convinced me to lay down and got me all snuggled in with pillows on every direction and the cloth on my forehead, and he started hypnobirthing over again and I was able to relax and the next thing I know, it was an hour later, and Evan was waking me up with supper ready. He laughed and said he could hear me snoring when he walked in the house. I hadn't moved an inch, but had slept for an hour. the washcloth was still on my forehead.
I spent the night alternating between the couch and the birth ball, when my back would ache in that spot, and I ate supper on the birth ball. I asked my midwife and she was sure that what I had was a back spasm. Holy crap. She assured me that labor doesn't start like that, and that if I am supposed to have back labor, I will feel it later on. I knew they weren't contractions, because they never wrapped around to the front, and there was no start/stop time whatsoever... The spasm lasted for almost a full 20 minutes straight. It actually vaguely reminded me of the hydronephrosis that I had earlier in pregnancy, and I actually had a nurse (who has had kidney stones) ask me if I might have passed one. Who knows. But It didn't last too long and It hasn't happened since. I probably need to go to the chiropractor and get another adjustment. Or maybe another prenatal massage.
So today we had our waterbirth class. It was great. I learned lots, which surprised me considering that I have read an entire waterbirth book, four books on natural birth, and seen countless videos of waterbirths. But every hospital is different and has different policies. I feel well prepared. Evan and I attended the class, then stopped by the midwife's office to pick up the letter for the short term disability appeal. Then we grabbed a few things from my office, since I am "done" like my wireless keyboard and mouse and my mini-fridge.
This afternoon I sat around and went through the last of my magazines. Then I filled out the entire folder of paperwork from the daycare. I read their entire handbook. I organized hospital bills. I opened mail and packages. The wipes warmer finally got here, and a couple more sets of clothes from eBay. I ate some cheeseburger macaroni. And some oreos. I watched a movie. I checked my email.
Tonight I went to mom's for a bit and we watched TV and chatted. I kept my feet up in the recliner. It was nice. Then when I got home I checked my email again, and made up an entire list of things for Evan to remember when we go to the hospital. Things to grab that aren't packed (last minute stuff) and who to call when. Crazy little stuff that floats through my brain like "don't forget to put her footprints inside the Longaberger Purse lid" and "Don't forget to call my insurance company within 24 hours of birth in order for them to cover everything" and other crap like that. It feels good to have that all on paper. I had it in a notebook but it wasn't easy to find and in one place.
Then I made a list of administrative tasks that I can complete- things that I can do sitting down.... and things that need to get done that Evan can do. Not that they have to be done before she gets here, but just like "take out that garbage" and household stuff that drives me nuts while I sit here all day and that I can barely stand not doing. I also made neat little stacks of things like bills and magazines and crap, and re-packed some of the hospital stuff into a bigger basket. I have been keeping a little basket where I put things that I can't "fully" pack, like the camera and camcorder, and the accordion file with all the FMLA and baby paperwork inside. It was bigger than the lil basket I had it in, so I started a bigger one that we can just carry to the car, and added a couple of magazines and a book, since I feel much closer now that the due date is just a week and a few days away.
I need to work on thank you notes from the baby shower. I have a basket full of the supplies and gift lists... it's just a matter of sitting down and working on them. Another administrative task to add to the list.
The cleaning people come on Monday and I can't decide yet what I am supposed to do. Evacuate my own house? Hang out here and look stupid while they clean? Maybe that's where the prenatal massage would come in handy. But my luck as soon as I make an appointment I will be in labor and have to not only cancel the cleaning people, but the massage too.
Hope everyone is well. All is grand here. And since it's after 1am, it's time for bed. I sleep upright now, since the heartburn is so bad that no amount of Zantac mixed with tums and mylanta takes care of it. And believe me, I have tried coating my stomach with milk before meals and sprinkling sugar on pasta sauce and pizza. I don't think so. At least once she's born the heartburn will cease and desist.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday
Today it rained. A lot. I slept till 12:15. It was fabulous. Then I talked to mom on the phone for a bit, and went through some magazines, tearing out what I want to keep so I can toss them. I checked my email, the pregnancy boards, and my ebay auctions. Looks like tonight there could be as much as 5 more inches of rainfall just north of us.
It pretty much rained on and off all day and evening. I don't really remember doing much. I think I watched the Bourne Identity on cable. Really, there were only like 5.5 hours to the day before I had to leave to do my weekend duties at work (the last time I will have to do that until like December) and ran to Wal-Mart. I hadn't planned on going, but Evan handed me some cash and said that we needed necessities like milk, bread, cereal, peanut butter, and orange Kool-Aide. He was right. So I went, and I got myself more Zantac since I was out and in serious acid reflux distress. I also ended up getting "groceries" per-say.... which was a good idea because if I have the baby soon we will all starve. I kept meaning to call Simply Homemade in Mendota and buy 24 frozen homemade meals, but since I got cut to half days a month before I was expecting it, and I haven't seen a dime of my disability yet, that didn't happen. SO I bought some frozen skillet meals and pasta meals to hopefully help if the baby gets here soon. So if you come to visit, bring casseroles! LOL.
I ran into Josh at Wal-mart, and stopped at Dairy Queen for a "supper" of an Oreo Blizzard. When I got home I unloaded everything and put it away, let the dogs in and fed them, and then sat down to do some bill paying. I figured out what I could pay for the next 2 weeks, made out the checks, put them in envelopes with return address labels and stamps, and organized them according to when I can mail them. This will help if I need to tell Evan to "mail this set of bill payments." in a hurry.
I also loaded the dishwasher and started it, and made myself a roasted tomato turkey breast sandwich on a Kaiser Roll with provolone, colby jack, and Dijonaisse. Yum. I caught the newest episode of the Girls Next Door where Kendra drives in the race, and am now sitting here considering how I SHOULD be hanging up the good clothes in the dryer. Ugh. I need to do that.
Today we also hung the clock in the baby's room. It is super cute! Today I also organized some of my Flickr photos and tagged them appropriately.
Now it's about 11pm, and while I don't want to hang up clothes... I just know that's next on my list... after I look for hangers.
This week is my last week of work! I was originally scheduled to have Friday as my last day, but I am thinking based on last week's comments by my midwife, that Tuesday could be my last day. Whew! Only time will tell.
It pretty much rained on and off all day and evening. I don't really remember doing much. I think I watched the Bourne Identity on cable. Really, there were only like 5.5 hours to the day before I had to leave to do my weekend duties at work (the last time I will have to do that until like December) and ran to Wal-Mart. I hadn't planned on going, but Evan handed me some cash and said that we needed necessities like milk, bread, cereal, peanut butter, and orange Kool-Aide. He was right. So I went, and I got myself more Zantac since I was out and in serious acid reflux distress. I also ended up getting "groceries" per-say.... which was a good idea because if I have the baby soon we will all starve. I kept meaning to call Simply Homemade in Mendota and buy 24 frozen homemade meals, but since I got cut to half days a month before I was expecting it, and I haven't seen a dime of my disability yet, that didn't happen. SO I bought some frozen skillet meals and pasta meals to hopefully help if the baby gets here soon. So if you come to visit, bring casseroles! LOL.
I ran into Josh at Wal-mart, and stopped at Dairy Queen for a "supper" of an Oreo Blizzard. When I got home I unloaded everything and put it away, let the dogs in and fed them, and then sat down to do some bill paying. I figured out what I could pay for the next 2 weeks, made out the checks, put them in envelopes with return address labels and stamps, and organized them according to when I can mail them. This will help if I need to tell Evan to "mail this set of bill payments." in a hurry.
I also loaded the dishwasher and started it, and made myself a roasted tomato turkey breast sandwich on a Kaiser Roll with provolone, colby jack, and Dijonaisse. Yum. I caught the newest episode of the Girls Next Door where Kendra drives in the race, and am now sitting here considering how I SHOULD be hanging up the good clothes in the dryer. Ugh. I need to do that.
Today we also hung the clock in the baby's room. It is super cute! Today I also organized some of my Flickr photos and tagged them appropriately.
Now it's about 11pm, and while I don't want to hang up clothes... I just know that's next on my list... after I look for hangers.
This week is my last week of work! I was originally scheduled to have Friday as my last day, but I am thinking based on last week's comments by my midwife, that Tuesday could be my last day. Whew! Only time will tell.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Bourne
I.... must.... stay.... off..... eBay!!! Ahhh! But there are SO many cute baby clothes for SO CHEAP! I am addicted to Gymboree! It was gap, and now I just search for Gymboree Lots. I find stuff that is like a $60 outfit for $8-$20, or a lot of mix and match stuff from one Gymboree Line, that might have retailed for $100-200, that sells for like $18-40 on eBay, depending on the lot, the condition, and the number of pieces. Who can resist a lot that makes like 5 combinations of outfits, with matching shoes, socks, tights, and hair bows? Ugh! It's insanity! I now have an entirely adorable 3-6 month wardrobe. Sweaters, Dresses, Jumpers, Tights.... and two Christmas Dresses. I can't wait!
That said.... Tonight Evan and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I love the Bourne movies. I regret that I happened to catch them on cable before reading the books, but at the same time it's the action and intrigue that I love to watch on screen, and there is never a dull moment. I think that pretty much everyone has to admit that Matt Damon is a great looking guy. But there's something about those movies, it's like because he is smart and dangerous and clever, it just really tops it off. Evan says they are like James Bond movies. My opinion, of course, is that they are far better than James Bond. I loved the movie, and almost ate an entire jumbo bag of popcorn myself, and drank a big coke. After months of little to no caffeine, I have really wanted coke lately. Of course during a heavy portion of the movie, and on the way home, I was having pretty decent contractions, about 10 minutes apart, and then about 5 minutes apart. I was thinking the whole movie that my water would break right there and I wouldn't get to see the end. And of course it didn't, and when we got home and I got a potty break and some water, they slowed till I can't even tell if I am having any more. So I sat on the birth ball for a while, and paid for the two auctions that I won while we were at the movies, which I was surprised at, because I have been getting outbid enough lately because I am not going to go overboard on prices of the clothes.
Now I am cooking an 11pm pizza because the popcorn has worn off!!
Now the "AST Mountain Dew Tour" is on cable, a skateboard vertical competition. Watching it cracks me up. The names they come up with for the moves, just make me laugh. When we were kids, we used to watch the olympics, like figure skating and gymnastics/tumbling. They wold always have similar goofy names for all the maneuvers, and as kids we would pick them up and then try to duplicate them in an imaginary olympic world outdoors, like on the "balance beam" which was really a railroad tie sunk into the ground by the front steps. We would have all sorts of tricks, make up our own names, and always "stick the landing."
Today I started and finished the newest Nicholas Sparks book Dear John. Of course, it was painfully predictable and incredibly heart wrenching. I cried. Per usual. It was worth reading. It centers around a soldier who falls in love and has to live through a long distance relationship because of his commitment to the army, and he is planning on completing his enlistment and being honorably discharged, returning home to marry the love of his life, and literally like a couple of months from the end of his military career when 9/11 happens. It changes his life forever. It's pretty intense.
Next I will start either Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, or the news Jennifer Weiner collection of short stories.
Well, I have been sitting on the birth ball on and off since last night, when Anya and Trish stopped over. Anya let me borrow the exercise ball and Trish brought Raspberry Leaf Tea. I sat on the birth ball for an hour straight last night, and then on and off every 10 minutes for two more hours. All I got out of it was her head low, (which I have been feeling on and off for two weeks) and a serious case of saddle sore. I ended up having to take Tylenol this morning after a night of painful rolling over and waddling to the bathroom every two hours for my pee breaks.
Today I sat on it while I dried my hair after my bath, and while I surfed ebay. I also sat on it when we got home from the movies, for almost an hour. But the contractions still stopped. LOL. Maybe it's at least helping dilation and effacement, if anything it is stretching everything out and making me more flexible.
Well, have a great weekend!
That said.... Tonight Evan and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I love the Bourne movies. I regret that I happened to catch them on cable before reading the books, but at the same time it's the action and intrigue that I love to watch on screen, and there is never a dull moment. I think that pretty much everyone has to admit that Matt Damon is a great looking guy. But there's something about those movies, it's like because he is smart and dangerous and clever, it just really tops it off. Evan says they are like James Bond movies. My opinion, of course, is that they are far better than James Bond. I loved the movie, and almost ate an entire jumbo bag of popcorn myself, and drank a big coke. After months of little to no caffeine, I have really wanted coke lately. Of course during a heavy portion of the movie, and on the way home, I was having pretty decent contractions, about 10 minutes apart, and then about 5 minutes apart. I was thinking the whole movie that my water would break right there and I wouldn't get to see the end. And of course it didn't, and when we got home and I got a potty break and some water, they slowed till I can't even tell if I am having any more. So I sat on the birth ball for a while, and paid for the two auctions that I won while we were at the movies, which I was surprised at, because I have been getting outbid enough lately because I am not going to go overboard on prices of the clothes.
Now I am cooking an 11pm pizza because the popcorn has worn off!!
Now the "AST Mountain Dew Tour" is on cable, a skateboard vertical competition. Watching it cracks me up. The names they come up with for the moves, just make me laugh. When we were kids, we used to watch the olympics, like figure skating and gymnastics/tumbling. They wold always have similar goofy names for all the maneuvers, and as kids we would pick them up and then try to duplicate them in an imaginary olympic world outdoors, like on the "balance beam" which was really a railroad tie sunk into the ground by the front steps. We would have all sorts of tricks, make up our own names, and always "stick the landing."
Today I started and finished the newest Nicholas Sparks book Dear John. Of course, it was painfully predictable and incredibly heart wrenching. I cried. Per usual. It was worth reading. It centers around a soldier who falls in love and has to live through a long distance relationship because of his commitment to the army, and he is planning on completing his enlistment and being honorably discharged, returning home to marry the love of his life, and literally like a couple of months from the end of his military career when 9/11 happens. It changes his life forever. It's pretty intense.
Next I will start either Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, or the news Jennifer Weiner collection of short stories.
Well, I have been sitting on the birth ball on and off since last night, when Anya and Trish stopped over. Anya let me borrow the exercise ball and Trish brought Raspberry Leaf Tea. I sat on the birth ball for an hour straight last night, and then on and off every 10 minutes for two more hours. All I got out of it was her head low, (which I have been feeling on and off for two weeks) and a serious case of saddle sore. I ended up having to take Tylenol this morning after a night of painful rolling over and waddling to the bathroom every two hours for my pee breaks.
Today I sat on it while I dried my hair after my bath, and while I surfed ebay. I also sat on it when we got home from the movies, for almost an hour. But the contractions still stopped. LOL. Maybe it's at least helping dilation and effacement, if anything it is stretching everything out and making me more flexible.
Well, have a great weekend!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Van... Is Back....
So today, is a monumental day. I have paid off my car loan. YEAH!!!! Can you hear the crowd going wild?! When I took out my car loan 5+ years ago, I had JUST finished paying off my little sunbird when an old crazy lady rear-ended me and pushed me into the car in front of me, I got double-whiplash, the frame on my car was bent, and the insurance company totaled it and wanted to give me something like $500 for it when it was worth about $3000-4000. (high miles)
At the time I had no intention of getting a new car. Mine was fine. It was literally the same week that I made my last payment that I was rear ended while waiting for a train in Princeton, in front of the Coffee Cup Restaurant... by a lady who had sideswiped a semi just days before. She should NOT Have been driving. At all. So I got my new car. Then not far after that I lost my job unexpectedly (long story, restructuring, my boss got fired, etc.) and had NO JOB and a new car to pay for. So I ended up consolidating a personal loan and the car loan, in order to lower the payments. So now my $12,000 car was over-collateralized at $18,000 but at least I could make the payments (for the most part!) and It has taken me all this freaking time, paying $394 a month, to pay off a car that I have had for about 5.5 years. Whew! You can not believe how relieved and happy I am. Now I just want it to keep running and for no one to HIT me!
The plan is to get a different vehicle this winter, once I get back to work after the baby. After putting a car seat in my car, I see why so many people can't drive cars anymore, even with one kid. Holy CRAP! She can't ride behind me because I can't FIT in the car with the seat behind me. Annoying! Damn Long legs and the big preggo belly don't help that any. But I have a big sized car, and they just don't make them like that anymore! And then I figure if it takes me 5 years to pay off a new car, by then we will have at least two kids, and where will we put TWO car seats and all the other stuff. Ugh. So while an SUV is enticing, the gas prices are not. Unless you go smaller like trailblazer, but the inside of them is actually smaller than my car! Jeez! So more and more, I have been thinking along the lines of an explorer, or something larger, but then it's like, for half the cost of the explorer, you can get a damn nice van!
I hate vans. I have spent my life vowing to never drive a van. But lately.... my smart sense has been coming out and saying "WHY spend $18-30 thousand dollars, that you can't afford, on an SUV with gas mileage that you can't afford" especially when you can get a sweet van for $10-20 thousand. (Sweet van is a relative term.)
And then last night, I see my friend/neighbor Jamie taking Landen out of the van in his car seat, and I was like "man. A van wouldn't be half bad..." and I have driven many van loads of kids in my time. I like the idea of the DVD player, the climate control, the dual sliding doors with remote open and close.... stow and go seats.... The list just goes on and on! So, can you see me, driving a van? Do the dazed81 plates belong on a van? I dunno. A Durango seems so much more appealing. It's like a modern van. Why can't they make vans look nicer?
So, tell me your thoughts on the van.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Did you REALLY Look??
It amazes me. The way that men "look" for things. I have to admit, that while being pregnant, I have lost or misplaced more things than I probably have in my entire 27 years. And I have relied on Evan to help me find them, because I get frustrated at my lack of remembrance, and at having to bend over and roam around physically looking for things.
Since my x-rays on my ankle came back, Dr. says I can wear either an immobilizing boot, or an air cast. Well. I instantly chose air cast. Because I know they work, I have worn one before (several times) for a sprained ankle, they are less obtrusive, less heavy, and because I have TWO of them.
So I asked Evan today to look in the basement in my sewing room, because down there is a basket that I just KNEW had all my ankle braces in it. I explained exactly what I was looking for. When he came to my midwife appt this evening, he said he didn't see any of the air casts in the room. Tonight, as I was home alone for most of the evening, I finished the new Stephanie Meyer book Eclipse, and then I decided that before bed I needed to find one of those damn aircasts because I need to wear it. So. I went to the sewing room. Turned on the light, and LOOKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME at the basket that was RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR and RIGHT ON THE TOP were two aircasts. The say "AIRCAST" on the side of the stupid things, and ONE of them was in a BOX that said AIRCAST in big blue letters. along with them were two other ankle braces with metal stays. Um. Yeah. Couldn't find them. How hard do you suppose he looked? Or did he look at all? Men.
I got quite a giggle from that, and was also entertained that when I washed them off, I found inside the box, not only the instructions, but also the receipt from the purchase of the first one, that I got back in 1997 from Associated Orthopedic Surgeons of Peoria. The second one I bought at the Medical Equipment store where I work, and it was on clearance and I paid like $2 for it. The first one was $59. Glad that I have a couple lying around.
So today's midwife appointment was brief. Blood pressure was a little more elevated (121/86), but nothing that she's concerned about. I did learn that I will likely be off work at the start of 38 weeks, instead of the END of 38 weeks as originally planned. This is because PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) usually rears it's ugly head again at 38 weeks, and while mine seems to be controlled right now, that will likely change. We will see. I am dilated to a "good 3" and 75% effaced still, but it was mentioned several times that her head is even FURTHER down now, and that all systems are go when she makes her move. So at the end of today, I was looking at 8 more half days of work, and now I am looking at more like 4 or 5 more half days being likely. I feel great tonight. Not that I have done anything, but I am not crampy or cranky, although by this point in time, I have contractions all day and night and can't feel them much, I am so used to them. It's more the stomach aching that I get tired of.
I visited Brad, Anya, and Ava after work and got to see all the lab puppies, they are super cute. Papered and for sale if you are interested. Chocolate and Black. Then I came home, put on my pajamas, and commenced to read all night with only breaks for bathroom stops, letting my agitated dogs outside more than necessary, and a phone conversation with mom. I finished Eclipse around midnight. (Yay! But now what?) It was good. I was happy with the ending, and now of course, I am tortured with what will likely be a two year wait for her next book... and wondering what the HELL I will read while in labor since I read (both in their entirety) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Eclipse in the last 4 days. This will make Angela grimace, as it would take her a month or longer to get through one of those.... but I am a super fast reader. What can I say? It's all those summers spent reading one or more library books every single day as a junior high student. Thanks Mom! She even laughs that I can read faster than her.
Another thing that Angela would be impressed with? I have eaten 2 boxes of cereal in the past 4 days. By myself. Yum. One box of Kix, and half a box of Rice Chex, and half a box of Strawberry Yogurt Burst Cheerios. I eat a bowl for breakfast. Sunday night I had a bowl for supper, and pretty much every night, in the middle of the night, I have a bowl as a snack. If I eat supper at 5 or 6pm, and don't get up till 11am the next day, that's a LONG ASS TIME (17 hours!) for a pregnant chick to go without any food. I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I ate again at like midnight or 2am, or if I don't eat before bed, I will be awaken at 3 or 4 or 5 am, with growling hungry stomach and the baby kicking me until I eat.
So what do I read next? Any suggestions? I need something as riveting as Harry Potter, The Twilight Series, and The DaVinci code to take my mind of labor. Although, I also enjoy Sophie Kinsella, and Vicky Louis-Thompson... so I guess I should start shopping around for great books. Let me know if you have one that I can't put down.
Since my x-rays on my ankle came back, Dr. says I can wear either an immobilizing boot, or an air cast. Well. I instantly chose air cast. Because I know they work, I have worn one before (several times) for a sprained ankle, they are less obtrusive, less heavy, and because I have TWO of them.
So I asked Evan today to look in the basement in my sewing room, because down there is a basket that I just KNEW had all my ankle braces in it. I explained exactly what I was looking for. When he came to my midwife appt this evening, he said he didn't see any of the air casts in the room. Tonight, as I was home alone for most of the evening, I finished the new Stephanie Meyer book Eclipse, and then I decided that before bed I needed to find one of those damn aircasts because I need to wear it. So. I went to the sewing room. Turned on the light, and LOOKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME at the basket that was RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR and RIGHT ON THE TOP were two aircasts. The say "AIRCAST" on the side of the stupid things, and ONE of them was in a BOX that said AIRCAST in big blue letters. along with them were two other ankle braces with metal stays. Um. Yeah. Couldn't find them. How hard do you suppose he looked? Or did he look at all? Men.
I got quite a giggle from that, and was also entertained that when I washed them off, I found inside the box, not only the instructions, but also the receipt from the purchase of the first one, that I got back in 1997 from Associated Orthopedic Surgeons of Peoria. The second one I bought at the Medical Equipment store where I work, and it was on clearance and I paid like $2 for it. The first one was $59. Glad that I have a couple lying around.
So today's midwife appointment was brief. Blood pressure was a little more elevated (121/86), but nothing that she's concerned about. I did learn that I will likely be off work at the start of 38 weeks, instead of the END of 38 weeks as originally planned. This is because PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) usually rears it's ugly head again at 38 weeks, and while mine seems to be controlled right now, that will likely change. We will see. I am dilated to a "good 3" and 75% effaced still, but it was mentioned several times that her head is even FURTHER down now, and that all systems are go when she makes her move. So at the end of today, I was looking at 8 more half days of work, and now I am looking at more like 4 or 5 more half days being likely. I feel great tonight. Not that I have done anything, but I am not crampy or cranky, although by this point in time, I have contractions all day and night and can't feel them much, I am so used to them. It's more the stomach aching that I get tired of.
I visited Brad, Anya, and Ava after work and got to see all the lab puppies, they are super cute. Papered and for sale if you are interested. Chocolate and Black. Then I came home, put on my pajamas, and commenced to read all night with only breaks for bathroom stops, letting my agitated dogs outside more than necessary, and a phone conversation with mom. I finished Eclipse around midnight. (Yay! But now what?) It was good. I was happy with the ending, and now of course, I am tortured with what will likely be a two year wait for her next book... and wondering what the HELL I will read while in labor since I read (both in their entirety) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Eclipse in the last 4 days. This will make Angela grimace, as it would take her a month or longer to get through one of those.... but I am a super fast reader. What can I say? It's all those summers spent reading one or more library books every single day as a junior high student. Thanks Mom! She even laughs that I can read faster than her.
Another thing that Angela would be impressed with? I have eaten 2 boxes of cereal in the past 4 days. By myself. Yum. One box of Kix, and half a box of Rice Chex, and half a box of Strawberry Yogurt Burst Cheerios. I eat a bowl for breakfast. Sunday night I had a bowl for supper, and pretty much every night, in the middle of the night, I have a bowl as a snack. If I eat supper at 5 or 6pm, and don't get up till 11am the next day, that's a LONG ASS TIME (17 hours!) for a pregnant chick to go without any food. I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I ate again at like midnight or 2am, or if I don't eat before bed, I will be awaken at 3 or 4 or 5 am, with growling hungry stomach and the baby kicking me until I eat.
So what do I read next? Any suggestions? I need something as riveting as Harry Potter, The Twilight Series, and The DaVinci code to take my mind of labor. Although, I also enjoy Sophie Kinsella, and Vicky Louis-Thompson... so I guess I should start shopping around for great books. Let me know if you have one that I can't put down.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Edward Cullen is back....
Tuesday! I don't even know why I am writing anything, because I will probably have more to write after the day is over and I go to another midwife appointment and see if I am further dilated and effaced.
Yesterday I had my routing NST and had been having contractions all morning. Painless really, mostly just like menstrual cramps and making me have to pee every 20 or 30 minutes. the fetal monitoring confirmed around noon that I was having contractions every 7 minutes lasting about a minute each. That was cool. And the downward pressure is back with a vengeance. I had contractions from around 10pm-2am, while reading, and I had to get up and pee every 20 minutes or so, and at 2am I decided I should be sleeping. But who can put down Stephanie Meyer's new book Eclipse? Ahhh, forbidden vampire love. Evan has a hard time believing that I get more addicted to those books than to Harry Potter books. But Edward Cullen.... yum!
So this morning I was having contractions again as I got ready for work. Or should I say around noon, since I sleep late. they still aren't painful, just like cramps. But I have been told that those are the kind that cause dilation and effacement. yay!
After today I will have only 8 half days of work left. Double yay!! And that's assuming she isn't born early like they predict. Triple yay!
So what else is new. Hmmm. Well, I would prefer to spend my time inside, in my pajamas, reading, in the Air Conditioning. So far that seems to be working out wonderfully. That's pretty much what I do. I am worried about what will happen if and when I finish Eclipse, because I am so psyched about the book and I love it so much, that having it finished will be crushing, just like Twilight and New Moon. Ugh. I am still halfway through about three other books, but they just weren't fabulous enough to hold a pregnant chick's attention. Barack Obama's first book Dreams from my Father, Magic Hour by Kristen Hannah, and something else that I have already completely forgotten about. I feel like I need some Jodi Piccoult books. I have read two. I don't remember being very pleased about My Sister's Keeper but then I read The Tenth Circle and was wowed. It was a good book. There are so many of them at Waldenbooks in the mall, I am always tempted to buy another and see what I discover.
I ordered three books through the HAL Library System, and I used to order them through Matson Public Library in Princeton. But then they changed the rules and told me that while I could pick them UP in Princeton, I had to order them through Raymond A. Sapp library in Wyanet. That proves difficult because they have very limited hours. But I did it anyway, ordered three books, probably close to two months ago. And they never came. ARGH. And I hate it, because Matson has a website and I have a login so that I can see when they come in or when they are expected, but with Wyanet I have no clue. And honestly I don't have time to harass the Wyanet Librarian and ask him what the hell he did with my order.
Okay, so much for having no reason to write. I will try to update tonight about the appointment this evening. Take care!
Oh and for those of you who have asked, all my nursery pictures are at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dazed81/sets/72157594154524021/
Even though I rearranged a bit recently, it hasn't been enough to take new pictures in my mind.
Yesterday I had my routing NST and had been having contractions all morning. Painless really, mostly just like menstrual cramps and making me have to pee every 20 or 30 minutes. the fetal monitoring confirmed around noon that I was having contractions every 7 minutes lasting about a minute each. That was cool. And the downward pressure is back with a vengeance. I had contractions from around 10pm-2am, while reading, and I had to get up and pee every 20 minutes or so, and at 2am I decided I should be sleeping. But who can put down Stephanie Meyer's new book Eclipse? Ahhh, forbidden vampire love. Evan has a hard time believing that I get more addicted to those books than to Harry Potter books. But Edward Cullen.... yum!
So this morning I was having contractions again as I got ready for work. Or should I say around noon, since I sleep late. they still aren't painful, just like cramps. But I have been told that those are the kind that cause dilation and effacement. yay!
After today I will have only 8 half days of work left. Double yay!! And that's assuming she isn't born early like they predict. Triple yay!
So what else is new. Hmmm. Well, I would prefer to spend my time inside, in my pajamas, reading, in the Air Conditioning. So far that seems to be working out wonderfully. That's pretty much what I do. I am worried about what will happen if and when I finish Eclipse, because I am so psyched about the book and I love it so much, that having it finished will be crushing, just like Twilight and New Moon. Ugh. I am still halfway through about three other books, but they just weren't fabulous enough to hold a pregnant chick's attention. Barack Obama's first book Dreams from my Father, Magic Hour by Kristen Hannah, and something else that I have already completely forgotten about. I feel like I need some Jodi Piccoult books. I have read two. I don't remember being very pleased about My Sister's Keeper but then I read The Tenth Circle and was wowed. It was a good book. There are so many of them at Waldenbooks in the mall, I am always tempted to buy another and see what I discover.
I ordered three books through the HAL Library System, and I used to order them through Matson Public Library in Princeton. But then they changed the rules and told me that while I could pick them UP in Princeton, I had to order them through Raymond A. Sapp library in Wyanet. That proves difficult because they have very limited hours. But I did it anyway, ordered three books, probably close to two months ago. And they never came. ARGH. And I hate it, because Matson has a website and I have a login so that I can see when they come in or when they are expected, but with Wyanet I have no clue. And honestly I don't have time to harass the Wyanet Librarian and ask him what the hell he did with my order.
Okay, so much for having no reason to write. I will try to update tonight about the appointment this evening. Take care!
Oh and for those of you who have asked, all my nursery pictures are at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dazed81/sets/72157594154524021/
Even though I rearranged a bit recently, it hasn't been enough to take new pictures in my mind.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Nothing to say...
I have been soooo lazy this weekend! I read the new Harry Potter book. Basically I picked up around the house on Saturday, read my book, and my parents came over and we had pizza for supper. Friday night I had my ankle X-rayed. Today I just slept late, then made breakfast, read the rest of my book, and took a two hour nap. Woke up and ate cereal. Pretty productive. LOL.
Oh and If I get really bored, I will go sit in the nursery. Although I did forget to mention that I rearranged a bit in there on Saturday, and organized the changing table. I opened all the diaper rash creams and stocked the changing table and reorganized books, etc etc. I just keep thinking WHEN will she BE here?! Feeling impatient.
The dog did a funny thing yesterday. They were on the porch sleeping, and I was lying down reading Harry Potter after my bath, and I looked onto the porch. And Hadley was there, but Boyd wasn't. The funny thing was that gate was up, so there was no way out except through the front door. I started to worry. Then I saw, from under the dry sink (which is in a wooden stand with a skirt covering the entire lower half) one brown paw sticking out. Okay, Boyd has lived here for 7 years and the dry sink has probably been there for 3 years and he has NEVER gone under it. He was sleeping under the dry sink. I said "Boyd?" and he stuck his head up and through the skirt. It was too funny. So I put his dog bed underneath it, and it fit perfectly, and he has been sleeping there ever since. Evan came home and it made him laugh. He said "he's never done that before!" and I was like "I know it!" Strange and unusual. we think he likes how it's dark and cool under there. LOL.
So anyway, I literally have nothing to say, because I have done NOTHING. So maybe I will have more to write later this week.
Oh and If I get really bored, I will go sit in the nursery. Although I did forget to mention that I rearranged a bit in there on Saturday, and organized the changing table. I opened all the diaper rash creams and stocked the changing table and reorganized books, etc etc. I just keep thinking WHEN will she BE here?! Feeling impatient.
The dog did a funny thing yesterday. They were on the porch sleeping, and I was lying down reading Harry Potter after my bath, and I looked onto the porch. And Hadley was there, but Boyd wasn't. The funny thing was that gate was up, so there was no way out except through the front door. I started to worry. Then I saw, from under the dry sink (which is in a wooden stand with a skirt covering the entire lower half) one brown paw sticking out. Okay, Boyd has lived here for 7 years and the dry sink has probably been there for 3 years and he has NEVER gone under it. He was sleeping under the dry sink. I said "Boyd?" and he stuck his head up and through the skirt. It was too funny. So I put his dog bed underneath it, and it fit perfectly, and he has been sleeping there ever since. Evan came home and it made him laugh. He said "he's never done that before!" and I was like "I know it!" Strange and unusual. we think he likes how it's dark and cool under there. LOL.
So anyway, I literally have nothing to say, because I have done NOTHING. So maybe I will have more to write later this week.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The Witching Hour
There's the strangest thing about pregnancy. While I can require 10-12 hours of sleep to function and feel normal, at the same time I can wake up and stay awake for 2-4 hours (in the early morning usually) and then just get tired and go back to sleep again. I am hoping this is just training for "sleep when the baby sleeps." Evan has always been a night owl, and often he will decide to sleep or come to sleep after I have already had 4-6 hours of sleep. And often times I get up for a bathroom break, and the cycle starts. We chat for a few minutes, and/or he starts to saw logs, and then I can't get back to sleep. Then I'll hang out, on the couch awake, until like 6:30 or 7am, and eventually get tired enough to fall asleep and go back to the bed.
So here I am. The worst time frame for me is about 4-6am. If I get woke up in that time frame for anything other than a quick potty break, it's all over for me. I was never this way until being pregnant. And isn't this just about the time a baby needs fed? Aha! It's a conspiracy!
I think that between the number of hours of sleep I have already gotten, and the birds singing and the sky lightening, it's just that time of day. It still bewilders me though, because I can sleep till noon or at least 10am without blinking, and it's certainly much lighter then.
So now I wait for 7am, when I am sure to go back to sleep after my 2.5 hours awake. If it's earlier in the morning, like say 1-3, Evan is likely still awake and I can pad out to the couch and grab a blanket and curl up by him. He's usually drawing or watching some hokey western or kung-fu movie, so I get tired again pretty easily and can go back to sleep in about an hour, especially if he makes me cereal or popcorn or ice cream. When I was first pregnant, Cereal at 4-6am would put me right back to sleep. But now it just ensures that the baby will be awake and moving ferociously, and that doesn't help much for sleep.
The coolest thing, last night I placed my "big" Target order. I got 10% off (saved $41) and free shipping (Saved $55 more) and this means that the stroller, walk-through baby gate, wipe warmer, breastmilk storage, tummy time mat, and many other goodies are on their way to complete the list of things we "needed" for baby. She can come now! I am ready! I keep telling her that. This weekend will complete 36 weeks, and the pregnancy will officially be "term" and she can get the dilating going again.... I say this to her alot. "Okay! I am ready!" We will see if it helps.
More than anything I can't WAIT for the stroller to come. I love fall with a passion. I love the cool weather, the crisp breezes and crunchy leaves. Evan and I both share this as our favorite season. We Love love love Halloween, and Costumes, and Candy, and decorations. We love love love Thanksgiving, and host it every year, as it coincides with both of our birthdays. I love fall colors (hence our living room) and pumpkins and orchards and everything there is about fall. I am super super excited to have a baby and be off work for the majority of the fall. I think about putting up decorations and going to Tanner's Orchard and taking her for walks everyday once it's cooler outside. I can't wait for that freaking stroller. It's like the last piece to the car seat. It's like my ticket to a fun fall.
This week we did get the car seats installed. We put the bases in both vehicles, and the seat is in mine, and dog is still strapped inside, riding along with me everywhere I go. Sometimes it makes me giggle and I think people must think strange things when they walk by my parked car and see dog sitting in the car seat, all strapped in. I still have to put in my backseat organizer. The hospital bags are packed and in the trunk. And now. We wait.
Can you believe that 5am is when the neighbors start up all their loud ass vehicles and rev the engines? Or drive around the house. Or around the block. Or just seem to rearrange them for fun? Literally. It's insanity. 5am. Even on a Saturday or Sunday. I hope my kid can sleep through loud exhausts because the loud exhaust and motorcycle traffic past our house is ridiculous.
Anyway, it's almost 6am. Time to eat cereal. Now the hard part, will it be rice chex, kix, or strawberry yogurt burst Cheerios?
So here I am. The worst time frame for me is about 4-6am. If I get woke up in that time frame for anything other than a quick potty break, it's all over for me. I was never this way until being pregnant. And isn't this just about the time a baby needs fed? Aha! It's a conspiracy!
I think that between the number of hours of sleep I have already gotten, and the birds singing and the sky lightening, it's just that time of day. It still bewilders me though, because I can sleep till noon or at least 10am without blinking, and it's certainly much lighter then.
So now I wait for 7am, when I am sure to go back to sleep after my 2.5 hours awake. If it's earlier in the morning, like say 1-3, Evan is likely still awake and I can pad out to the couch and grab a blanket and curl up by him. He's usually drawing or watching some hokey western or kung-fu movie, so I get tired again pretty easily and can go back to sleep in about an hour, especially if he makes me cereal or popcorn or ice cream. When I was first pregnant, Cereal at 4-6am would put me right back to sleep. But now it just ensures that the baby will be awake and moving ferociously, and that doesn't help much for sleep.
The coolest thing, last night I placed my "big" Target order. I got 10% off (saved $41) and free shipping (Saved $55 more) and this means that the stroller, walk-through baby gate, wipe warmer, breastmilk storage, tummy time mat, and many other goodies are on their way to complete the list of things we "needed" for baby. She can come now! I am ready! I keep telling her that. This weekend will complete 36 weeks, and the pregnancy will officially be "term" and she can get the dilating going again.... I say this to her alot. "Okay! I am ready!" We will see if it helps.
More than anything I can't WAIT for the stroller to come. I love fall with a passion. I love the cool weather, the crisp breezes and crunchy leaves. Evan and I both share this as our favorite season. We Love love love Halloween, and Costumes, and Candy, and decorations. We love love love Thanksgiving, and host it every year, as it coincides with both of our birthdays. I love fall colors (hence our living room) and pumpkins and orchards and everything there is about fall. I am super super excited to have a baby and be off work for the majority of the fall. I think about putting up decorations and going to Tanner's Orchard and taking her for walks everyday once it's cooler outside. I can't wait for that freaking stroller. It's like the last piece to the car seat. It's like my ticket to a fun fall.This week we did get the car seats installed. We put the bases in both vehicles, and the seat is in mine, and dog is still strapped inside, riding along with me everywhere I go. Sometimes it makes me giggle and I think people must think strange things when they walk by my parked car and see dog sitting in the car seat, all strapped in. I still have to put in my backseat organizer. The hospital bags are packed and in the trunk. And now. We wait.
Can you believe that 5am is when the neighbors start up all their loud ass vehicles and rev the engines? Or drive around the house. Or around the block. Or just seem to rearrange them for fun? Literally. It's insanity. 5am. Even on a Saturday or Sunday. I hope my kid can sleep through loud exhausts because the loud exhaust and motorcycle traffic past our house is ridiculous.
Anyway, it's almost 6am. Time to eat cereal. Now the hard part, will it be rice chex, kix, or strawberry yogurt burst Cheerios?
Friday, August 10, 2007
Friday Fiver
FRIDAY! YAY!!!!
Yesterday was our 2 year wedding anniversary. We went to Peru and did baby exchanges/returns, and then ate at Arby's. I had initially thought Red Lobster, but honestly, I didn't think I could handle food that rich with a tummy so squished. And with all the downward pressure I have had the past two days, all I could think about was how I'd rather have my water break in Arby's than Red Lobster! LOL.
We put $122 on a Target gift card with returns, and purchased some of the items that we really still needed. That only leaves $419 let to buy, and I have all the cash and gift cards ready to go, now I just wait for Target to send my 10% off completion certificate (snail mail, WTF?) so that I can place my last big order and get the stroller and the tummy time mat and the other things that we need.
We also grabbed a couple of outfits at Kohl's and some things at JC Penney with some exchanges, although most of the things we exchanged were on clearance. Too bad people don't like giving gift receipts, because one $24 item we only got $3 back on. Oh well. You just don't need two of the same outfit! What's a mom to do?
So that was the fabulous anniversary celebration.
Today I slept till about 10:30. Fab. Then I got up, took a leisurely shower, ordered refills of my lotions and potions from the dermatologist's office in Peoria, and had a nice chat with Evan while I lounged on the bed and tried to stretch out my belly. There is just no more room in there! I discovered that if I sleep on my left side I have less pressure when I wake up than if I sleep on my right side, so I tried to stay on my left side all night.
On my way to work, I had to stop at Casey's to grab something to eat because I was out of time and hadn't eaten yet, and I discovered that Wyanet Casey's had all the good stuff gone, so I went to Princeton. I was in a hurry, and after paying for my food, I knocked an entire cup full of Cheesy Potato Bites all over the Counter (yuk) and decided that I was in too much of a hurry and too damn hungry and I was going to eat them anyway. The store lady was like "Oh No!" and I wanted to say "I have swallowed worse things" but I realized that to the people in line behind me and the cashier, those words coming out of the mouth of a pregnant chick with no wedding ring would probably make me sound like a really dirty skank (dirtier than if I just ate the cheesy bites off a gas station counter, which I fully intended to do.)
So that's how my morning went.
My ankle is still fucking throbbing. It's been an entire WEEK and one day now and I can't believe it still hurts so much. But everyone says "you're walking on it so it isn't broken." and I want to scream back "I am ONE TOUGH BITCH and it probably is broken." but instead I just smile and nod. I decided today that I would try to wear a shoe and holy shit all I did was put the shoe on and take it off, and it was just a slip on, and my foot has been throbbing ever since. Fucking foot. Probably broken. This is how it looked on Wednesday. The green is just creeping up the side of my foot and up to my last three toes, and looks more gruesome every day.
So. That's it. That's all that I know. It's Friday... and that makes me happy, so let's look at the Friday Fiver...
1. What is your local lake/river/sea? Um. Define Local. 45 minutes from the Mississippi River and about 2 hours from Lake Michigan. Probably 20 minutes from the Illinois River. That's about as local as it gets.
2. Do you believe in dragons and unicorns? Sure. 3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries. Nectarines. Green Grapes. Not sure there can be a favorite. And I am also exceptionally fond of Kiwi and Cantaloupe. 4. Do you smoke? Nope. I am a quitter. 5. Friday fill-in: Together they would really hate the friday fill in because it is totally lame.
Yesterday was our 2 year wedding anniversary. We went to Peru and did baby exchanges/returns, and then ate at Arby's. I had initially thought Red Lobster, but honestly, I didn't think I could handle food that rich with a tummy so squished. And with all the downward pressure I have had the past two days, all I could think about was how I'd rather have my water break in Arby's than Red Lobster! LOL.
We put $122 on a Target gift card with returns, and purchased some of the items that we really still needed. That only leaves $419 let to buy, and I have all the cash and gift cards ready to go, now I just wait for Target to send my 10% off completion certificate (snail mail, WTF?) so that I can place my last big order and get the stroller and the tummy time mat and the other things that we need.
We also grabbed a couple of outfits at Kohl's and some things at JC Penney with some exchanges, although most of the things we exchanged were on clearance. Too bad people don't like giving gift receipts, because one $24 item we only got $3 back on. Oh well. You just don't need two of the same outfit! What's a mom to do?
So that was the fabulous anniversary celebration.
Today I slept till about 10:30. Fab. Then I got up, took a leisurely shower, ordered refills of my lotions and potions from the dermatologist's office in Peoria, and had a nice chat with Evan while I lounged on the bed and tried to stretch out my belly. There is just no more room in there! I discovered that if I sleep on my left side I have less pressure when I wake up than if I sleep on my right side, so I tried to stay on my left side all night.
On my way to work, I had to stop at Casey's to grab something to eat because I was out of time and hadn't eaten yet, and I discovered that Wyanet Casey's had all the good stuff gone, so I went to Princeton. I was in a hurry, and after paying for my food, I knocked an entire cup full of Cheesy Potato Bites all over the Counter (yuk) and decided that I was in too much of a hurry and too damn hungry and I was going to eat them anyway. The store lady was like "Oh No!" and I wanted to say "I have swallowed worse things" but I realized that to the people in line behind me and the cashier, those words coming out of the mouth of a pregnant chick with no wedding ring would probably make me sound like a really dirty skank (dirtier than if I just ate the cheesy bites off a gas station counter, which I fully intended to do.)
So that's how my morning went.
My ankle is still fucking throbbing. It's been an entire WEEK and one day now and I can't believe it still hurts so much. But everyone says "you're walking on it so it isn't broken." and I want to scream back "I am ONE TOUGH BITCH and it probably is broken." but instead I just smile and nod. I decided today that I would try to wear a shoe and holy shit all I did was put the shoe on and take it off, and it was just a slip on, and my foot has been throbbing ever since. Fucking foot. Probably broken. This is how it looked on Wednesday. The green is just creeping up the side of my foot and up to my last three toes, and looks more gruesome every day.
So. That's it. That's all that I know. It's Friday... and that makes me happy, so let's look at the Friday Fiver...
2. Do you believe in dragons and unicorns? Sure. 3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries. Nectarines. Green Grapes. Not sure there can be a favorite. And I am also exceptionally fond of Kiwi and Cantaloupe. 4. Do you smoke? Nope. I am a quitter. 5. Friday fill-in: Together they would really hate the friday fill in because it is totally lame.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Update....
Tonight I got to thinking about growing up in the country. We are nowhere near "the south" but I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazard. I had a couple of Hot Wheels General Lee's, and one of them had the doors and front end that would go from being smashed in to being good as new. One thing that makes me laugh today is watching them talk over the CB. I was watching some reruns tonight and got a real kick out of the boys saying that they "didn't pass Daisy on the road" so she must have taken the other way home. Someone from the city, would really think that was hick-like. Can you imagine being from Chicago and saying "I didn't pass them on the road." How could you even begin to know if you passed someone on the freeway? LOL. But for the most part, where I grew up, there were only two ways home. Ha ha. And talking on the CB was a huge part of life. We had one mounted under the cabinet in the kitchen and dad had one in his work car. We would talk to him whenever he was in range, and we talked to grandpa and dad when they were out in the tractors. I remember as a kid, my grandma's CB Was mounted above the stairs to the basement. When I was anywhere from 5-10 years old, we would go sit on the stairs and turn on the CB and start talking to the truckers passing through Illinois on the interstate, and the farmers in the field. I had a handler on the CB since I was just a kid. We all did. It cracks me up now, how far we have come with cell phones.
Well, enough of that. My appointment went well today. a full 3cm dilated now and my cervix is only 1 inch thick. The midwife can sweep the membranes and feel the baby's head, all the way down and ready. She said that my body is completely ready, now we just wait for the baby to "give us a sign." When I asked her if I was supposed to make a 1 week appointment, she said "sure, but I will see you before then. I'd be surprised if you make it another week." Hmmm.... That's exciting! And maybe a tad bit overwhelming... but I am not getting too excited because with my luck I could still be pregnant at 4o weeks. LOL. We had my midwife fill out a baby lotto guess card, like we did at the shower, and she guessed August 15th and 0454am and that the baby would be 7lbs 2ounces and 20 inches long. That was before she checked my cervix.
Can't wait to see when she gets here! Midwife also commented that it might take a long time for my ankle to heal completely, because of the relaxin in my joints.... which will continue when I breastfeed. It is still sore and swollen and bruised.
Tonight I grabbed Subway for supper and came home and relaxed for a while. I tried to sleep but the dogs kept waking me up. Eventually I felt a little rested and so I got up and continued my laundry, washing some baby blankets, clothes, and towels from the baby shower.
At work today I realized that Thursday is our two year wedding anniversary! With being pregnant and all that excitement, it crept up on both of us! We are thinking a dinner out and postponing our trip to exchange baby things until Thursday night.
Guess it's time to go get socks from the dryer!
Well, enough of that. My appointment went well today. a full 3cm dilated now and my cervix is only 1 inch thick. The midwife can sweep the membranes and feel the baby's head, all the way down and ready. She said that my body is completely ready, now we just wait for the baby to "give us a sign." When I asked her if I was supposed to make a 1 week appointment, she said "sure, but I will see you before then. I'd be surprised if you make it another week." Hmmm.... That's exciting! And maybe a tad bit overwhelming... but I am not getting too excited because with my luck I could still be pregnant at 4o weeks. LOL. We had my midwife fill out a baby lotto guess card, like we did at the shower, and she guessed August 15th and 0454am and that the baby would be 7lbs 2ounces and 20 inches long. That was before she checked my cervix.
Can't wait to see when she gets here! Midwife also commented that it might take a long time for my ankle to heal completely, because of the relaxin in my joints.... which will continue when I breastfeed. It is still sore and swollen and bruised.
Tonight I grabbed Subway for supper and came home and relaxed for a while. I tried to sleep but the dogs kept waking me up. Eventually I felt a little rested and so I got up and continued my laundry, washing some baby blankets, clothes, and towels from the baby shower.
At work today I realized that Thursday is our two year wedding anniversary! With being pregnant and all that excitement, it crept up on both of us! We are thinking a dinner out and postponing our trip to exchange baby things until Thursday night.
Guess it's time to go get socks from the dryer!
How it really is.....
Tuesday. I am kinda cranky today. I have to admit that you are gonna hear it like it is today. No sugar coating.
My shower went well. I had a great time. It was hotter than hades. The country club AC was apparently not working and no amount of bitching by hostess and family could fix it. The table linens were dirty so there weren't any for the guest's tables. They didn't have a garbage can for us to put our dirty plates, etc. inside, so they brought us a dishpan with a garbage bag in it. They used the punch bowls from the wedding the night before to put our lemonade and iced tea in, and then before the shower was over, the owners of the punch bowls were coming looking for them. We thought they belonged to the country club!! Then LeRoy royally ripped us off when he charged my sister $40 for four carafes of iced tea and a punchbowl of lemonade, on top of the $50 fee that Evan's mom paid for the rental of the room, which was supposed to include TABLE LINENS and I ASSUME should also have included Air Conditioning!
My sister ended up getting into it with LeRoy and practically screaming at him, but luckily I was GONE by then thanks to my husband, the knight on a white horse who helped set-up, tear down, and carry all my many many fabulous presents to the explorer and take me home to lie down because I was overheated and sweating and having contractions. He unloaded everything at home too, in the humidity and heat, and then went through all the bags with me to see the goodies. It was fabulous. Last night we assembled the swing, high chair, and bathtub, and also went through clothes and sorted them by sizes. There were only a few duplicates, which was nice. We will probably exchange some pink things. We got SOOOO Much pink. It was unbelievable. Everything was pink. And I like pink. But it also makes sense to have things, especially basic things like towels, washcloths, bibs, etc. in some unisex colors, especially when we plan on having a minimum of 3 kids. We got some cute stuff! Lots of books.
I have realized in the past weeks that it is OTHER PEOPLE that make my blood pressure go up. It's people at work. It's people that I see who make stupid or thoughtless comments. If I could just be at home, and talk to people that I wanted to talk to, and tell it like it is at all times, I think I would have the most fabulous blood pressure on the planet. But (for example) when you are planning on breastfeeding, and you give someone a bunch of info on breastfeeding so that they will support you, and you ask them to respect your wishes and not give your child formula or a pacifier or bottle for the first few weeks so you can establish a routine and rhythm, and then that same person outright and offhandedly TELLS you that they talked someone out of buying a stroller (from our registry) and into buying a gift card (from a store where we aren't registered) because "It's nice to have that gift card when you need to buy supplemental formula"..... I can feel my fucking head spinning and my blood pressure skyrocketing, and it takes every bit of energy to maintain my cool, not explode, and walk away.
My husband probably said the nicest thing to me on Sunday. After the shower and on the drive home, at which point we were thinking I could be getting closer to labor any moment because of all the contractions I had been having that morning and evening, and the loss of the MP throughout the week (If you don't know what that is, you don't need to), and the 3cm dilated that I was last Tuesday..... He said "You have done really well with being pregnant. You don't complain much and you have really kept your emotions and hormones in check. I am very proud of you" (I am kinda paraphrasing because that was two days ago) But it was so nice to have the person who is with you all the time, see how hard you are working to maintain a calm veneer even when you want to strangle someone for something they say or do. I mean I know there was the incident where I cried uncontrollably because I accidentally had Subway put mustard on Evan's sandwich and I thought he hated me and wanted a divorce.... but overall I think I have done well with controlling my outbursts, or keeping them to a minimum unless it's just the two of us. And perhaps even then.
Luckily the nice thing about a come and go shower was that I got to open gifts almost continuously, without having to hear a couple of the rude comments that I was informed of later. I was relaxed and excited, and enjoying seeing everyone. Although I have to admit that I wish that there had been a tablecloth at least on my table so that I could have sat with my legs open comfortably in my dress (you just can't cross your legs at 9 months pregnant) so that it wouldn't have looked so un-ladylike in the pictures. Oh well. You can't have it all. And honestly, the person I was most excited to see was my husband at the end. I wanted him to be able to see the baby presents, and I wanted to go home and rest because that was an extremely stressful and strenuous day. People aren't kidding when they warn you about that! And most people probably had AC! Another thing, I forgot to eat that day. There was so much going on, the first thing I ate all day was a piece of chocolate cake at probably 2:30 or 3pm. and that was the last thing I ate till 6:30. Not terrible healthy. Will have to do better at that next time. Not that there will be a shower again. Ever. But you know what I mean.
Our water birth class got canceled. Again. I was upset. But I felt even worse for Evan, who keeps arranging to be available for the class and getting showered and dressed and ready to drive here, and then at the last minute I have to call him and tell him it's been canceled. Ugh. At this point in time I have practically give up that we will have one. (the class)
I have another Midwife appointment this afternoon. I am doubting that she will check my cervix, because I think she won't want to disturb things. But maybe I will "get lucky" (pun intended. LOL)
I think that tomorrow night we are making the trip to Target/Wal-Mart to do returns. I need to buy the stroller ($149) and am still needing some breastfeeding supplies, apparently it isn't "fun" to buy those as shower gifts. hee hee. I want some milk storage bags, some of the milk bag organizers for the freezer, some breast pads, and a dishwasher basket for nipples, pacifiers, and toys (not to mention breastpump parts) and also a wipe warmer. I need a couple backup covers for the changing table pad.... and some quick-clean wipes and micro-steam bags for the breast pump. I also want a pack of 12 cloth diapers to use as burp cloths and such. I am gonna exchange the sleep sack that I registered for a more expensive one online.... I didn't like the one I registered for, it's my own fault, but I want a better quality one that will last through more than one babe. We need one more car seat protector mat and we didn't get the tummy time Gym, so we still have a few things to wrap up! And we wanted a walk-through baby gate so I don't have to step over the old one we have with a baby in arms.... we use them for dogs and now for babies too!
What else is new. Hmm. The ankle is better. It still hurts, and swells by the end of the day, but overall it's just swollen and purple and green. Ack. No crutches now, I was done with them fairly shortly and went back to work on Monday although last night I kinda regretted it.
This morning I was cranky at everything. The sheets on the bed piss me off because the "fitted" sheet just isn't fitted enough and the sheet gets all wrinkled under me and leaves painful sheet marks on the pregnant skin and pisses me off. My Cell Phone/PDA Pisses me off because all morning when I am trying to sleep or relax it's still reminding me of things I am supposed to be doing at work, even when I am not at work until 1pm. So much for the term "Smart Phone." My heartburn pills won't come out of the bottle because I am too lazy to peel the stupid foil protector off completely. I trip over my own flip flops. The kitchen floor was gritty because the dog got up on the counter last night and knocked the Monical's breadsticks all over the floor and ate them and so I had to clean that up before I could make my pancakes. The first 2 pancakes were too thin because I didn't follow directions and the powder mix stayed thick in the BOTTOM of the mixing bowl. My stomach hurt because I had 1.5 glasses of OJ on top of my pancakes with strawberry syrup and it was too rich. My car was hot because it's black and it's 500 thousand degrees outside. I was 12 minutes late for work because I insisted on sleeping till 11, then eating pancakes, and then going to the bank to make a deposit. When I get to work, someone who is not 9 months pregnant with a twisted ankle asks if I want to walk four flights down and three buildings over for them and they look SURPRISED when I say no. Ha!
I am not "tired" of being pregnant. I am tired of trying to be NICE while pregnant! And I am tired of waiting for my maternity leave to start. If I go all the way till my due date before Ardyn is born, I have only 13 half-days of work left. And I know that isn't THAT far away. But still. I can't wait.
My shower went well. I had a great time. It was hotter than hades. The country club AC was apparently not working and no amount of bitching by hostess and family could fix it. The table linens were dirty so there weren't any for the guest's tables. They didn't have a garbage can for us to put our dirty plates, etc. inside, so they brought us a dishpan with a garbage bag in it. They used the punch bowls from the wedding the night before to put our lemonade and iced tea in, and then before the shower was over, the owners of the punch bowls were coming looking for them. We thought they belonged to the country club!! Then LeRoy royally ripped us off when he charged my sister $40 for four carafes of iced tea and a punchbowl of lemonade, on top of the $50 fee that Evan's mom paid for the rental of the room, which was supposed to include TABLE LINENS and I ASSUME should also have included Air Conditioning!My sister ended up getting into it with LeRoy and practically screaming at him, but luckily I was GONE by then thanks to my husband, the knight on a white horse who helped set-up, tear down, and carry all my many many fabulous presents to the explorer and take me home to lie down because I was overheated and sweating and having contractions. He unloaded everything at home too, in the humidity and heat, and then went through all the bags with me to see the goodies. It was fabulous. Last night we assembled the swing, high chair, and bathtub, and also went through clothes and sorted them by sizes. There were only a few duplicates, which was nice. We will probably exchange some pink things. We got SOOOO Much pink. It was unbelievable. Everything was pink. And I like pink. But it also makes sense to have things, especially basic things like towels, washcloths, bibs, etc. in some unisex colors, especially when we plan on having a minimum of 3 kids. We got some cute stuff! Lots of books.
I have realized in the past weeks that it is OTHER PEOPLE that make my blood pressure go up. It's people at work. It's people that I see who make stupid or thoughtless comments. If I could just be at home, and talk to people that I wanted to talk to, and tell it like it is at all times, I think I would have the most fabulous blood pressure on the planet. But (for example) when you are planning on breastfeeding, and you give someone a bunch of info on breastfeeding so that they will support you, and you ask them to respect your wishes and not give your child formula or a pacifier or bottle for the first few weeks so you can establish a routine and rhythm, and then that same person outright and offhandedly TELLS you that they talked someone out of buying a stroller (from our registry) and into buying a gift card (from a store where we aren't registered) because "It's nice to have that gift card when you need to buy supplemental formula"..... I can feel my fucking head spinning and my blood pressure skyrocketing, and it takes every bit of energy to maintain my cool, not explode, and walk away.My husband probably said the nicest thing to me on Sunday. After the shower and on the drive home, at which point we were thinking I could be getting closer to labor any moment because of all the contractions I had been having that morning and evening, and the loss of the MP throughout the week (If you don't know what that is, you don't need to), and the 3cm dilated that I was last Tuesday..... He said "You have done really well with being pregnant. You don't complain much and you have really kept your emotions and hormones in check. I am very proud of you" (I am kinda paraphrasing because that was two days ago) But it was so nice to have the person who is with you all the time, see how hard you are working to maintain a calm veneer even when you want to strangle someone for something they say or do. I mean I know there was the incident where I cried uncontrollably because I accidentally had Subway put mustard on Evan's sandwich and I thought he hated me and wanted a divorce.... but overall I think I have done well with controlling my outbursts, or keeping them to a minimum unless it's just the two of us. And perhaps even then.Luckily the nice thing about a come and go shower was that I got to open gifts almost continuously, without having to hear a couple of the rude comments that I was informed of later. I was relaxed and excited, and enjoying seeing everyone. Although I have to admit that I wish that there had been a tablecloth at least on my table so that I could have sat with my legs open comfortably in my dress (you just can't cross your legs at 9 months pregnant) so that it wouldn't have looked so un-ladylike in the pictures. Oh well. You can't have it all. And honestly, the person I was most excited to see was my husband at the end. I wanted him to be able to see the baby presents, and I wanted to go home and rest because that was an extremely stressful and strenuous day. People aren't kidding when they warn you about that! And most people probably had AC! Another thing, I forgot to eat that day. There was so much going on, the first thing I ate all day was a piece of chocolate cake at probably 2:30 or 3pm. and that was the last thing I ate till 6:30. Not terrible healthy. Will have to do better at that next time. Not that there will be a shower again. Ever. But you know what I mean.
Our water birth class got canceled. Again. I was upset. But I felt even worse for Evan, who keeps arranging to be available for the class and getting showered and dressed and ready to drive here, and then at the last minute I have to call him and tell him it's been canceled. Ugh. At this point in time I have practically give up that we will have one. (the class)I have another Midwife appointment this afternoon. I am doubting that she will check my cervix, because I think she won't want to disturb things. But maybe I will "get lucky" (pun intended. LOL)
I think that tomorrow night we are making the trip to Target/Wal-Mart to do returns. I need to buy the stroller ($149) and am still needing some breastfeeding supplies, apparently it isn't "fun" to buy those as shower gifts. hee hee. I want some milk storage bags, some of the milk bag organizers for the freezer, some breast pads, and a dishwasher basket for nipples, pacifiers, and toys (not to mention breastpump parts) and also a wipe warmer. I need a couple backup covers for the changing table pad.... and some quick-clean wipes and micro-steam bags for the breast pump. I also want a pack of 12 cloth diapers to use as burp cloths and such. I am gonna exchange the sleep sack that I registered for a more expensive one online.... I didn't like the one I registered for, it's my own fault, but I want a better quality one that will last through more than one babe. We need one more car seat protector mat and we didn't get the tummy time Gym, so we still have a few things to wrap up! And we wanted a walk-through baby gate so I don't have to step over the old one we have with a baby in arms.... we use them for dogs and now for babies too!
What else is new. Hmm. The ankle is better. It still hurts, and swells by the end of the day, but overall it's just swollen and purple and green. Ack. No crutches now, I was done with them fairly shortly and went back to work on Monday although last night I kinda regretted it.
This morning I was cranky at everything. The sheets on the bed piss me off because the "fitted" sheet just isn't fitted enough and the sheet gets all wrinkled under me and leaves painful sheet marks on the pregnant skin and pisses me off. My Cell Phone/PDA Pisses me off because all morning when I am trying to sleep or relax it's still reminding me of things I am supposed to be doing at work, even when I am not at work until 1pm. So much for the term "Smart Phone." My heartburn pills won't come out of the bottle because I am too lazy to peel the stupid foil protector off completely. I trip over my own flip flops. The kitchen floor was gritty because the dog got up on the counter last night and knocked the Monical's breadsticks all over the floor and ate them and so I had to clean that up before I could make my pancakes. The first 2 pancakes were too thin because I didn't follow directions and the powder mix stayed thick in the BOTTOM of the mixing bowl. My stomach hurt because I had 1.5 glasses of OJ on top of my pancakes with strawberry syrup and it was too rich. My car was hot because it's black and it's 500 thousand degrees outside. I was 12 minutes late for work because I insisted on sleeping till 11, then eating pancakes, and then going to the bank to make a deposit. When I get to work, someone who is not 9 months pregnant with a twisted ankle asks if I want to walk four flights down and three buildings over for them and they look SURPRISED when I say no. Ha!
I am not "tired" of being pregnant. I am tired of trying to be NICE while pregnant! And I am tired of waiting for my maternity leave to start. If I go all the way till my due date before Ardyn is born, I have only 13 half-days of work left. And I know that isn't THAT far away. But still. I can't wait.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
D-Day!
Today is the day. The Baby Shower! It's strange because I feel like I have been waiting for it forever! NINE MONTHS!! I am 36 weeks today so that starts the official beginning of 9 months!
YAY! I was awake from 3:30-6am with contractions. At about 4 I took a shower. I lay on the couch, I lay in bed. Nothing serious but they were about 2-3 minutes apart for a while, which was amazing considering that before this I couldn't really FEEL them for sure, let alone when they started and stopped. I finally got back to sleep around 6:30.
I need to shower (I didn't shave or wash my hair this morning) but I am feeling like then I will be all ready like HOURS before the shower and then be impatient and all that. I cleaned off my camera card, and created a new Flickr set for baby shower photos. I keep looking at my house, because it was Sparkling and all picked up on Monday and now it's looking trashed and bothering me, mostly because I have no empty hampers to put dirty clothes in so they are piled on the floor, the dogs have peanut butter cup wrappers shredded all over the living room rug (why is the floor SO far away) the dishwasher is clean but sitting in the middle of the kitchen annoying me, dishes are piling up again, and there are little stacks of papers, magazines, etc. everywhere. Ugh. And dog hair. Since I have been home but immobile, it looks pretty crappy. I think if I could just clean off the coffee table I would feel better, but that would be admitting that even 9 months pregnant and crippled I am still supposed to pick up after everyone, and that makes me CRANKY!
Well, off to shower. I will post pics later!
YAY! I was awake from 3:30-6am with contractions. At about 4 I took a shower. I lay on the couch, I lay in bed. Nothing serious but they were about 2-3 minutes apart for a while, which was amazing considering that before this I couldn't really FEEL them for sure, let alone when they started and stopped. I finally got back to sleep around 6:30.
I need to shower (I didn't shave or wash my hair this morning) but I am feeling like then I will be all ready like HOURS before the shower and then be impatient and all that. I cleaned off my camera card, and created a new Flickr set for baby shower photos. I keep looking at my house, because it was Sparkling and all picked up on Monday and now it's looking trashed and bothering me, mostly because I have no empty hampers to put dirty clothes in so they are piled on the floor, the dogs have peanut butter cup wrappers shredded all over the living room rug (why is the floor SO far away) the dishwasher is clean but sitting in the middle of the kitchen annoying me, dishes are piling up again, and there are little stacks of papers, magazines, etc. everywhere. Ugh. And dog hair. Since I have been home but immobile, it looks pretty crappy. I think if I could just clean off the coffee table I would feel better, but that would be admitting that even 9 months pregnant and crippled I am still supposed to pick up after everyone, and that makes me CRANKY!
Well, off to shower. I will post pics later!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Pregnant and On Crutches!!
Well, today I am gonna post the same thing on the blog as I do on the baby site, since I don't want to type twice. Not that I don't have tons of time on my hands!
Now I can say I have been pregnant and on crutches! Whee! Today I had to be at work at 1pm, per usual, and in the OB Department at noon for my regular NST. I was in the hospital, standing at the elevator waiting, completely still, when my ankle unexpectedly snapped (I heard it) and gave out on me, twisting over to the side and making me almost fall, although I caught myself on the wall. It was excruciating, and I have twisted my ankles probably 20+ times in my life. I have bad ankles. But was was surprising was my ankle wasn't BOTHERING me at all, and I was just standing... not even MOVING when it happened. I was in tears, and there was no one around, so I limped and hopped into the elevator and to the OB unit, and hopped all the way back to the nurses station and told them I needed ice and help because i hurt my ankle. There was already a little knot on my ankle, and I lie down and elevated it immediately, and they brought me ice right away. After 3o minutes my ankle was swollen and the knot had doubled in size. I had my NST and then they called my midwife and my family Dr. Despite the "snapping" noise, they didn't want Xrays because of my being pregnant, and so I have been given Dr.'s orders till Tuesday- no work, limited weight bearing, ice 3-4 times a day for 20 minute intervals, Tylenol every 4-6 hours, and elevate my foot. This matches nicely with my 4 hour days and modified bedrest, except that I can't work at all till we see what the ankle has done (by Monday) and it's better.
Evan had to come to the hospital to get me, because it's my right foot and I can't drive, and I had to ride out in a wheelchair. Ugh. So tonight I am pretty sure it isn't fractured, as I can put a little weight on it and go to the bathroom and back without crutches.... but holy cow is it sore and SWOLLEN on the outside. You can see right where the ankle twisted out of it's usual position and it isn't pretty! So that's my exciting Thursday! I am glad that it's feeling a bit better already, because I couldn't imagine trying to give birth with a cast on my leg or going through labor with crutches!!
Now I can say I have been pregnant and on crutches! Whee! Today I had to be at work at 1pm, per usual, and in the OB Department at noon for my regular NST. I was in the hospital, standing at the elevator waiting, completely still, when my ankle unexpectedly snapped (I heard it) and gave out on me, twisting over to the side and making me almost fall, although I caught myself on the wall. It was excruciating, and I have twisted my ankles probably 20+ times in my life. I have bad ankles. But was was surprising was my ankle wasn't BOTHERING me at all, and I was just standing... not even MOVING when it happened. I was in tears, and there was no one around, so I limped and hopped into the elevator and to the OB unit, and hopped all the way back to the nurses station and told them I needed ice and help because i hurt my ankle. There was already a little knot on my ankle, and I lie down and elevated it immediately, and they brought me ice right away. After 3o minutes my ankle was swollen and the knot had doubled in size. I had my NST and then they called my midwife and my family Dr. Despite the "snapping" noise, they didn't want Xrays because of my being pregnant, and so I have been given Dr.'s orders till Tuesday- no work, limited weight bearing, ice 3-4 times a day for 20 minute intervals, Tylenol every 4-6 hours, and elevate my foot. This matches nicely with my 4 hour days and modified bedrest, except that I can't work at all till we see what the ankle has done (by Monday) and it's better.
Evan had to come to the hospital to get me, because it's my right foot and I can't drive, and I had to ride out in a wheelchair. Ugh. So tonight I am pretty sure it isn't fractured, as I can put a little weight on it and go to the bathroom and back without crutches.... but holy cow is it sore and SWOLLEN on the outside. You can see right where the ankle twisted out of it's usual position and it isn't pretty! So that's my exciting Thursday! I am glad that it's feeling a bit better already, because I couldn't imagine trying to give birth with a cast on my leg or going through labor with crutches!!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Three!!!
Well it's about time to take a shower. Not really, but I have watched enough repeats of Scrubs, Crossing Jordan, etc. that I am tired of lying on the couch. But showering seems like it would take SO Much energy. I have checked the email. And the bank balance. Read a magazine. Checked my list of things to do. Uploaded pics to Flickr.
Yesterday I had an appointment with my midwife. I got my Group B Strep Tests run, and more thyroid tests. AND I got my cervix checked. And it wasn't exactly comfortable. But I survived and I am here to tell you that I was (am!) Miraculously and surprisingly dilated to a 3! Or in the midwife's words "Some would call it a three, I call it 2 and 3/4... almost a 3"
Then last night I was feeling pretty rough, partly from cramping and such that I assume is a result of being checked, and some that was this horrible backache that wouldn't go away. Ava came over for an hour or so, and she played and entertained herself with the Stacking Buckets and the Tea Set. Evan suggested that I go to bed, probably so he wouldn't have to hear me moaning and groaning anymore, because I was so uncomfortable. But after lying down and doing hypnobirthing, I felt much better and went right to sleep. I did take two tylenol, and I was able to sleep for about 11 hours with only three pee breaks. YAY!
Last night I strapped Dog into the car seat for fun. Evan said "And you know, that's probably about how big the baby will be!" I made supper and two loaves of bread, a Tastefully Simple Beer Bread and a Tastefully Simple Pumpkin Bread. Yum!
So I am trying to not get my hopes up about the "almost 3" thing... but it's exciting to know there's progress, especially with no pain or contractions. Lots of people say "that's not fair" because they labored forever to get to a 3, or they never got there on their own. But then there are others, like moms who stay dilated for a month or so with no progress.
My biggest goal for the week is to convince Evan that we need to go see the Bourne Ultimatum this weekend. I freaking love the Bourne movies. This weekend is my shower too, so it does narrow down the time we have to go see it, but I still think we can fit it in. Maybe on Saturday night. Since the "almost 3" thing, I have had about 4 people tell me not to have the baby before this weekend, and one say "don't have the baby on your shower day!" and I have to admit that having my baby the day of my shower has crossed my mind more than once. But I am pretty sure we still have lots of time.
Afternoons at work are really going quickly. Working 4 hours is a nice way for me to wind down and relax prior to having the baby. I am getting plenty of sleep and can feel myself feeling more prepared. Yesterday I found my favorite maternity dress, which had been missing since July 7th. It's black with white polka dots and a red ribbon at the empire waist that ties in the back. It's super comfy and I was getting so worked up that I couldn't find it.... and it was in with Evan's dark clothes. I was so excited to find it that I washed it and wore it yesterday. Ahh. One of my other favorite dresses I get to wear for the shower, but I have not worn it out yet because I want to "save" it for the shower. But after that I will hopefully be able to wear it to work a few times before the baby gets here.
Tomorrow I am supposed to get my hair done. FINALLY! My hair grows so fast normally, but when I am pregnant, I have had to get my highlights touched up every two months! That's insane! I am going back to a darker red this time because I am tired of blonde and I won't be able to afford to get my hair done while I am off work for so long. Every night I have hoped that it was time to get my hair done, and finally tomorrow night it will be time! YAY!
Well, that's all for today. Now it really IS time to take a shower. have a great Wednesday!
Yesterday I had an appointment with my midwife. I got my Group B Strep Tests run, and more thyroid tests. AND I got my cervix checked. And it wasn't exactly comfortable. But I survived and I am here to tell you that I was (am!) Miraculously and surprisingly dilated to a 3! Or in the midwife's words "Some would call it a three, I call it 2 and 3/4... almost a 3"
Then last night I was feeling pretty rough, partly from cramping and such that I assume is a result of being checked, and some that was this horrible backache that wouldn't go away. Ava came over for an hour or so, and she played and entertained herself with the Stacking Buckets and the Tea Set. Evan suggested that I go to bed, probably so he wouldn't have to hear me moaning and groaning anymore, because I was so uncomfortable. But after lying down and doing hypnobirthing, I felt much better and went right to sleep. I did take two tylenol, and I was able to sleep for about 11 hours with only three pee breaks. YAY!
Last night I strapped Dog into the car seat for fun. Evan said "And you know, that's probably about how big the baby will be!" I made supper and two loaves of bread, a Tastefully Simple Beer Bread and a Tastefully Simple Pumpkin Bread. Yum!
So I am trying to not get my hopes up about the "almost 3" thing... but it's exciting to know there's progress, especially with no pain or contractions. Lots of people say "that's not fair" because they labored forever to get to a 3, or they never got there on their own. But then there are others, like moms who stay dilated for a month or so with no progress.
My biggest goal for the week is to convince Evan that we need to go see the Bourne Ultimatum this weekend. I freaking love the Bourne movies. This weekend is my shower too, so it does narrow down the time we have to go see it, but I still think we can fit it in. Maybe on Saturday night. Since the "almost 3" thing, I have had about 4 people tell me not to have the baby before this weekend, and one say "don't have the baby on your shower day!" and I have to admit that having my baby the day of my shower has crossed my mind more than once. But I am pretty sure we still have lots of time.
Afternoons at work are really going quickly. Working 4 hours is a nice way for me to wind down and relax prior to having the baby. I am getting plenty of sleep and can feel myself feeling more prepared. Yesterday I found my favorite maternity dress, which had been missing since July 7th. It's black with white polka dots and a red ribbon at the empire waist that ties in the back. It's super comfy and I was getting so worked up that I couldn't find it.... and it was in with Evan's dark clothes. I was so excited to find it that I washed it and wore it yesterday. Ahh. One of my other favorite dresses I get to wear for the shower, but I have not worn it out yet because I want to "save" it for the shower. But after that I will hopefully be able to wear it to work a few times before the baby gets here.
Tomorrow I am supposed to get my hair done. FINALLY! My hair grows so fast normally, but when I am pregnant, I have had to get my highlights touched up every two months! That's insane! I am going back to a darker red this time because I am tired of blonde and I won't be able to afford to get my hair done while I am off work for so long. Every night I have hoped that it was time to get my hair done, and finally tomorrow night it will be time! YAY!
Well, that's all for today. Now it really IS time to take a shower. have a great Wednesday!
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