Nothin’

Went to the doctor today. Nothing has happened since last week. Although I knew that before I went, I was at least hoping for another centimeter. Oh well. Plenty of time and plenty of things to do.

This and That

My life has taken a sudden turn for the quieter and I’m very pleased with that. I can honesly say that if I were still at work this week, I do not know what I would do. I am so enjoying the ability to work on MY tasks, then take a rest, then eat a snack, drink some water, then work on what I need to do some more. I think I’d be in the midst of a breakdown at this moment if I was still commuting to work and putting up with shit there.

I had my last baby shower last night. My group of girlfriends from my old job before moving to New York threw it for me at Maggiano’s. Total there are six girls, but one of us moved away to Maryland earlier this year so our gatherings have been just the five remaining Dallas-ites for a while. It was fun, as always to see everyone. I am the second to last in the group to have a baby. My friend Cyndi, who I guess you would say is my probably the friend in that group I’m closest with, is pregnant for the second time. She’ll be the first to have two kids and she’s kind of freaked that they will be less than two years apart. Oh, and everyone else has had girls so if Curtainrod really does end up being a boy, he’ll have his pick of all those older ladies when it’s time for him to start thinking about dating!

Election Day has come and gone again. I don’t really like to write about politics here because I know you don’t read this site for political commentary. But I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear that I am pleased with the overall national picture as far as the control of the House goes, but saddened by 1) the re-election of the Governor Fabulous (Rick Perry - if you want to know why I call him that, do a search and check out that hair of his) here in Texas; 2) the re-election of Satan Senator in a Bouffant Hairdo (Kay Bailey Hutchison) also here in Texas; and 3) the number of states that passed bans on gay marriage. I’m not surprised by any of those three things but that doesn’t mean I am pleased with them either.

I had Curtainrod’s carseat installed today. I know the damn thing comes with installation instructions, but then you hear the scary statistics that something like 85% of infant car seats are installed improperly. I don’t want to be in that 85%. I had searched around looking for a place that would do it and heard that fire stations across the country do installations. Not in Garland, Texas though. Apparently, there have to be certifications to do installs and sadly that doesn’t seem to be a priority of the City of Garland fire department. But someone at City Hall let me know that Rusty Wallis Volkswagen does car seat installations. I called and made an appointment with a very nice man named Craig, who assured me that it was ok that I do not drive a Volkswagen and that no, there really is no charge for it; they do it as a service to the community. I showed up about 15 minutes early today and he started right away. It took about 25 minutes, but when you are dealing with your baby’s car seat, you will wait however long you have to wait. He walked me through some tips for strapping the kid in and a few other safety things - like you should NOT put a towel down under the seat. I had brought a towel with me, but he said that the only thing you should use is something very thin with a no-slip back and that a towel will move around which is why you shouldn’t use them. Anyway, City of Garland? Can’t be bothered to get certified to install car seats. VW dealership? They can. If you live in Dallas and ever need car seat installation or know someone who does, I just can’t say enough good things about the process. We will be in the market to replace my car sometime in the next few months, and while I was already interested in a couple of Volkswagens, you can bet that my first stop will be to Rusty Wallis to look and test drive. That, my friends, is very smart business. I’m sure Jake will have a thing or two to say about this when we take his car in to them for the installation of the extra base in his car.

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and hopefully I’ll hear news of further dilation. I’m not necessarily ready to evict the kid, but it would be nice if I started the labor process already dilated a few centimeters. I really don’t want to have the baby any earlier than the week of Thanksgiving, but I know I have zero control over that. Unless I beg for an induction, which I don’t feel the need to do just yet. Back pain and all, I’m happy to keep the kid inside me for a few more weeks.

So it seems that Britney and K-Fed are divorcing. Big shocker there. I do have to give props to the paparazzi here, though. In general, when they start reporting something, no matter how much the celebs involved deny deny deny, we always find out a few months later that it was true all along. I don’t think what the paparazzi does is admirable in any way, but they’ve certainly got their intelligence together. Maybe some of them should have been recruited by the Bush administration a few years ago. I’m just saying.

Pacing Myself

Still doesn’t feel like I am gainfully unemployed, but it hasn’t even been one whole day yet. I have kept moderately but not crazy busy today.

I woke up a bit before 7. I know, you are thinking I am insane. I mean, nothing to do, nowhere to go-o (I wanna be sedated….) sorry about that brief musical interlude. Anyway, it seems with no clock to punch I would sleep in. But see, when you are used to getting up at 5:15 or so, 7 a.m. feels really fucking good. So I got up, ate breakfast, watched a little bit of Good Morning America then came upstairs to read blogs. So far the only difference between today and a work day is that I didn’t have to shower or drive 30 miles before reading the blogs. Then I put the pot roast on in the crock pot, took a shower, vacuumed my car from a weeks-ago spill of potting soil, and then rested a bit. I forget how easily I tire out now. It’s a bit annoying when you have the gumption to get shit done but have to sit down every 30 minutes or so. I made lunch - see, I’m saving money already - and ate while watching the Martha Stewart show. Talked to Jake’s mom on the phone for a minute and then headed out to meet the pediatrician.

Let me digress from regaling you with tales of my day of domestic godess-ness to tell you how much I loved the pediatrician. He was so nice. I just immediately felt comfortable with him. We talked a lot about breastfeeding because I am seriously becoming obsessed wtih the boobs and how I can make sure I am successful at breastfeeding. He was very reassuring and made me feel so much better. He also told me that all the planning I am doing is good but to remember that the baby needs only three things - to be fed, to be changed, and to be held. All the rest of it is fine but babies are simple and most of that other stuff I am concerning myself with, like curtains and gliders and rugs, is really just for me. The baby doesn’t need any of it. I really appreciated him saying that. So what if my massive to-do list isn’t completed before the baby arrives? I have diapers, I have boobs and I know how to hold a baby. In fact, they’ll probably have to pry the baby out of my arms. I guess I really am ready to go whenever Curtainrod is.

OK, so after the doctor, I went to get my oil changed and car inspected. I hate car errands. Blah. Is there anything more annoying than to spend a bunch of money on your car? But you do what you have to do. I came home and cleaned up the kitchen and now am about to do some laundry. I have lots of baby clothes and blankets to wash, but for some reason, I keep putting that off. Maybe I’ll just be lazy for the rest of today. Or maybe I’ll make some sort of dessert to welcome Jake home from his day trip to San Antonio. You never can tell with me. I’m living on the edge.

Oh, and in case you are wondering why I seem to be blogging so often lately, it’s because I am a wanna be NaBloPoMo participant. I really wanted to sign up and commit to a post a day in November, but I know that it will be next to impossible later in the month. Perhaps next year I can do it. For now, I am an unofficial participant. Well, there’s that, and the fact that I don’t have a J-O-B so I have much more time to think about blog posts. Not saying they are good blog posts, but they are posts.

I Could Feel the Chunks Begin to Rise in my Throat

I have to say that the single most disgusting thing that has happened to me since being pregnant is the waking up in the middle of the night, choking on stomach acid. It’s not gagging. No, no. It would actually be better if I had to bolt out of bed and go throw up. Then at least it would be over quickly. No, this is more disgusting and longer lasting. The stomach acid is actually sitting so high up in my throat that I can taste it. There’s not a lot you can do about it, except stand up, clear your throat a lot (which might lead one to gag I suppose), drink some water, and wait for gravity to do its job. This hasn’t happened in a while since I began to get smart and take T*ms before bed, but it’s now happened to me two nights in a row. Friday night I must have made a lot of noise while trying to remedy the situation, because when I came out of the bathroom, Jake was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, very concerned about me. Last night I was able to get up and start the cleansing process without waking him up. I just took my water to the office and played minesweeper from 2 to 2:45 a.m. while I waited. I might have to rig up some sort of pillow positioning to help me sleep upright for the next two and a half weeks, or go sleep downstairs in the recliner.

Don’t you wish you were me?

37 Weeks

Today Curtain is considered full term. If I were to go into labor now, they wouldn’t be concerned at all or try to stop it. Wow. I can’t believe I’m at this point already. Why do I get the feeling that for the rest of my life, I’ll be saying that where Curtainrod is concerned?

We had a doctor appointment today where they confirmed he is head down (via ultrasound because the ritual fisting could not detect his head since it’s still up so high) and that I am dilated just a hair under 1 cm. It’s not much folks, but it’s something. Now if we could get him to drop, I’d be thrilled. I really don’t want an induction and I certainly don’t want a C-section, if I can avoid either of those. I left in a very good mood, especially after making my next appointment and being able to say, “I can come any time next Thursday - I’ll be done with work tomorrow!”

Except when I got home, I was bleeding. Bright red blood. I’ve had spotting off and on throughout the pregnancy, but never anything that I felt the need to worry about. Just pinkish or light brown and very light. This was not a gusher of a blood flow, so at first I just laid down on the couch and took a little nap and waited to see if it would get better or worse. After a short nap, I was still bleeding, not more but not less either. I called the doctor’s answering service around 6 p.m. The doctor on call (not my doctor) called me back within less than one minute. I told her what was up and she said that I should just lay down and see what happened. She said that if it got worse and the bleeding seemed like a period, or if I felt like the baby wasn’t moving as much, then I should go to the hospital. She asked me how far dilated I was at my appointment today and when I told her, she said, “well, you’re probably 2 cm now.” So that’s reassuring - stuff might be happening.

As I mentioned, tomorrow is my last day at work. I don’t feel like it though. I don’t feel like I won’t be going back to work there ever. I still care. Shouldn’t I be mentally checked out of there by now? Maybe tomorrow I can slack off and really act like a short timer. This could be my last school night for many years. Hot damn!

Jake has to go on two short business trips next week - one on Monday just for the day and the other Tuesday night to Thursday some time. He really is nervous about something happening while he’s gone, but I know it will be fine. If something happens, he is not going to be far enough away that he couldn’t get back quickly so I’m not concerned at all. Plus my parents will be on hyper-alert once they hear that Jake’s out of town. I’ll be very well taken care of.

And that’s all the news that’s fit to blog tonight folks. See you on the flip side, when I am a Stay-at-home-soon-to-be-mom!

A Halloween Scare

Here’s a scary picture for you:

The look on my face is not annoyance at the baby, more of a “What the fuck are you doing in there, kid???” Sometimes I just can’t figure out how he still has any room to move around at all. And yes, I am huge. But my belly button hasn’t popped out yet! It’s absolutely flush with my belly, but it’s not protruding. I am clinging tightly to hope that it won’t.

Have I mentioned, I know I’m huge? They tell me this kid will gain another pound a week, but I just don’t see how it’s possible.

Weekend and Belly Humor

The weekend has seemed to be ripe with people who annoy me and opportunities to annoy them right back. I didn’t take any of the opportunities, but with only four weeks to go and a belly that is only going to get larger, I might have to start.

Saturday at a computer store, some woman (an employee)was smiling goofily at me and called literally across the store, “When is your baby due?” I wanted to look at her blankly and say, “What baby?”

Same store, another employee. “Do you know what you’re having?” This one is my favorite and pretty soon I won’t be able to resist the urge to reply, “I’m hoping for puppies, but my husband really wants kittens.”

Today, we pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store, and parked in the spot right in front of us was an El Camino with two teenagers inside making out like their pants were on fire. Maybe they were. But I really wanted to go knock on the window, point at my belly, and say to them, “Be careful! You don’t want to end up like me! I got knocked up in an El Camino too!”

So far, the weekend has been good. Jake got home late Friday night. He brought me breakfast on Saturday morning, then I worked for a few hours. That afternoon, we gathered up our few baby returns and receipts and gift cards and headed out to run errands. Oh, we stopped to take advantage of early voting on the way. Next stop was Babies R Us for returns and to buy our car seats/stroller. We also found a chair and ottoman for the baby’s room. It has to be special ordered but they assure us it will be in within two weeks. I hope so. It’s our own fault for waiting so long to buy it, but still. We picked up a few other odds and ends as well, like a rectal thermometer with an “over insertion guard.” Now, I’m so glad it has that feature, but don’t you think that should be standard on all rectal thermometers? Why is that even optional?

Then we headed to Target to do the same dance there. I have to tell you, I really hate baby shopping at Target. I only even made a registry there because Babies R Us locations are few and far between, and not convenient to everyone. They just don’t have a lot and what they do have is so hit or miss. I wanted bibs, but all the bibs have stupid sayings on them or are very gender specific. I left with one pack of bibs, which I guess is ok for now, because really, newborns aren’t so drooly. And by the time the drooling starts up in force, we’ll probably be able to tell whether it’s a boy or a girl. God willing. We ran into yet another couple of our birthing class at the customer service desk at Target. We chatted with them for a bit. They were doing the same thing we were - after having showers, they were returning duplicates and buying things they didn’t get as gifts. And of course, it wasn’t until we were in the car on the way home that it hit me, we should have exchanged numbers with them. I mean, it’s another couple having their first baby who live within minutes of us. And the husband is a pilot so the wife is probably alone a lot. I could have just made a SAHM friend. But at the time, I was tired, cranky (because Target on a Saturday afternoon is my least favorite place in the world to be) and hungry and just wanted out. Hopefully we’ll run into them somewhere again soon. They seem very nice.

Today I worked a bit again and then we went to see Flags of Our Fathers. Good movie, but now I’m depressed. I think I need some ice cream now.

And this is my last Sunday night as an employed woman. Next Sunday night, I’ll be sitting on my couch, not having to worry one bit about whether I have something clean and ironed for the next day. And I can stay up as late as I want. Which will probably be around 9 p.m. still, but the point is that I could stay up as late as I want. Let’s hope this week goes by fast, and has limited interaction with asshole employees. You always want to end your HR career on a high note, you know?

Feeling Better, Now With More Nesting

I know my last post was a bit down in the dumps and whiny. Sorry. I do feel much better now. Tuesday night, the Braxton-Hicks contractions stopped around 9 or so and I was able to get a good night’s sleep. And sleep? Makes all the difference in the world to me. (I say I got a good night’s sleep. That means I only woke up the usual four times to pee and/or rearrange my pillow fortress for comfort.)

Jake’s out of town but will be back tomorrow night. The housekeeper is coming today and I have a hair appointment tonight. It’s a busy week. Oh and I have a doctor appointment today, where I will surely have my cervix checked again. Nothing like getting fisted by a woman you don’t even find especially attractive.

I registered us for an infant CPR class finally - I finally found one that wasn’t attached to a twelve-hour course that teaches baby basics such as giving baths and changing diapers. I already know how to do those things, thank you. I just want to know what to do if the kid chokes or stops breathing. We had breastfeeding class last weekend. It was fine. I don’t necessarily feel like I am all set to go, but at least I know how to hold the kid and the lady who taught it was nice. She gave us a list of local lactation consultants to call for help and that makes me feel worlds better.

And I ordered baby monitors yesterday. There are so many out there, and just like a cordless phone, what works well in one person’s house may not work well in another’s house, because of wi-fi, proximity of cell towers, and a lot of other factors. So I figured I’d get a set that had good reviews and we’d test it out. If we have to return a hundred and try new ones, I guess we better get started now.

I am now officially in my tenth month of pregnancy. And I’m learning from comments on my previous entry that you guys don’t think I’ll make it to 40 weeks. Honestly, I’ll be happy as long as The ‘Rod waits until after November 2, when I hit 37 weeks, but ideally, I would like it if he decided to arrive the week of Thanksgiving. I’m selfish and I want some time to rest and pamper myself and do more nesting before he arrives. I know I have no control and will take what I get without complaint. Well, without much complaint.

Whiny

I have finally reached the point that all women who have been pregnant warned me I would reach. I am ready for this part to be over. I know that I don’t really want Curtainrod to be born yet - I’m not at 37 weeks yet. But I am seriously considering having some eviction papers drawn up to serve on him November 2, the day I hit 37 weeks.

I’ve been having some pretty painful Braxton-Hicks contractions, to the point last night I was beginning to worry that maybe they weren’t false labor at all. They didn’t go away, and I am still having them, but they aren’t following any sort of pattern and aren’t getting worse so I’m sure all is fine. But I am so uncomfortable! I can’t climb the damn stairs in my house. I can’t lay down. I can’t sit up. I can’t put on shoes and socks. I can’t remove my terribly chipped toenail polish. I can’t reach to trim my toenails (without great effort and pain - I do it anyway), I’ve lost my appetite, I get heartburn even when I haven’t had a thing to eat or drink, and I can’t sleep. Oh, and none of my shoes fit because of my permanently swollen feet, and they hurt all the time.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! OK, I’m done whining for now.

Shower Up!

I had two baby showers this weekend - one at work on Friday and one with my girlfriends yesterday. I am sufficiently showered with gifts, I must say.

You know, showers are weird. I am not necessarily a shy person who avoids the spotlight. I mean, I am shy around strangers and such, but with my friends and people I love, I am not shy at all. And I can stand in front of a hundred employees and give training classes and orientation and the like. But it still is a bit odd to sit in front of your friends while they watch you open presents.

The work shower was a hurried affair because, well, it was at work. But it was very nice with lots of my friends pitching in to make food and punch and get the room decorated. I got my Boppy pillow (which I am so thankful for!) and a bunch of cute onesies, gowns, sleepers, and blankets. One of my good friends at work had a onesie made that says “Curtainrod” on it - too cute! And another good friend had two bibs made for me - one says “Fantabulous” and the other says “I was surprised. Were you surprised?” If you don’t understand those references, then I must direct you to Eddie Izzard and this particular DVD. Yes, I am fully in support of my child sporting bibs with quotes from an executive transvestite.

Yesterday was just an all around great day. First of all, Sarah drove up from Austin for my shower. I don’t even know how to begin to explain how much that means to me. We met up for lunch on Saturday at Northpark Mall, then headed over to Karin’s house. I had promised her my punch bowl - I knew it would come in handy when I bought it last summer and now it’s been used THREE times - and that I would be there to greet the first guests with her. She did such an amazing job decorating the house - it was all fall-themed with pumpkins and leaves and all kinds of yummy fall scented candles. Not a baby decoration in sight. Now don’t get me wrong, baby decorations are very cute and truth be told, I have always used them, but this shower was just so sophisticated. I loved that the theme was about women, not babies. I don’t know that I’m making sense with that, but in any event it was absolutely perfect. The next big surprise was when my friend K knocked on the door. She also drove up from Austin, but I wasn’t expecting her. Karin had said that she called saying she was going to try to make it, but I didn’t expect that she would - it’s such a long drive! But she came. She drove from Austin to Dallas and back the same day just to be at the shower. I couldn’t believe it. We ate yummy food and chatted and then opened presents.

Many more wonderful gifts of course. Notables were a gift from my dad that made me cry and also made about half the room cry, including my mom, who shouldn’t have been surprised since she brought the dang thing with her. But I opened the card and sat there shocked for a minute to realize that the present was not from my parents, but from just my dad. It was the book I Already Know I Love You by Billy Crystal, about becoming a grandfather, and a very boyish blue sleepy suit with trucks on it. The sleepy suit is my dad’s way of telling me he is sure we are having a boy. He says he knew about my nephew and niece and he’s sure about mine too. We’ll see. Anyway, I’m a certifiable daddy’s girl and it made me bawl.

The other gift that really made quite an impression was from Sarah, who as part of her gift, included a tube of Crest toothpaste. You may remember this entry, about how seeing a tube of toothpaste in the hospital gift shop gave me a strange feeling that this round of IUI was the one that would work, and it did. She promised as soon as she found out I was pregnant that she would make sure I didn’t have to buy $6 toothpaste in the hospital and she was true to her word. I put the toothpaste in my hospital bag right away. The minute I saw it I started laughing and she started laughing, so I had to share the story with the whole room. I’m not sure they thought it was nearly as funny as we did, but who cares?

So last night, Jake and I spent the evening going through all the gifts and sorting out what was for newborns, what was for an older Curtainrod, what we had duplicates of, etc. We thought we were going to have to take back a lot of stuff, but I think we are only taking back two or three things. And we were able to make a list of things we need to buy but didn’t want to buy too early in case we got them as gifts. So now I have a pile of laundry to do and things to fold and find a place to put away.

Oh and did I mention that I finished writing all my thank you notes? I know, I am a machine! Well, my goal was to do the notes from Friday’s shower before I had the other shower on Saturday. I did that pretty easily on Friday night. I was going to give myself more time on the Saturday shower, but last night I was wound up and not in the mood to stare at anything on TV so I sat at the kitchen table - it’s too hard to sit on the couch and write anything on my newly non-existent lap - and wrote them all out. And that is one more task I can mark off my list.

Today it’s off to breast feeding class (Jake is thrilled, I can assure you) and tomorrow he leaves for a business trip. We’re both a bit bummed and he’s made several stern statements to my belly that nothing better happen while he is away. I’m sure that nothing will, but maybe Curtainrod just needs to hear it from his daddy.