Sorry for the lack of a creative title, but I sat here for ten minutes hoping one would come to me and it never happened!
Childbirth classes are off to a great start—really informative and helpful, I think. And it’s nice to be in a room with so many other first-time expectant parents, although it certainly makes for a long line in the ladies’ room during breaks. And even the fact that there is a break at the top of each hour doesn’t much help to make for less of a waddling stampede down the hallway every time.
I won’t bore you with details of what we learned in class, other than to tattle on my husband: we were practicing relaxation on the floor with a guided meditation and the pillows and blankets that we had been asked to bring to class, and I had to wake Daniel up at the end of it! It was maybe five minutes long, and I’m pretty sure he was out within 30 seconds. I wasn’t at all surprised. Goodness, I hope our baby is as good of a sleeper as her (or his) Daddy!
Our living room is currently full of hand-me-down baby stuff from my mom, my aunt, and a family friend, which is making our house feel rather cramped. That is without having had my two baby showers yet! One of them is with just extended family on my mom’s side this upcoming Sunday, very appropriately Mother’s Day. The second is the following Saturday with my mom and sisters, Daniel’s mom and sisters, and friends. I’ll have to make sure we finish getting the nursery cleaned up tomorrow and Saturday so that we can start putting stuff away in there before our whole house is taken over with baby items.
Daniel and I had our last religious education class last Sunday morning; I don’t remember whether I’ve mentioned before that we taught a sixth grade class together this school year. We had a lot of fun, and from what we have heard and could tell by the end, the kids really liked us and learned a lot about their faith, which is the most important thing. We’re currently praying and trying to decide whether or not to teach again next year, moving up with the same class into seventh grade.
The reason this is a difficult decision is because we’re having a baby next month; it’s so hard for us to make the call right now since this is our first child and we really have no idea whether or not it will be manageable for us starting in September. My sisters have already offered to babysit during classes, but we just don’t know. We loved teaching this year and we loved our class, but maybe we should take a year off so that we can focus on learning to be parents and then take my sisters up on their Sunday morning babysitting offer once our baby turns one? But I also really hate to disappoint our students…
Any advice on this? Similar experiences?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
To-Do...and Done
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!
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!
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!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Nesting
I am 29 weeks pregnant and I am definitely doing what a lot of people would call “nesting.” I don’t know whether it’s “instinct” exactly, but just like anyone wants to straighten their home before visitors arrive, I want to be ready for a guest that’s going to be arriving late this spring, taking up all of my time and attention, and staying for a couple of decades.
It’s a matter of knowing that in my whole life is about to change in ways that I won’t be able to completely understand until after it’s already happened, and I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be. This means a lot of things.
It’s looking at the screen door to my back porch that I have never once cleaned in the 20 months that I’ve owned the house and seeing all the dirt shoved into crevices that I never noticed before and thinking, “It would really be nice to have that clean before the baby comes,” for the simple reason that I have no idea when I might have the opportunity or inclination to clean it later.
It’s finally emptying the backpack that was somehow never cleaned out after graduation from college almost two years ago because I found it shoved in the closet of the soon-to-be-nursery.
It’s suddenly caring that the dishes get washed and the stove gets wiped down every night before I go to bed because I’m trying to get out of the habit of letting little things pile up and become big things.
It’s getting down on my hands and knees to look under cabinets and other furniture trying to think like a crawling eight month old as I add task after task to our “projects to finish before June” list.
As a new father, Daniel could be seen as “nesting” too—although he doesn’t have it quite as bad as I do, so maybe a little bit of instinct is involved for mothers. And some of what I worry about may be a bit over the top… But whether it’s instinct or just plain smart, or a nice combination of both, it’s good to be ready.
It’s a matter of knowing that in my whole life is about to change in ways that I won’t be able to completely understand until after it’s already happened, and I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be. This means a lot of things.
It’s looking at the screen door to my back porch that I have never once cleaned in the 20 months that I’ve owned the house and seeing all the dirt shoved into crevices that I never noticed before and thinking, “It would really be nice to have that clean before the baby comes,” for the simple reason that I have no idea when I might have the opportunity or inclination to clean it later.
It’s finally emptying the backpack that was somehow never cleaned out after graduation from college almost two years ago because I found it shoved in the closet of the soon-to-be-nursery.
It’s suddenly caring that the dishes get washed and the stove gets wiped down every night before I go to bed because I’m trying to get out of the habit of letting little things pile up and become big things.
It’s getting down on my hands and knees to look under cabinets and other furniture trying to think like a crawling eight month old as I add task after task to our “projects to finish before June” list.
As a new father, Daniel could be seen as “nesting” too—although he doesn’t have it quite as bad as I do, so maybe a little bit of instinct is involved for mothers. And some of what I worry about may be a bit over the top… But whether it’s instinct or just plain smart, or a nice combination of both, it’s good to be ready.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Spring Is Almost Here
The glucose test wasn’t so terrible after all. The orange drink, while it wouldn’t be my beverage of choice, really wasn’t bad. The doctor suspected this to be because I have a sweet tooth, which is in fact very true. And the blood test hurt just like any other blood test, which I knew it would so I was not worried about it to begin with. The rest of my appointment went well, too, and my next couple of appointments will just be quick checkups.
Here in Maryland, it is really starting to feel like spring! Today I sat outside on my deck in the 75 degree sunshine to read and eat my lunch (and hopefully soak up some Vitamin D), and it was perfectly wonderful. In just a few days the first day of spring will be here, and as the weather slowly gets warmer I’m getting closer and closer to meeting my baby. He or she will arrive before summer does. This summer is going to be very different from every other summer of my life—I can’t wait!
There is plenty remaining to be done around the house before the baby comes, though. The nursery is still a storage and project room, and there are several other projects that Daniel and I hope to finish in these last few pre-baby months, which will give us plenty to keep busy. Not to mention those unexpected projects that continue to crop up which are not on our list at all.
For example, part of this beautiful springy weekend will be spent (at least for Daniel) replacing several shingles on our roof which were blown off during a rainstorm last week. What fun! I, of course, will be spending that time standing out on the deck watching him, as though the strength of my stare could be enough to keep him from falling off the roof. Really, though, our roof is not at all steep. I shouldn’t need to worry.
Now for one last thing that I just thought I’d share that is rather random—this Saturday morning I will be going to a big yard sale with my friend Laura, the first of many I will be searching this spring I’m sure, and my quest is to find good children’s books to start our library. First of all, I love bargains. Second of all, I love books. And third, I love a good quest! (All three of these things I get from my mom) Wish me luck; I’m so excited!
Here in Maryland, it is really starting to feel like spring! Today I sat outside on my deck in the 75 degree sunshine to read and eat my lunch (and hopefully soak up some Vitamin D), and it was perfectly wonderful. In just a few days the first day of spring will be here, and as the weather slowly gets warmer I’m getting closer and closer to meeting my baby. He or she will arrive before summer does. This summer is going to be very different from every other summer of my life—I can’t wait!
There is plenty remaining to be done around the house before the baby comes, though. The nursery is still a storage and project room, and there are several other projects that Daniel and I hope to finish in these last few pre-baby months, which will give us plenty to keep busy. Not to mention those unexpected projects that continue to crop up which are not on our list at all.
For example, part of this beautiful springy weekend will be spent (at least for Daniel) replacing several shingles on our roof which were blown off during a rainstorm last week. What fun! I, of course, will be spending that time standing out on the deck watching him, as though the strength of my stare could be enough to keep him from falling off the roof. Really, though, our roof is not at all steep. I shouldn’t need to worry.
Now for one last thing that I just thought I’d share that is rather random—this Saturday morning I will be going to a big yard sale with my friend Laura, the first of many I will be searching this spring I’m sure, and my quest is to find good children’s books to start our library. First of all, I love bargains. Second of all, I love books. And third, I love a good quest! (All three of these things I get from my mom) Wish me luck; I’m so excited!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Home Again
So, we made it home from Alabama safely and without any further damage, thank God! Of course, I guess we would have to be extremely unlucky to have a problem on both legs of the trip (or be extremely bad drivers).
At the rehearsal dinner last Friday, Daniel and his cousin Michael dressed up as Lloyd and Harry from the movie “Dumb and Dumber,” which they all love. Daniel was in the orange tuxedo and Michael was in the blue, with matching top hats and canes, which they used to swordfight into the party as they made their entrance. This was a surprise for John (Daniel had received approval from the bride, Katherine, beforehand), and as far as I could tell it was quite a hit—and of course entirely unexpected by nearly all of the guests.
As the wife of the best man, and family, I was present at the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, then also had to be at the church at 8:30 the next morning (2 ½ hours early) for pictures. It was fun to be part of an event so steeped in southern traditions. Everything was planned and carried out just so—and from what I understand nearly all of the planning and decision-making was done by Katherine’s parents, so it was pretty stress-free for the bride and groom. It was also a Presbyterian ceremony rather than Catholic, so all in all it was different from ours on multiple levels. Still lovely, though, and I am so happy to have been there to help celebrate their union in Christian marriage.
In other news, I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon (27 weeks!). This is when I’m scheduled to do my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes. I’m hoping that the orange glucose drink is not as bad as some people have said it is, and that I don’t feel like passing out after I drink it, like others have said they did…
I’m pretty sure that after this appointment I start going in every two weeks rather than every four, since I’m starting my third trimester! Time is really flying now. My official last day of work is set for Friday, April 16th, only a little over a month away. I can’t believe that I’m almost “finished working”, but I am really looking forward to meeting my baby (duh!) and spending every day loving and taking care of him or her. It’s just incredible to me that I’m already six months pregnant—two thirds of the way there!
At the rehearsal dinner last Friday, Daniel and his cousin Michael dressed up as Lloyd and Harry from the movie “Dumb and Dumber,” which they all love. Daniel was in the orange tuxedo and Michael was in the blue, with matching top hats and canes, which they used to swordfight into the party as they made their entrance. This was a surprise for John (Daniel had received approval from the bride, Katherine, beforehand), and as far as I could tell it was quite a hit—and of course entirely unexpected by nearly all of the guests.
As the wife of the best man, and family, I was present at the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, then also had to be at the church at 8:30 the next morning (2 ½ hours early) for pictures. It was fun to be part of an event so steeped in southern traditions. Everything was planned and carried out just so—and from what I understand nearly all of the planning and decision-making was done by Katherine’s parents, so it was pretty stress-free for the bride and groom. It was also a Presbyterian ceremony rather than Catholic, so all in all it was different from ours on multiple levels. Still lovely, though, and I am so happy to have been there to help celebrate their union in Christian marriage.
In other news, I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon (27 weeks!). This is when I’m scheduled to do my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes. I’m hoping that the orange glucose drink is not as bad as some people have said it is, and that I don’t feel like passing out after I drink it, like others have said they did…
I’m pretty sure that after this appointment I start going in every two weeks rather than every four, since I’m starting my third trimester! Time is really flying now. My official last day of work is set for Friday, April 16th, only a little over a month away. I can’t believe that I’m almost “finished working”, but I am really looking forward to meeting my baby (duh!) and spending every day loving and taking care of him or her. It’s just incredible to me that I’m already six months pregnant—two thirds of the way there!
Friday, March 5, 2010
On The Road
Right now, Daniel and I are in Birmingham, Alabama for the first of five weddings we will be attending this year. Daniel's brother John is getting married on Saturday. He was best man in our wedding last year, and now Daniel is best man in his.
We had a hard time getting out the door on Wednesday for our first married road trip, and our goal of leaving home at 3 p.m. turned into 4:30 p.m. because of circumstances beyond our control (story of our lives), so we got on the road with the GPS telling us we would reach our destination at 4:48 a.m. (We had thought about stopping somewhere halfway for the night, but figured we might as well drive straight through and save ourselves 50 bucks.) We packed sandwiches and snacks for the car so that we could minimize stops, and we were on our way.
Daniel drove most of the way himself, not asking me to take over at all until around midnight, when I drove for an hour and a half. I took a turn again at 3:20 a.m. and drove until a little after 4 just so that Daniel could have a quick nap... and at 3:45 while I was driving on a long stretch of empty highway in Alabama, an unidentified sitting object appeared suddenly in my headlights in the middle of my lane. It was large and dark, and it was obviously dark outside, plus the pavement was black, so I didn't see this object until it was directly in front of me. Driving at 70 mph (that was actually the speed limit- I wasn't speeding!), I had just enough time to swerve into the left lane in an attempt to avoid it. Whatever it was still hit the front right corner of my car, and hit loudly. It did not sound good. Sure enough, when we pulled over to look at the car at the next exit, the entire right side of my front bumper was cracked and pieces of the fiberglass were completely gone. What was left is now hanging to flap in the wind. If we were worried about money before we left, (who doesn't worry about money, right?) we are even more now. Auto body work is always expensive, and this definitely needs to be fixed.
Thank God, though, that it was not worse than it was. I am convinced that if there had been another car on the road driving next to me and I hadn't been able to swerve into the other lane, we could have been hurt. I still have no idea what that object was.
Regardless of our worries, though, we got to John's apartment at a little before 5 a.m., which was actually 4 a.m. Alabama time-- and we are here to celebrate! Daniel's brother is getting married and we are gaining a wonderful new member of the family. We are so very, very happy for them. I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding.
We will be driving home on Sunday, hopefully this time without incident... and we're trying very hard to trust in our God to provide for us. Take care, everyone.
We had a hard time getting out the door on Wednesday for our first married road trip, and our goal of leaving home at 3 p.m. turned into 4:30 p.m. because of circumstances beyond our control (story of our lives), so we got on the road with the GPS telling us we would reach our destination at 4:48 a.m. (We had thought about stopping somewhere halfway for the night, but figured we might as well drive straight through and save ourselves 50 bucks.) We packed sandwiches and snacks for the car so that we could minimize stops, and we were on our way.
Daniel drove most of the way himself, not asking me to take over at all until around midnight, when I drove for an hour and a half. I took a turn again at 3:20 a.m. and drove until a little after 4 just so that Daniel could have a quick nap... and at 3:45 while I was driving on a long stretch of empty highway in Alabama, an unidentified sitting object appeared suddenly in my headlights in the middle of my lane. It was large and dark, and it was obviously dark outside, plus the pavement was black, so I didn't see this object until it was directly in front of me. Driving at 70 mph (that was actually the speed limit- I wasn't speeding!), I had just enough time to swerve into the left lane in an attempt to avoid it. Whatever it was still hit the front right corner of my car, and hit loudly. It did not sound good. Sure enough, when we pulled over to look at the car at the next exit, the entire right side of my front bumper was cracked and pieces of the fiberglass were completely gone. What was left is now hanging to flap in the wind. If we were worried about money before we left, (who doesn't worry about money, right?) we are even more now. Auto body work is always expensive, and this definitely needs to be fixed.
Thank God, though, that it was not worse than it was. I am convinced that if there had been another car on the road driving next to me and I hadn't been able to swerve into the other lane, we could have been hurt. I still have no idea what that object was.
Regardless of our worries, though, we got to John's apartment at a little before 5 a.m., which was actually 4 a.m. Alabama time-- and we are here to celebrate! Daniel's brother is getting married and we are gaining a wonderful new member of the family. We are so very, very happy for them. I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding.
We will be driving home on Sunday, hopefully this time without incident... and we're trying very hard to trust in our God to provide for us. Take care, everyone.
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