Tempest in a Teapot

So obviously being pregnant has been a learning process for me. Things I didn’t expect:

.the sheer level of exhaustion I would feel - except for a short period in my 2nd trimester, I have been extremely tired. I nap almost daily. This is probably also related to the fact that I don’t get much sleep at night. Last night I was up 4 times to pee between 11pm & 6am! At 6, I just gave up and came downstairs.

.how hard most simple daily tasks are now. I just want to weep if I see something on the ground that I have to pick up - it is SO hard to bend over. And forget bending over the tub - I bathed the dog just two weeks ago, but she needs another one desparately and I just. can’t. do. it. It’s so frustrating! Vacuuming is a major ordeal - and requires being flat on my back afterwards because it hurts my back so bad.

.how painful pregnancy is! I HURT. My back, hips, joints, etc. - it all aches. Not to mention the heartburn, shortness of breath and other sundry annoyances. And I still have labor to look forward to, yippee!

Mom says that once you see the baby it will be all worthwhile, and I suppose she must know as she did it three times. J & I are counting down: three weeks until my due date!

17 weeks vs. 36 weeks!

And another one showing progression…

(a big thank you to Elaine, aka Cybertoad, for showing me how to create these!)

I’m sorry this has turned into an all-baby-all-the-time blog, but it really has been all consuming for me lately. sigh. That seems to be all I can focus on, seeing as how I’m due in a month!! I’ve been mostly reading books on childbirth/labor/newborns, which while interesting to ME, probably aren’t interesting to anyone else.

The nursery is coming along - J did a fantastic job finishing the border. It makes the room so cheerful! It was his first wallpapering job (ever, I think) and he did SUCH a great job. See?

The nesting bug has set in big time for me: last night I put together a little bookcase to go in one corner and I’m getting a little frantic to hang pictures, the curtain, etc. We also bought our car seat/stroller combo so I’m thrilled about that as well. We just have to install it in the car. Our new car has the LATCH system, so I think it won’t be too hard…and the hospital will be glad to check it for us.

I’m seeing my OB every week now - I’m not due for a month, but her nurse seemed to think I could have Baby M any time in the next 3 weeks. I almost hyperventilated right there in the doctor’s office: ACK - I can’t believe I’m going to have a kid. Is it too late to change my mind?! Unfortunately, the doctor can’t do anything about most of my assorted aches & pains. Part of it is being ‘older’ while being pregnant and part of it is just being pregnant!

In non-baby related stuff, I did watch the Olympics - which I enjoyed immensely. I tried not to think about Chinese politics or wasteful spending and just enjoy the athletes. My favorite to watch was probably the synchronized diving (amazing!!) and of course the swimming races. Go, Michael! (Isn’t he just the cutest kid?? I enjoyed how much HE enjoyed winning.) I watched quite a bit on the Canadian channel because I could watch it much earlier than NBC, and got a very different viewpoint on some of the sports. You’d think it wouldn’t be that different, but it really was … funny we can be so close geographically, but be so very different otherwise!

“Let me guess,” said the hospital clerk as I waddled over, “you’re here to have your appendix out.”

(no one panic, at my doctor’s suggestion I was merely turning in my pre-registration forms & getting my insurance stuff all settled to avoid any confusion later on)

Gosh, it was hot this weekend. J & I had a hard time sleeping Friday & Saturday nights because of the heat - I tossed and turned most of Saturday night. Fortunately, the heat broke last night and we’re back to our usual cooler temps. MUCH more pleasant when you don’t have AC and you’re pregnant!

This weekend we spent all day Saturday & most of Sunday attending our Childbirth Prep class at the hospital. It was extremely informative and took the edge off the blind terror I’ve been feeling about giving birth next month. I really appreciated J’s willingness to attend with me, as it helped me feel I can lean on him through all of this. It was very helpful to tour the birth center and see the rooms, as well as visit with a doctor who walked the class through a c-section experience. We hope to avoid one, but it is nice to understand the process in the hospital, should the need arise.

Last weekend some of the wives from J’s unit threw me a baby shower. It was so nice - I haven’t been part of the group long and certainly didn’t expect the party OR all the lovely gifts. LOTS of pink! My favorite part was (of course) the food.

Apparently, I am losing my mind. I opened the upstairs hall closet yesterday to put some sheets away and discovered one of our kitchen glasses just sitting there on a shelf. It took me a minute to even process what I was looking at!! I have absolutely no recollection of leaving it there whatsoever. In fact, I’m now wondering how long it’s been there. (J assures me he didn’t do it and I believe him, he never goes in that closet.)

49 days and counting until Baby M is due!

Interesting column today from Maureen Dowd in the NYT comparing Obama to my favorite literary hero, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Can’t really see McCain as Wickham, but she does get her point across.

Another good NYT article: does a president need to be tech savvy?

Happy 39th (!!) anniversary to my parents - mom & dad Lucci. 39 years is an amazing accomplishment, especially in this day and age. Ya’ll set a wonderful example for me & J - showing you can work thru problems and remain married! Hope you have a wonderful day together.

Mom & Dad were here last weekend for a quick visit. It was great to see them and have them all to myself! J has been away (AGAIN), and I enjoyed having company. The weather was perfect - and mom & dad were able to get out to the Yakima area to tour some wineries. I didn’t go, obviously, seeing as how it’d be pretty un-fun for me. They really liked that area and hopefully someday J & I will get there. But mom & I were able to get out and do some shopping for the baby which was fun. They’re both really excited and supportive about Baby M joining the family. I’m so glad they’ll be coming out when she’s born! It will be such a help to have them here.

The best part of the whole visit: the fact that my mom can drink about half a bottle of wine and still whip me at scrabble by 90 points. She’s AWESOME. (I get my English smarts from her.) Usually she doesn’t beat me quite so badly, but I think being pregnant has rotted my brain.

And here I am at 32 weeks - just 8 weeks to go! But odds are I might be a teeney bit early - at last week’s ultrasound, Baby M was measuring 2 weeks ahead and already weighing almost 5 pounds. Tech said she looked healthy and active, so we’re delighted, naturally.