This Saturday, Daniel and I are starting our childbirth classes through the hospital--three Saturday mornings, plus the following Saturday morning for a breastfeeding class. The lady in charge called me last night to remind us to bring a pillow and blankets, I guess for practicing relaxation, and snacks. I’m sure over four hours snacks will definitely come in handy.
I’m so excited for us to get these classes under our belt; I really hope that they help me to feel more prepared and less anxious about delivery. Last weekend we had our tour of the maternity unit at the hospital, which was helpful. It’s really nice; the wing is all new as of the end of 2007, and it has all private mother-baby suites with a pullout couch for the dads. And we’re already preregistered at the hospital, so that much is all set!
At the risk of sounding repetitive, because I know I keep saying this, I can’t believe how fast time is going by. April is now gone. In just a couple of weeks Daniel and I will be celebrating our first anniversary, and just one month after that we’ll be welcoming our first child into the world! I can’t wait to meet him or her, and of course find out whether it’s a him or her—plus, I’m not a huge fan of these third trimester aches and pains, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to sleeping on my back again! (I’ve always been a back sleeper.)
Last Friday we had another doctor appointment with a sonogram to estimate the baby’s size, and it looks like he (or she) is going to be a big one! At 33 weeks he was estimated at 5 pounds 3 ounces, and babies are supposed to gain about a half a pound a week from here on out. Of course, I would have been surprised if I had given birth to a baby under eight pounds, which actually doesn’t sound that large to me; my mom gave birth to seven children and I was the smallest. At exactly nine pounds. I hope that my babies aren’t quite as big as my mom’s...but if she could do it, and without an epidural for most of her children, I’m sure I could manage with one! Our baby’s legs are measuring long, too, which didn’t surprise the doctor at all given Daniel’s height and mine.
The next thing on my to-do list that I really need to take care of is choosing a pediatrician. I have a couple of names and numbers written down based on some research I did online, but I still need to give them a call and hopefully set up a time to meet them before we decide. This needs to be done ASAP.
The nursery is mostly finished being cleaned out of all the junk we had in there, which I think I have mentioned before. We now need to buy an area rug for the room and bring in the crib, changing table, etc. that we are getting from my parents as soon as they can get almost three-year-old Edward to fall asleep in his toddler bed without getting up. I can’t wait to set it all up!
I’m beginning to come to terms with the fact that not everything I had on my initial to-do list is going to get done; but the things that really need to be done will be. And that’s just going to have to be alright with me. Technically, we have to be ready for this baby to get here anytime after 37 weeks (which is only three weeks away!), even though I doubt it will happen that early. You never know, though!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Short and Sweet, and Delayed
My dear readers, I apologize for another delayed entry. I really have no excuse, other than to (truthfully!) claim that although last week was my first full week without going to work, it was still surprisingly busy.
Since you last heard from me, I have done about as much driving as I would have done driving all the way to work two days a week, if not more; outside of the house I visited my Grandma, met a pregnant friend who is due just three days after me for smoothies, and went to another doctor appointment, and babysat my littlest brother Edward twice. When I was home, I worked on a freelance project that I will probably finish up with later this week—I barely had time for any nesting!
And there is still so much to be done in that department...with only six and a half weeks left in which to do it. That’s if this baby comes on my due date. Technically, although I doubt it will come early, he or she could be born at 37 weeks, which is considered full-term. That’s only three and a half weeks away! Hopefully poor Daniel, who has been feeling under the weather for the past two weekends, will be healthy and full of energy between now and then so that we can get a lot done. We need at least one able-bodied person in this—heck, I need his help getting up off the couch half the time!
Like the title promised, short and sweet. You’ll hear from me again later this week.
Since you last heard from me, I have done about as much driving as I would have done driving all the way to work two days a week, if not more; outside of the house I visited my Grandma, met a pregnant friend who is due just three days after me for smoothies, and went to another doctor appointment, and babysat my littlest brother Edward twice. When I was home, I worked on a freelance project that I will probably finish up with later this week—I barely had time for any nesting!
And there is still so much to be done in that department...with only six and a half weeks left in which to do it. That’s if this baby comes on my due date. Technically, although I doubt it will come early, he or she could be born at 37 weeks, which is considered full-term. That’s only three and a half weeks away! Hopefully poor Daniel, who has been feeling under the weather for the past two weekends, will be healthy and full of energy between now and then so that we can get a lot done. We need at least one able-bodied person in this—heck, I need his help getting up off the couch half the time!
Like the title promised, short and sweet. You’ll hear from me again later this week.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Comfortable
Is it just me, or has “comfortable” has gotten a bad rap these days? I happen to be a big fan of teen country singing sensation Taylor Swift, but in the song “The Way I Loved You” on her most recent CD, the fact that she uses “comfortable” as a bad thing bugs me, even if it is one of my favorite songs on the CD to sing along with. Okay, maybe she doesn’t use it as a bad thing, but she at least uses it as a “not good enough” thing. She may be “comfortable” with this new guy that she is dating, but what she really wants is what she doesn’t have anymore; she misses being “so in love that you act insane.”
I don’t know about you, but I think being comfortable is pretty awesome—and I’d rather not be in the kind of love in which screaming and fighting and cursing is somehow a good thing. I won’t blame Taylor for missing kissing in the rain, though. That’s pretty fun… I wonder, though, whether she was under an umbrella. I like the umbrella variety myself, but either way makes for an awfully romantic picture. That’s why so many movies end with a scene like that.
Anyways, comfortable is changing out of high heels and pantyhose and into pajama pants and slippers at the end of a long day, or even better, having someone rub your feet before the slippers go on. Comfortable is sipping a cool drink while lounging on the beach with a gentle breeze blowing salty air in your face. Comfortable is enjoying a family dinner when everyone happens to be in a good mood and your mom happened to cook your favorite childhood meal, or falling asleep to the sound of steady rain on the roof, or waking up to the sunshine on a Saturday morning, feeling perfectly well-rested and knowing that you don’t really have to get up anytime soon unless you want to.
Roller coasters may be a lot of fun, but there is a reason that at the end of a day spent running around an amusement park you are exhausted. And when you finally make it home and see your bed waiting for you, whether made or unmade, it looks pretty darn close to heaven on earth. Taylor Swift calls the way she loved whoever it was a “roller coaster kind of rush.” I’ve always loved roller coasters, but I think that we all can only take so much. Maybe that’s why Taylor’s relationship ended in the first place.
I am proud to say that my relationship with Daniel is comfortable. We fight sometimes, but we don’t scream at each other. We may feel frustrated or hurt, but we don’t ever feel afraid that the other might leave. I know that even when I’m looking the exact opposite of my best, Daniel will still love me and think I’m the most beautiful woman in the world. I know that I can tell him anything and everything I’m thinking and he will listen and understand me. I may not feel the “butterflies” of a crush or a new relationship, but as far as I’m concerned that’s a good thing. Daniel can still send chills down my spine, and there are times when I feel so much love for him that it makes me want to cry. If my heart pounds, it’s not because of nerves.
Comfortable is taking a walk and holding hands with the one you love and not having to worry about sweaty palms… unless of course it’s just that ridiculously hot outside. To use Taylor’s words again, “he’s charming and endearing and I’m comfortable.” And I love it.
I don’t know about you, but I think being comfortable is pretty awesome—and I’d rather not be in the kind of love in which screaming and fighting and cursing is somehow a good thing. I won’t blame Taylor for missing kissing in the rain, though. That’s pretty fun… I wonder, though, whether she was under an umbrella. I like the umbrella variety myself, but either way makes for an awfully romantic picture. That’s why so many movies end with a scene like that.
Anyways, comfortable is changing out of high heels and pantyhose and into pajama pants and slippers at the end of a long day, or even better, having someone rub your feet before the slippers go on. Comfortable is sipping a cool drink while lounging on the beach with a gentle breeze blowing salty air in your face. Comfortable is enjoying a family dinner when everyone happens to be in a good mood and your mom happened to cook your favorite childhood meal, or falling asleep to the sound of steady rain on the roof, or waking up to the sunshine on a Saturday morning, feeling perfectly well-rested and knowing that you don’t really have to get up anytime soon unless you want to.
Roller coasters may be a lot of fun, but there is a reason that at the end of a day spent running around an amusement park you are exhausted. And when you finally make it home and see your bed waiting for you, whether made or unmade, it looks pretty darn close to heaven on earth. Taylor Swift calls the way she loved whoever it was a “roller coaster kind of rush.” I’ve always loved roller coasters, but I think that we all can only take so much. Maybe that’s why Taylor’s relationship ended in the first place.
I am proud to say that my relationship with Daniel is comfortable. We fight sometimes, but we don’t scream at each other. We may feel frustrated or hurt, but we don’t ever feel afraid that the other might leave. I know that even when I’m looking the exact opposite of my best, Daniel will still love me and think I’m the most beautiful woman in the world. I know that I can tell him anything and everything I’m thinking and he will listen and understand me. I may not feel the “butterflies” of a crush or a new relationship, but as far as I’m concerned that’s a good thing. Daniel can still send chills down my spine, and there are times when I feel so much love for him that it makes me want to cry. If my heart pounds, it’s not because of nerves.
Comfortable is taking a walk and holding hands with the one you love and not having to worry about sweaty palms… unless of course it’s just that ridiculously hot outside. To use Taylor’s words again, “he’s charming and endearing and I’m comfortable.” And I love it.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Almost There!
Next week is my last week of work for the foreseeable future. As it is, I have only been working one or two days a week for the last few months, but being completely done with employment altogether is different—and crazy! Although I will miss the people that I work with, the fact that next Friday is my last day is a really good thing for multiple reasons:
For starters, I am out of professional clothing that both fits me and is seasonally appropriate. Even one of my pairs of maternity pants that I can wear to work (I only have two pairs) has gotten pretty darn uncomfortable on my belly.
Second, it is getting rather difficult to sit still for at least an hour and a half commute each direction, even if it is only one to two days a week.
Third, the number of times that I wake up to use the bathroom every night and then the effort it takes to get comfortable again afterwards make getting up for good at six o’clock less than fun.
Fourth, I still have so much to do before the baby comes and I only have two months left! Not having to go to work at all anymore will leave more time and energy for the nesting I discussed with you a couple of weeks ago. My first two months of stay-at-home-mommyhood will consist of not actually mothering, but preparing.
Fifth, having a little person wiggling and squirming around under my skin while I’m sitting at my computer trying to work is extremely distracting! (In the very best of possible ways, of course).
Sixth, it is also extremely distracting to simply have the knowledge that there is a little person with me as I sit there, just growing and getting ready to come out. I am so anxious! Every day it gets worse—I just can’t wait until the day when I will finally be able to meet my baby and hold him or her in my arms instead of in my abdomen…
Nine more weeks!
For starters, I am out of professional clothing that both fits me and is seasonally appropriate. Even one of my pairs of maternity pants that I can wear to work (I only have two pairs) has gotten pretty darn uncomfortable on my belly.
Second, it is getting rather difficult to sit still for at least an hour and a half commute each direction, even if it is only one to two days a week.
Third, the number of times that I wake up to use the bathroom every night and then the effort it takes to get comfortable again afterwards make getting up for good at six o’clock less than fun.
Fourth, I still have so much to do before the baby comes and I only have two months left! Not having to go to work at all anymore will leave more time and energy for the nesting I discussed with you a couple of weeks ago. My first two months of stay-at-home-mommyhood will consist of not actually mothering, but preparing.
Fifth, having a little person wiggling and squirming around under my skin while I’m sitting at my computer trying to work is extremely distracting! (In the very best of possible ways, of course).
Sixth, it is also extremely distracting to simply have the knowledge that there is a little person with me as I sit there, just growing and getting ready to come out. I am so anxious! Every day it gets worse—I just can’t wait until the day when I will finally be able to meet my baby and hold him or her in my arms instead of in my abdomen…
Nine more weeks!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Happy Easter!
Having been married almost eleven months now, Daniel and I have now reached the milestone of our last first holiday together and have entered the liturgical season in which we were married last year. So crazy! Daniel had his spring break from work this past week, which was shortened because of all the snow days the county used this year. If it hadn’t been cut down, we could have gotten a lot more done on our before-baby-comes-to-do-list, but we were still able to use the time off to our advantage.
Daniel finished building, painted, and then hung new shutters on our house with the help of his parents; they cleared out brush from the back of our property and tore out the ugly bushes that surrounded our deck; my dad came over to install crown and base moulding in our bedroom; and Daniel and I painted and put together a new armoire-type piece of furniture for our bedroom re-using three older pieces (a desk that had belonged to Daniel’s parents, a dresser that had belonged to my parents, and an entertainment center that had belonged to my grandparents). There is still so much to be done, but we’re getting there!
Daniel and I decided against going to the Easter Vigil mass this year because I didn’t think I would make it through the whole thing without falling asleep, so we went to the eight a.m. mass instead. Who knows how many years it will be before we feel up to going to the Vigil again—I certainly won’t want to bring a ten month old to the two and a half hour liturgy, as much as I love it. We had both Easter brunch and dinner at my parents’ house, which were delicious of course. Who doesn’t love a good spiral baked ham (other than two of my siblings, who substituted leftover meatloaf, and I guess plenty of other people, too)?
Happy Easter season, everyone!
Daniel finished building, painted, and then hung new shutters on our house with the help of his parents; they cleared out brush from the back of our property and tore out the ugly bushes that surrounded our deck; my dad came over to install crown and base moulding in our bedroom; and Daniel and I painted and put together a new armoire-type piece of furniture for our bedroom re-using three older pieces (a desk that had belonged to Daniel’s parents, a dresser that had belonged to my parents, and an entertainment center that had belonged to my grandparents). There is still so much to be done, but we’re getting there!
Daniel and I decided against going to the Easter Vigil mass this year because I didn’t think I would make it through the whole thing without falling asleep, so we went to the eight a.m. mass instead. Who knows how many years it will be before we feel up to going to the Vigil again—I certainly won’t want to bring a ten month old to the two and a half hour liturgy, as much as I love it. We had both Easter brunch and dinner at my parents’ house, which were delicious of course. Who doesn’t love a good spiral baked ham (other than two of my siblings, who substituted leftover meatloaf, and I guess plenty of other people, too)?
Happy Easter season, everyone!
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