Midwife #3. 10-27-11

I saw the 3rd of the 5 midwives today. They rotate who is on call. So, no surprises when I'm in the delivery room. I liked this midwife pretty well. She was telling me that several of the midwives trained at Frontier in Appalachian Kentucky. Apparently, as a part of the requirements for their training, they had to know how to ride a horse. As she explained, there weren't any SUV's and such back in the 70's. The best way to get into those hollows--or is it hollers?--was to ride a horse. I so want Boop to be delivered by a midwife riding a horse!! But, I guess there's no excuse for me. I'm only about 2 miles from the hospital, and my neighbor has every type of vehicle and has already offered to get me there. So no horses :(
I got the name of a doula in the next town. The fact that she immediately sprang to the mind of the midwife could be a good sign. Since there is no specific training, there can be considerable diversity in the level of help. One thing the midwife and doula have to know is: 1. I want pain meds--yes, to the epidural!, and 2. if the labor isn't progressing well, then let's move on to the C-section. I'm not out to be a martyr!
I drank that flat orange syrup for the initial gestational diabetes screen. It really wasn't that awful, but I didn't realize that I would have to drink it today. I have felt a little out of kilter today as a result. Fortunately, it was later in the afternoon; so I didn't have to feel yucky at work. I've been a bit dizzy this afternoon, but it could be because I've been standing up a fair bit, looking up, and holding stuff over my head. My helper and I changed out some lights upstairs.
So, they said the results will take 2 days. Being that this is a Thursday, I probably won't hear the results until Monday. They said they wouldn't call if the results are negative. Of course, I'll follow up at my next visit. Now that I'm 7 months, I will start going to the midwife every 2 weeks. Otherwise, my infection is gone, along with the thrush, and Boop seems to be in good shape. My bump is measuring well, and Boop's heart rate was about 150bpm. AND SHE DIDN'T KICK THE MIDWIFE :)

Adult Children. 10-26-11

Someone had posted a summary of a session with adult children of SMC's at the 30th Anniversary conference a few weeks ago. The thing that struck me was that adult children really seemed to do okay with many challenges of having a single parent, except the challenge of having only 1 rule giver and 1 enforcer. Reflecting back, the children wished that they had another parent to provide a different perspective and perhaps serve as a mediator.
So, I guess out of all of the concerns they might have expressed, it could have been much worse. Do I wish that things had worked out differently, and I had done this in the context of a happy, loving relationship? Of course. Was this the best decision in my circumstances? Definitely. Overall, in spite of the concern about having only 1 source of discipline, the research seems to indicate that children of SMC's do quite well. Unfortunately, the literature indicates the children that have the most problems are in situations where parents stay together/married for the sake of the children. A bit ironic.
I still hope to be in the right relationship. I realize that in my circumstances it's not likely to happen soon. But I guess stranger things have happened. I've certainly had my share of strangeness in the last few years. Fortunately, I haven't worried about it as much, even with the occasional computer interference <A few folks adding extra salt to the pot, without the original cook being fully aware?>. Having little short-term memory causes plenty of problems, but I do appreciate that I have been ruminating less. I can be stressed about something, and poof, it's gone. About the only thing on my mind these days are the ins-and-outs of my job and the perpetual search for red meat!

Another Drive. 10-25-11

On my way to Mom's, I tried to reach my aunt to have a late lunch. Unfortunately, her phone was off. So, I got some Chipotle, did a quick trip to Home Depot, and then stopped by Aunt D's. She was bummed that she missed out on lunch. We had a nice, quick visit, and I picked up a baby rocker that I left last time. With that, I headed on to Mom's and got Winnie situated. With all of the construction, I was running a little late, but so was S with the crazy bridge situation. I'll blame Mitch; she'll blame Barack ;) So, she, her husband, and I headed out to the Vietnamese restaurant. Her husband always orders the best stuff. I had a yummy noodle soup. It was nice to have a visit to catch up. I think S would make the best mom.
The next morning, I attempted my first German potato salad, which was not Mom's favorite, but I kept catching her sneaking bites of it. And when we started filling our plates at the reunion, it didn't stand a chance! The K family enjoys big meals and telling even bigger stories. It's so good to have a chance to have a time each year that we can all relax and enjoy each other's company. And I'm always happy to have a little extra time to spend with a cousin that I really haven't had a chance to get to know very well. For the most part, my family is so excited about my little Boop. There were only a few awkward moments. A friend of the family that I hadn't seen in many years asked me who the father was... I was a bit flabbergasted; it's one of those moments when you can hear the needle rip across the album. I'm going to have to do better in the future for Boop's sake. Other than a few bits of awkwardness, we had a beautiful fall day, catching up, and watching the coal and gravel barges meander up the river.
Sunday: homemade country breakfast at great aunt D's. I went by to pick up my great aunt A for breakfast, and Mom took over my milk so I could get special gravy and biscuits. I'm pretty spoiled that way :) I pretty much had to eat and run. At 89 years old, great aunt D made breakfast for over 50 people. She cooked all morning! And then I took the northern route back to my house. Big mistake. It should only be about a half hour longer (7.5 hours), but there was so much construction that it added more than an extra hour. I did manage to go to hit some of my fave groceries near my old house and to stock up on whole wheat cous cous and Asian noodles. I also got a bit of Turkish for lunch: eggplant and ground lamb :) I was pretty exhausted when I got home (9 hrs on the road). Fortunately, I'll have time to chill this weekend...

Taking Stock at Week 27. 10-24-11

Here's what happening at Week 27:

• Wow, it was a long day getting home yesterday. Started later due to country breakfast at great Aunt D's and trying to get the crib in the car. Then, I took the northern route, which should be about a half hour longer as I wanted to stop at my old stomping ground and stock up at my fave groceries (whole wheat cous cous and lots of noodles at the Asian grocery!). My pit stops only added about an hour (the car was getting a bit warm for Winnie), but then the traffic jams added another hour. I won't be trying that again for a long time...
• I'm so close to month 7. All of Boop's parts should be in place. I'm just gaining weight. Yay-rah... Good for her. Not so good for me. I go to reach for something, and then I remember there's a big bump :)
• One of the pregnancy websites recommends starting to think about post-partum family planning (i.e., birth control). I couldn't help but get a little laugh out of that one! Another notes that swelling may be starting now. I seem to be doing okay, but I'm trying to get prepared for it in the coming months.

Speedbumps and Hooks. 10-20-11

What will I remember most about living here? Speedbumps and Hooks. I had the new rim put on my car, and the car was driving pretty well. Then, I hit a speedbump, and the car is out of kilter again. I picked my car because it had such a smooth ride, but you wouldn't know that now. This town is just chock-full of speedbumps (and potholes, hence the need for a new rim). The infrastructure of the town is really quite poor. So, the solution: build more speedbumps and build them even higher. I guess that slows down some of the college students... I guess. I find them rather problematic.
And then the Hooks. That is my name for the former owners of this house. They passed away, their daughter lived out of town, and she sold it. It has really been a BIG project. At least I knew what I was getting into. I just didn't realize the challenges of finding folks to work on the place; so I've resorted to students, who have plugged along pretty well. And so the Hooks. Apparently, "Mr. Hook" was paralyzed after falling down the basement stairs (I have since had the stairs redone), and "Mrs. Hook" passed after having had some sort of dementia for a while.

On the bathroom door...

I have discovered many interesting quirks about the house, but perhaps the most, er, exotic is that they put tiny hooks everywhere (and shelves, they apparently also were obsessed with shelves). I can't tell you how many little hooks we found in the kitchen during the remodel. The front porch is covered with these tiny little brown hooks. And then, the upstairs bathroom, which I'm remodeling. I just closed the bathroom door to discover there are 4 hooks on the back of the bathroom door. I just keep finding those little hooks.

On the wall beside the bathroom door...

I guess there are much worse things to find when you're remodeling, but I would have rather it been something much better, like money :)

Bath. 10-19-11

I really need a bath, a nice warm bath. I've been imagining it for a few months now. I haven't had a bath in a good 6 months. Some states have laws, like KY I think, that say you have to have at least 1 or 2 baths a year, whether you need it not. Well, I did have showers, which I suppose is in the spirit of a bath, but just doesn't feel the same.
Last night, I had 2 helpers over while I was gone to massage therapy. They finished painting the little hall upstairs, did some touch up painting around the bathroom, and cleaned everything up. The floor was so nice and clean, all of the fixtures and even the tub. The tub hadn't been cleaned since I moved in, well actually long before I moved in, I'm sure, and there had been wood floor sanding dust and drywall dust all over the bathroom and hall walls. Clean and freshly painted, it looked like a different place.
I was so excited this morning. I took my big fluffy purple towels and soaps and shampoo upstairs, threw my new cotton rug on the floor, got my new soap dispenser out of the box and filled it with liquid soap... I was so ready. I saw a dirty spot on the tub that my helpers must have missed and sprayed some cleaner on it. Then, I turned on the bath faucet. Nothing came out! Moan, groan... So, I hoped that the valves had been turned off at the access panel in the hall. I went over to it. Painted shut. I couldn't get the door open, but I did manage to accidently pull off some the trim. So, my bath will wait a few more days, I guess.

Next Stop. 10-19-11

I managed to get to R's by 4pm, and after getting some adorable outfits from R for Boop ("My mom rocks!"), joined her and J for a Cemetery Walk nearby. It was a family burial plot from the 1800's narrated by folks playing the role of different family members buried there. Unfortunately, there was a fair bit of standing in one place, and I could feel my blood pressure dropping. So, I just plopped down amidst the sawdust path and sat Indian style until the next stop on our tour. One woman was very apologetic to tell me the story of how she died in childbirth and tried to soften her story as much as possible, adding that times were so much different then. If she only knew some of the things I saw in genetic counseling!

Okay, so maybe a little ironic, especially at this point in my pregnancy...

Afterwards, R and J got changed (I was still sporting my sawdust pants), and we all headed out for the Irish pub. I'm sensitive to vegetarian friends, but not nearly enough to not eat meat ;) I had a nice Irish stew with something I figured was parsnips? We were running behind, the concert started at 8pm, and so we made our way to pick up Z. I asked her to bring out M to give her a toy, which she received with a big grin. With that, we got to the concert a few minutes before 8pm, and me, of course, with a very full bladder. Finally, I gave in and ran to the bathroom in the Mexican place next door.
About 9pm (10pm my time), we got into the concert--not sure why they started so late (R's ticket said 7pm). I wound up having to sit down during the bulk of the concert, and I gave up on leaning my back against the stage due to the vibrations, which Boop didn't like. In retrospect, the sound was probably too loud for Boop, and I shouldn't have been so close to the stage. More mother's guilt :( Fortunately, the guy from NY didn't appear. And other than the volume, the concert proceeded well enough, folks were in good form, nothing too crazy, except maybe one large, exhausted pregnant woman who was trying to figure out what was going on. I wasn't much good for anything else after that and pretty much went straight to R's house to bed. The next morning, dreading the 9 hour drive back home, I was definitely feeling the trip was a bit too ambitious.

Chinese Dumplings. 10-17-11

I was really looking forward to the drive to see the Autumn color. Unfortunately, we're just not having a very pretty fall this year. Otherwise, the trip down to my aunt D's wasn't too bad, and I knew Winnie would enjoy it. I had a nice visit with my mom and 2 of my aunts and headed out to N'ville the next morning. As it turned out, I went over to Z's for lunch to visit with her and her family. Little M is getting so big. Her husband slaved away at the stove making homemade Chinese dumplings <YUM, he's a very good cook!>, while Z and I visited. Z kept telling M that I was pregnant with a baby, and of all times for Boop not to kick, it would be the time when we are trying to convey some excitement about pregnancy in a way that a 3 year old could understand. Z was also telling me about her experiences with gestational diabetes.
M speaks primarily Chinese like her parents; so imagine our surprise when M handed me a banana, and I asked her in English, "Do you know what kind of animal eats bananas?" She smiled, was quiet for a minute, and then said with a giggle, "A monkey!" Z said she didn't know where she got that, and that sometimes M will just pop in English words when speaking to her mother. How lucky M is to be learning Chinese and English at such an early age! During my trip to China, I could not get the vowels, and so the language was lost on me.

When Boop gets a little bigger, we'll put all of the stickers and wheels on :)

Z decided that she didn't want to go to the Cemetary Walk by R's; so I started to get ready to head out. Z found a few things for me that M had outgrown, a booster seat/high chair and a rainforest mobile for Boop's crib. M was a little confused about what was going on, and I felt bad that I hadn't yet had time to pick up a little something for her. And as if the chair and mobile weren't enough, they produced a large box with a giraffe with wheels that toddler Boop could ride on that they just got before I arrived. So, my car was full as I headed out to see R :).

Taking Stock at Week 26. 10-17-11

Here's what's happening at Week 26:

• I had no idea how exhausted traveling would make me. Although I'm glad I got to visit and go the concert, the trip from N'ville just about did me in. I'm re-evaluating future driving plans, particularly if they involve going all of the way to L'ville.
• More cute baby stuff! I managed to unload all of the great things I brought back from my trip from Z, L, and Mom from the car and found an additional package on my doorstep from F. Included in the box were Boop's 1st new shoes, and this is how a love affair with shoes begins! Goodness gracious, I'm lucky to have such generous and thoughtful friends! 



In my mind, I'm hearing the the theme song from "My 3 Sons."

• Still having trouble with thrush and with my tummy. Sleep continues to be a problem, but I'm managing to get my rear out of bed and to work. Still lots to do on the house. A few leg cramps these last couple of days, but hopefully, that's just a result of my body being out of whack from travel.
• The pregnancy websites for Week 26 noted that the baby may be "pedaling"--walking against the uterine walls, and come to think of it, I did notice something like that earlier today. And also, abdominal pain. I was really feeling it this weekend. Hopefully, resting will help. Sometimes, I wonder how I'm keeping Boop in there and have this fear that she's just going to plop out at some random moment.
• Someone told me my face was fatter :( I guess it's better than not being able to eat with the hyperemesis gravidarum. I did read something about pre-eclampsia being associated with puffy face, but I believe pre-eclampsia is more sudden in onset. My blood pressure always runs low, anyway. Probably just the weight.

Hearing. 10-13-11

People tell me things, LOTS of things. Things that make me very angry about other people and circumstances. I'm not sure why they talk to me. I try to keep my mouth shut. And I don't know that many people to tell, anyway. It's frustrating to see people stuck. Many times, I don't know what to say, especially these days, as I'm having some challenges of my own. Earlier today, a colleague came a'knocking on my door. Another tough situation. I just looked at her and said, "I wish I knew what to say here, but I just don't know how to help you. I have the same kinds of problems, and I can't figure out what to do myself." I'm not a clinical psychologist, but I play one at work... I make it VERY clear that I am not, though.
And so I think of my Boop. Will I be flummoxed when she is having trouble? Social rejection, teasing, and bullies, will I be able to say the right things? I definitely feel more comfortable with little girl problems, but as she gets older, it will be more challenging. I certainly wasn't able to manage some situations as well as I would have liked when I was younger. And even now, I'm not having quiet nights. I guess, if there's nothing else I can do, I can at least offer her my ear and let her know I care.

Quiet. 10-12-11

My first quiet evening at home in a while. Unscheduled. I did enough running at work today. Fortunately, yoga was cancelled tonight, and one of the students wasn't able to help me at the house. No study interviews or interventions. No other evening work-related activities (at least until tomorrow evening). I need to sit down and list all of my must-do's, but part of me just wants to veg out and watch TV and not feel guilty. I didn't get much sleep. I went to bed upstairs, but I could smell the fresh paint in the hall, in spite of all of the open windows. So, I decided it was better to sleep downstairs on the couch. My hips kept hurting, and I had to keep flipping from one end of the couch to the other, to keep from sleeping on my back. Fortunately, I was somewhat functional today. And I was up and out bright and early to get my tire mounted, successfully, and for an astounding $11. And I didn't have to buy another tire. They thought my old tire was still in reasonable shape.
I was just taking a bit of time to look through the stats for the site. Amazingly enough, my little blog about my Boop has had nearly 1,100 hits. And they aren't just me and my mom. And though Boop has excellent aim, she can't quite kick hard enough to reach my computer to visit the site herself, yet. It looks like folks are coming from a lot of different countries. Unfortunately, the stats only list the most common countries up to 10. Apparently, I have visitors from Latvia (assuming the blog can track them properly). Can Boop and I come to visit you? Well, no matter what led you to this blog, I appreciate your company! And thank goodness I didn't have to clean the house before you came over ;)

Busy Body. 10-11-11

On Saturday, I checked my tongue only to find it white with blisters. Fortunately, the midwives (2) responded to my phone call on game day Saturday, and they told me acidophilus was good to take and started to give me a script for diflucan. I asked about nyastatin mouthwash, and they wrote a script. Come to find out, the mouthwash was supposed to be swallowed and is also Pregnancy class C like diflucan. I wasn't feeling very good about taking it; so I opted to mega dose yogurt and acidophilus. Yesterday morning, I made a trip to the Urgent Care, and they confirmed that they also thought it was thrush. I wish that it were just a response to the antibiotics that I had been taking, but I'm feeling more squarely in gestational diabetes land every day.
Last night, I started looking up information on fetal activity. And we've got LOTS of that. I can just watch her by looking at my tummy. She can kick my tummy out about an inch or so... With all the pregnant women I've seen, I've never seen anything like it. I read a summary that said fetal activity was associated with greater activity at up to 1 year. Hm. Yes, Boop could be a handful. Even though the summary was on a university website, it didn't look official, and I wanted to see primary articles. This morning I hopped on Pub Med. One of the first things I read was a study out of Israel that found greater fetal activity was associated with higher likelihood of maternal gestational diabetes :( And Boop is big. I just attributed that to inaccurate dating: by my estimation, Boop should be nearly 2 weeks further along than estimated by LMP.
Fortunately, I haven't had much taste for sweets, but I will definitely miss breads, cereals, and white potatoes. And I don't need one more restriction after lactose intollerance and food allergies. My general practitioner joked at my last visit in August that I was getting every pregnancy complication possible... And now gestational diabetes looks like a good possibility... I hope I'm wrong!

Taking Stock at Week 25. 10-11-11

<I'm really far behind!> Here is what is happening this week:

• Acidophilus pills, yogurt, kefir, cranberries, prunes, repeat. Acidophilus pills, yogurt, kefir, cranberries, prunes, repeat. If only I consume enough, I keep thinking I'll get back on track, but I'm still out of whack. Why should pregnancy be any different than my life before pregnancy??
• Overbooked and overstimulated. I get up in the morning and look at my schedule and groan. Too early of a start, too much to do, too long a day, and I'm still not making much headway. All the things I need to do for my Boop, but I'm not quite there, yet. I was able to get back to the daycare today to confirm my interest in having Boop there. At least she would be close to work so that I could run over there at lunch and nurse.
• Ugh this economy. Forcing us into situations that we didn't think we would be in. I just keep hoping things will improve.

Coordination. 10-9-11

I've been waivering about making a trip south <Wow, Boop is really busy. She must be tasting the scrambled eggs and onions and salsa I just had for breakfast. I bet she is not enjoying it like I did!>, and I finally bit the bullet to get in touch with folks and get myself sorted out. I figured out that the tire rim I called about a few weeks ago will probably fit my car. So, hopefully, I can manage to get my tires taken care of soon.
Fortunately, my friends will be around. Maybe my aunt will be too. I hope to get a lot of good friend visiting time in. One of my friends is feeling the pinch of the tough grant situation, like I am. It sure makes life more difficult. We can only keep plugging along, evaluating our options, and hoping that the economy will improve. I'm just glad that we'll have some time to visit for the time being. Hopefully, the concert will go alright, too. I wish I still didn't care. Oh well, if not, I've got my Boop and my posse :) And Boop can throw some mean jabs, trust me! I'm curious to see how she responds to rock music...

Out of Balance. 10-8-11

I woke up about 2:30am. Boop was moving, and I had that awful taste in my mouth. I came downstairs and had a bit of soyogurt and went back to sleep. At 5:30am, I got more soyogurt, more water. I can't get enough water. At 7:30am, I was out to get some stuff for the house during a grand opening sale at a local store and also a few things to make a huevos rancheros recipe that I saw on one of the pregnancy sites. Thanks to a very slow Internet connection for the recipe, I didn't eat breakfast until 9:30am.
I finally had a good look at my tongue in the light. Blisters. Thrush? This must be the reason for the metallic taste in my mouth. I made a call to the midwives. Not many good options to treat thrush for pregnant women. Looking up info online, I had seen that there was a mouth rinse. Apparently, it's what they use to treat infants. That was a bit more reasuring. The bigger issue in my mind: gestational diabetes. Hopefully, I've just gotten out of balance from taking antibiotics last week, rather than having gestational diabetes. Having to watch what I eat and check my blood sugar will be no party, but I can manage. What concerns me more is that gestational diabetes increases my risk for full-blown diabetes later in life and also would increase Boop's risk for diabetes... Right now, I just need to focus on getting and keeping healthy during the pregnancy. So, I'm laying low on the sugar until I have my blood glucose test in a few weeks.

Trip. 10-6-11

I need to make a decision about visiting friends next weekend. My aunt D, mom's sister, has already agreed to take care of Winnie, Winnie's second dog momma. I need to talk to friends to make sure they will be around; one had invited me to visit a few months ago. Hopefully, I'll also have time to take my aunt M out for lunch, if I get to go. She's been working hard on a baby shower for me. I still need to get my tires sorted out. Hopefully, I can find a rim this weekend in PA.
I guess the toughest decision is whether or not to go to a concert. Part of me knows that this may be my last concert for a while, but it will be a little tricky with being pregnant. I will also no doubt run into someone at the concert. I have no idea of how that will go. I just want to be able to relax for a change. Being on edge is tough, and little Boop doesn't need the stress. It's tough to feel like every move I make is being scrutinized and negatively evaluated so publicly, especially when I'm a private person and went out of my way to be supportive. Some day I'll learn that no good deed goes unpunished...

Daycare. 10-6-11

My second day of healthy me. I had massage therapy at lunch. The therapist was nice enough, and I did okay with it. I'm just a bit sore through my shoulders right now. The added stress on the lower back isn't helping. Then, I took my first daycare tour. There is a chance I might get in there. I felt very comfortable with the staff, but the facilities were a bit cramped and older. One good thing is that it is fairly close to work; so I could run over there and nurse during the day. Afterwards, I wasn't exactly sure when my next meeting was; so I drove to the building and paid for parking, only to find the meeting was an hour later. So, I took the opportunity to run to the local hardware store in prep for the electrical guy tonight.
I got back to the parking lot and sat there for a little while as I was early. And then, as I was sitting there, it hit me. I'm going to have to leave my baby with strangers. It just felt so wrong. I've been pretty exhausted, and I just couldn't keep from crying. I'm already missing my little Boop, and she's not even born, yet! Just the thought of her not being with me made me sad, as hard as I've fought for her. And so I pulled myself together and went on to my meeting, a good distraction. And then my helper and the electrical guy. My helper was right on track, but the electrical guy just didn't seem to be able to get anything done. It was getting a bit too expensive; so I'm going to have to find a new electrical person. I so wanted to get the upstairs done by this weekend and get the light in the nursery. Hopefully, I'll find someone in the next week or so.

Y-oh-ga! 10-5-11

I'm making a serious effort to get into pregnancy mode. I don't have a lot of energy, but I'm trying to meet other mom's and do good baby things. One of the things I asked the midwife about was getting exercise. I could really feel that my energy level was lower than it should be, and I felt like my rump was expanding faster than my bump. The midwife suggested yoga. It's been a while since I've been in a proper yoga class. I did a fair bit in grad school, and then I did some different types of meditation, including yoga, while in my first post-doc. Before I got pregnant, I mostly resorted to Wii.
It seemed like the only place in town for true pregnancy yoga was actually just up the road from me. The main classes were on Monday evenings or Thursday during the day. I'm trying not to leave too much during the day, and on Monday evenings, I'm cramming to prepare for my class on Tuesday. So, I opted to try for the Pregnancy Vinyasa Yoga. Hm. It was pretty intense for a pregnant woman with arthritis and who hadn't taken a proper yoga class in some time. Tree pose was a joke. My balance is so far off. I did manage to do a proper tree pose on the other leg. I'm not sure I can manage something this intense at this point. There were 3 pregnant ladies tonight including me, and it turns out, I was the farthest along. So I guess I kept up pretty well, considering. At least maybe I can go to the preggie social on Monday.

Very Metal. 10-5-11

Very Metal, the taste in my mouth. I just try to eat to get rid of the taste, and my rump and my bump are a testament. You know you're out of kilter when you can relate a bit too much to the Young Ones. Vivian's 'Very Metal' jacket reminded me. In particular, I'm thinking about the episode where Vivian was pregnant. Yep, I feel bloated much like poor Vivian, a very scary thought, but there really is a baby Boop in there... I have the ultrasounds to prove it! And then there's the whole issue of naming kids. Vivian took the wise approach to naming his baby, sidestepping the teasing issue, and choosing a name to purposely get his child into fights: Shutup or Pissoff, I believe. And then there was the problem of how to care for the child, "Vivian's baby will be born a Pauper!" and they had to borrow cups of sugar just for heat. I'm doing a bit better, but there is so much up in the air.
There was a different episode where Vivian borrowed Rik's roll-on deodorant for his smelly guinea pig. Yep, poor Winnie needs a bath, but I dread having to do it. She's so much happier to be dirty and stinky, and well, I'm much happier not to be kicked in the gut. Roll-on deodorant is clearly not an optimal choice, but I understand the sentiment. And then there are concerns about the environment, so eloquently addressed by Rik, "Pollution, are you coming to my town, or am I coming to yours?." Of course, I am concerned about the quality of air and water for my little Boop, living only a few miles from a mountain top removal project. I know the worries are just beginning, but the less my life feels like a Young Ones episode, the better off I am.

Taking Stock at Week 24. 10-3-11

Skinnier me, 9-28-11

Here is what is going on Week 24:

• Woo-hoo 6 months pregnant! We're in the home stretch. Boop should be about 2 lbs this week. She's getting to be such a big girl. I've read that babies start gaining about 6 oz per week. It's so hard to believe. If all goes well, in 3 months, my life will change dramatically.
• I'm definitely moving slower. Getting up in the mornings, my joints feel like so many squeeky doors, popping and cracking. I took a nap on the couch on Saturday morning after a terrible Friday afternoon and restless night. I thought I was positioned properly. Just as I was drifting off, Boop was going a little crazy in there. I woke up, and my legs were numb. I must have been laying on the key artery. I just hope Boop got enough blood and oxygen, but I wonder if she was trying to tell me... Mother's guilt :(
• I'm slowly pulling together the 'nursery'. Mom found a crib for me that is practically new. It will be nice to get some of the stuff here... or even see it. Mom said I need to rent a truck to get it all home, especially the crib. Hm. Might have been cheaper to just order one from the Internet, definitely easier. Ah well, it's good to know that it is taken care of.
• Dizzy. My head feels like it could float off. Much more pleasant than vasovagal syncope, but just as dangerous.

Country Breakfast. 10-4-11

They celebrated my great Aunt D's birthday this past weekend. She turned 89 years old! Aunt D has been so good to us. Aunt D married my Paw-Paw's brother, Uncle D. They were quite a pair. My Uncle D struggled with rheumatoid arthritis and the accompanying cardiovascular disease most of his life, but he took extra special care of the little ones and his garden--and in my case, both: he taught me to work in the garden. He would brag on me at age 5 because of my good eyes. I could find things, like the edge of the Scotch tape, and I knew the difference between the weeds and the veggies. He was happy to see me head out in the garden at my cousin's with a hoe and piddle around.
Aunt D had to work during the day; so we would go through our routine. I would help Uncle D to make the bed, we would each take one side, and then we would sit in the kitchen and figure out our plan for the day. Mom left me with a can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup, and Uncle D would bring it to a hard boil so it would form a skin. The skin had a high YUCK factor for me at age 5, but Uncle D was from the days of botulism. Afterwards, either he would have company, we would work on some project around the house, or we would head out in his orange Ford truck with the camper on the back for an adventure. I wish my little Boop could have known Uncle D, he died not too far from Dad and Paw-Paw, but I'm so happy that my Aunt D is thriving.
A couple years ago, Aunt D explained an interaction with my dad's mother, M, when my Dad was little. Aunt D was taking her kids to see her mother out of town. My Grandma M said, "Well, aren't you going to take <my dad>, too?" With that my aunt D said yes, and from then on, she took my dad everywhere that her kids went. My grandma M was different, to say the least, but we are so lucky to have an Aunt D. I wish everyone could have an Aunt D. She still works stocking shelves at the Dollar Store at age 89, and there are simply no comparisons to her dumplin's, biscuits (she measures ingredients by texture of the dough), and gravy. Last year, she made country breakfast for about 60 folks, I think was the final tally, and she didn't stop to take a bite until everyone had eaten. I hope Boop gets to have a slumber party at Aunt D's like I did when I was little and make homemade cookies, but I hear she has long since retired of making Barbie clothes :)

Busy Weekend. 10-4-11

Sunday wasn't enough. I figured that I would recouperate on Sunday, but it wasn't enough. I had a helper for the past few days, but on Saturday, we were both buckling down to get things done. She started at 9am, and I couldn't keep up with her. I had to keep taking breaks. She only stopped for lunch. If she hadn't been here, I don't know what I would have done. She ended up leaving when the game started, about 3:30pm. Most of the bathroom is painted, thank goodness. I'm just trying to get the electrical sorted out.
I was having folks over for dinner at 5:30pm, and I hadn't even been to the grocery when my helper left at 3:30pm. So, I made a mad dash for Krogers, and we started eating by 6ish. I'm glad they were patient with me. The pasta salad was still a bit warm, and we had a bit of trouble figuring out the panini maker. My panini was good, but it might have just been the fact that I had beef, which always seems to hit the spot these days :) By 10pm, sitting on the couch with the fireplace going, I was fighting to keep my eyes open, and they caught me. So my company left. I figured I'd recover on Sunday, but I was still pretty antsy. I wound up starting to clean up the kitchen and trying to get rid of papers that were in the nursery and shreded bags and bags of paper. I still have plenty to go! Hopefully, we'll get things cleared out of the nursery this week and get the upstairs bathroom finished.

Visceral. 10-1-11

"September of '75, I was 47 inches high. My mom said by Christmas I would have, a bad a** GI Joe, for your little minds to blow! I still got beat up after class." Go get'em Ben! It's 3am. I gave up on sleep after laying there a couple of hours. I'm too keyed up, and all of the pregnancy hormones are just agitating me more. No chill pills during pregnancy. Normally, I could channel that energy into doing more work, but it doesn't seem like a good idea... and to what effect? I was up until 11pm working on a last minute report, and I really need to rest. Some days I feel like Toto in the Wizard of Oz; I can see behind the curtain but can't really explain it to anyone. I just have to wait for others to catch on. I realize they probably won't. The more I bark or growl; the more I'll get scolded.
This isn't good for Boop who is agitated, too. But, she kicks a lot, no matter how I'm feeling. They've done studies to look at mother-child interactions, and they have shown that a child can see through a mother trying to pretend something is okay when it really isn't. It's visceral. Hm, so how do I protect Boop from myself? I want pancakes. It's only 3:30am, and I came downstairs and started the fireplace for the chill. I have the attention span of a gnat, but unfortunately I'm not able to distract myself from some issues.

I Know. 9-25-11

I know how to spend money. Mom and I have been doing some hard core shopping this weekend. We've been back and forth about stuff we've seen on craigslist. Yesterday, I ordered a tall book shelf for my living room from Target, and it should arrive this week. I also ordered base trim for my living room and kitchen from Lowe's to pick up. My goal is to get the kitchen, living room, upstairs bath and nursery all done before the baby gets here. This morning, I went to Krogers, Petco, Sally's, Target, Walmart and Lowe's all before noon. I looked at a lot of baby stuff, especially cribs. While at Target, they had some of the Missoni stuff that people have been going bonkers over. They had a little sweater tunic and leggins for a baby girl. The price ($50) for an outfit Boop might wear 3-4 times seemed a bit too much. It was pretty cute, though.
Mom found a riding lawn mower that she liked on craigslist, but it didn't get good ratings online. After my report, she was ambivalent, and upon hearing the engine run, she decided to pass. That turned out to be a good thing, as she found a better one that was a little bit cheaper. During that time, she also found a crib on craiglist. We had been looking at them for a while, but I've been very hesistant with all of the recalls. The main concern is about the drop side; there was a major crib recall in June. Of course, everything I had seen and asked about so far had a drop side, even amongst folks who claimed that their crib had not been recalled. I had just about given up, as I figured folks wouldn't have had time to finish with them after the recall. I lucked out this weekend: no drop side. Mom found one that had only been used a couple of times. So, Boop has a baby crib :).
Now, we just need to get it here, which will probably happen in mid/late October. I should still be feeling okay by then to get it all put together. So, that's one less thing to worry about. And aside from electrical that should be taken care of on Thursday, my upstairs bathroom only needs a little bit of grout, wood putty, and paint. Fingers crossed, that will be finished this weekend!

Gifts. 9-24-11

All little girls should have a tutu and a princess dress!

On Friday, there was a package waiting for me at my do-or :) I was so glad to get an email from M a few weeks ago after not hearing from her for a while, and I let her know I'm pregnant. She was so happy for me. The last time I had seen my grad school roomie was after a very difficult trip to Brooklyn when she was about 6 months pregnant one November. Her little girl must be nearly 2 years old by now. She managed to deal with me through my crying jags that weekend, and she and her little boy were so good to me. I was glad to have happy news to share with her.
She said she wanted to send me something, and so I was wondering what she had in mind. She had moved recently; so I figured she wouldn't have much left from her little ones. I got a box full of little outfits, adorable little outfits and dresses and even a couple of the swadling wraps that I had been curious about. There was also a little soft-sided baby's book to put photos of people in Boop's family. So sweet! I was telling Mom about all of my goodies, when she chimed in with some of her own.
Her friend's daughter, A, had found more baby things. Mom was so excited about all of the new goodies and was telling me about some of things. Come to find out, L and P, those same friends, had bought scooters for their 2 granddaughters and also bought one for Boop. It took a few minutes for me to process what Mom was saying. Well, Boop will have to be born, walk, and be better than me at balancing before attempting a scooter, but how adorable and over-the-top is that?? Something about it being pink and something about a helmet. I'll have to see this when I go back in October. Oh my little Boop, oh my, my, my... how will you manage not to be totally rotten? :)

Taking Stock at Week 23. 9-26-11

Here is what is happening at Week 23:

• I guess I'm going to be one of those people whose morning sickness never goes completely away. I'm nearly 6 months pregnant and still have mild nausea. The awful taste in my mouth is annoying. At least I'm keeping my food down, and my angular chelitis is much better. I just hope the nausea goes away upon Boops arrival.
• My hair and nails are growing like crazy. Growing toenails seems like a cruel joke of nature: to make something that requires so much attention on the other side of a big hill. And I'm getting to be a big girl; I've almost gained 20 lbs... It's getting harder and harder to reach my feet!
• At week 23, they say that you could have a linea nigra--that little line under the belly button. Not yet. No red palms, yet. My belly is a little itchy but mostly just big! And I don't quite have that ravenous hunger, but it does feel better to eat. And then, there was a note about pregnancy forgetfulness this week. Sorry, but that ship has already sailed.
• Not sure if I'm just noticing Boop less, or if she is mellowing out. I haven't been feeling her move as much. Of course, I've also been more active.