I gave myself a new handbag for Christmas last year, after fighting my mother to take it home when we both locked eyes on it in the store. I did find a pretty alternative for her, but I could tell that Mum was pissed. It doesn’t have shoulder straps, just one small strap that I do occasionally throw over my shoulder because that’s how I roll.
Anyhoo, I have my emergency supplies in the pockets and I did manage to drastically reduce the number of things I NEED, so, in theory, the only things in the main section of my bag should be my wallet, a notebook and some hankerchiefs. But cue the motherhood dealio, and of course I have a bunch of other shit crammed in there, too.

There were about 6 cheese stick wrappers,  900 old receipts,  some dirty paper napkins, a few token business cards, a full-sized invoice and some store promo discount cards. In the back of the door storage is jammed 3 (clean) pairs of widdle boy underpants, 3 mesh produce shopping bags, a few (dirty) socks, a pair of gloves and a washable sandwich wrapper. My bag feels so light now! I LOVE having a grown up handbag that is empty of underpants and hot wheels, but I know that straight after my grown up appointment today, all that shit will be straight back inside,  and in another day or two, there will be just as much paper rubbish in there, too. Perhaps if I am very lucky, the receipts will be for something like wine or spirits, rather than the more mundane items that are within the genetic make up of my mummy purse.

6.5yo is sort of a dynamo at some things. Needless to say, those things are the things he loves. He doesn’t have a fantastic attention span, but neither do I, actually. Anyhoo, getting him to try new things can sometimes be difficult, and I don’t like to bribe *all* the time. For goodness sake, some things should just be fun to try, so stop your whinging. Reading falls into the latter category. 6.5yo is a good reader, but math seems to come naturally to him and reading, to my horror and heartbreak, does not. He will try a little but come up short, perceive a problem and stop trying. He does that with other things, too; Husband thinks it is merely a lack of immediate gratification. After catching 6.5yo at a good time and he reading a book pretty easily, I came to the same conclusion. So I am back to bribing, and so far, it has worked really well. On the flipside, having a tub of choc almonds within easy reach is not ideal for me. But let’s not talk about me.
One night during the week and the following morning, 6.5yo read through the whole set of Bob books, without any problem! I was so proud, and also a little relieved that he responds appropriately to chocolate, the lifeblood running through the veins of our family.
The idea is that he will receive 2 chocolates per new book that he reads, and 1 chocolate for rereading something. Afternoons, he can just eat them, mornings, he can save them up like the junior hoarder that he is. If he gets upset about trying new words or stops trying to sound out words, then gets nothing, and having the chocolates has helped him get over a perceived hurdle, or two.
There is a bunch of little books that he has started on today, and when he gets through them, I think he will have the confidence to try bigger and better things. It is my ardent wish that I will come upon him soon, flashlight in hand, hiding books under his blankets when he should be sleeping. It’s good for one, it’s good for all.

Oh love! Nearly 3yo is sick. There is no temperature, but he does feel hot to me. There is a general malais which has been somewhat alleviated by watching tv. He is well enough tonight to chase his brothers around in some annoying game, though.
Apparently, there is something going around, but isn’t there always. Husband complains of boo-hoo this and wah-wah that, but he is actually fine.
[Mancold codral]
This morning after school drop-off and friend pick-up, nearly 3yo watched Lego Star Wars for too long before I hoiked him off to bed. I managed to convince him to swallow a small spoonful of honey before bed last night and this morning for good measure. He had a great nap that parents everywhere are jealous of.
Post school pick-up and farewelled friend, I tried again with the honey, initially to no avail. Buckwheat honey tastes like shit, and nearly 3yo knows it. Do I force my kids to eat pieces of shit for breakfast? Yes, yes I do, but only when they sound like they have or are getting a chest cold. Anyhoo, this afternoon Mr Croaky declined the honey again and again, regardless of bribes, regardless of threats. He countered with a happy acceptance of going to the doctor’s office for a needle or two because he knows the needles are to make him healthy (touche), so as to avoid eating that shitty honey. Eventually I did bribe him with a teeny tiny nearly 3yo handful of gummies and more tv, but he was running away from me most of the time.
I try not to lie to the boys about things – most things – but I have told little white ones on occasion; I often employ my parents’ tactics of avoiding questions, but I am not below the use of threats as part of my parenting arsenal when I’m scraping the bottom of my patience/time/tiredness barrel. An oft-heard threat during sickness weather is that of having to go to the doctor for needles if you don’t (insert whatever medicine i need them to take). On the other hand, we haven’t used medicine much lately, though it will be a while, I think, before I can convince them to chug some apple cider vinegar more than once.

Pinterest has all the cool ideas, and copying them has occasionally worked for me.
I saw a picture of a sassy little girl in an I Love Lucy-styled kitchen, and knew that my boys would love a kitchen of their own. When we visit our friend’s cafe, the kitchen is often cause for tears because they don’t want to share it. So.

This former entertainment unit has the perfect configuration,  which makes it all much easier for me.
As a hoarder in training, I just happen to have some old electrical switches lying around, plus our old house phone that the boys love playing with.
I traced some black circles on one side if the ‘bench top’ for the stove, then super-glued the switches in between them, and measured where the sink would go. I had just the right bowl to use for a sink, and after cranking up the reciprocating saw this morning and wielding the super glue again, everything is looking pretty good.
Husband cut 2 shelves, and now we just need a door for the fridge. No one has shown any immediate need for a microwave, and that’s ok with me.
I would like to get some hooks to hang up pots and pans, but the kitchen is totes awesome already.

Nailed it.

I don’t like mice; turns out that Husband doesn’t like them either.
I have seen a rat in our old house, but Husband had to fish it’s poisoned carcass from under the dishwasher.
I have heard mice or a mouse, scratching inside the wall of our house shortly after we moved in, and probably only hours after Husband left on a business trip, but Husband found a nest and a few stragglers inside the barbecue.
I was the one who was face to face with a mouse and babies erupting from the woodpile, but Husband is the one who had a mouse run around his feet in the cab of his truck and found a nest in the glove box.
*vomit*
*vomit*
Wtf, mice?
There is no moral to this story, merely a recommendation not to park older vehicles outside near a woodpile.

28 December 2010

My love is 12 days old, he is beautiful and perfect and precious, and is sleeping and feeding like the proverbial. Until recently I thought all was as it should be, but after Christmas his attachment changed to something less than comfortable, so I visited the lactation specialist at our pediatrician’s office.

What a wonder these people are, dedicated solely to pinching your nipples like nobody’s business and poking your baby into a wakeful feeding frenzy. Seriously, this lady was wonderful if only because she gave me a hug and told me it wasn’t my fault. All I can think now is that I worked so hard (as I did with the first two) and it was for little reward, because his weight gain has dropped. So I feed him with a new vigor but he resists as the lactation consultant said he would, and I try again and he fights again, and I wonder if its worth it as im a bit more sore now than what I was before I started the new routine. So I bawl my eyes out and waste all that precious energy and moisture that ought to be used for nursing, not to mention the negativity that probably has an impact on nursing as well. So I am waving a torn envelope with drops of lavender so that I might be calm before the next feeding, which seems to loom sooner after every perceived failure.

But I haven’t failed, ive managed to rest and drink and even eat sometimes (due in full to wonderful husband and his mega efforts to run the house and kids in my mental absence), and feed a teeny baby as often as he needs it, even if he is being lazy when he does need it and not getting it all. I am a human dynamo, I know this at the best of times, but it can be hard to remember at the seeming worst of them.

 

 

Every birth is different for every person, so it must be that every hospital experience is different as well, but its not rocket science.

All that waiting and nothing actually happened; all that impatience and the end was more drawn out than what came before.

I think my water broke the same night I had the fortune cookie, possibly the only one fortune that was ever close to right. But it wasn’t obvious so when we went to the hospital to check, we had to wait for tests to show if there was amniotic fluid present. Eventually the tests said there was, so immediately I was pumped full of iv fluid, and that continued until at least 24 hours after the birth I think. The birth itself was not so great because after a great deal of huffing and puffing, baby had not descended one inch and I was starting to run a temperature and you know what that means…it means everyone gets their knickers in a knot and sterilizes the scalpels. Once I was on the table the bag of waters broke like Niagara, and if that had only happened way back when, then I could have avoided the big slice and dice and the associated pain and confusion that goes with it.

So apart from being cut apart, and having no real chance of a normal delivery if we choose to have more children; apart from not being supposed to drive or move for 6 weeks afterwards, certainly one of the worst things about a caesarean birth is that I was heavier after the birth than before, because of all the aforementioned fluids. Oh, and not being able to eat as soon as I was admitted certainly sucked the big one as well – I was starving when I went in and it was over 12 hours before I ate anything heavier than broth.

Remember the second Harry Potter movie where Lockhart magics away the bones in Harry’s arm? That is what my body looked like from the waist down. My joints vanished beyond recognition, my ankles were as wide as my knees and my knees were almost as wide and shapeless as my formerly not that repulsive thighs, but they were transformed into one shapeless mass. It was as uncomfortable as it was hideous. It has come off, after countless more fluids ingested in the traditional way, it has all been expelled and I now have lovely, shapely and slender ankles, and even calves that resemble toothpicks. I haven’t looked like that in at least 6 months, perhaps even 6 years. At least that is something.

 

 

 

5 January 2011

I have not had any chocolate for what seems an age, when it fact its probably less than a week. Baby had an upset stomach and I read that chocolate and citrus can do that to new babies. Oh woe! I really feel like chocolate now, especially since I had pizza for dinner. Baby has been gaining too little for too long now, even though tomorrow he is only 3 weeks old. After another appointment with another helpful consultant, I am now nursing then giving a bottle then pumping, which is great for him but heart breaking for me. I tried to think about why it is so upsetting, and ive come to the conclusion that its because I cannot just be with him, I cannot just hold him to me and smell him and feed him and have him grow like he ought. I also think that because I was drugged up the first week home (did I not mention taking prescribed narcotics and waking up one morning with the shakes? After that I stopped taking them) this may also be part of the delayed baby blues. Boohoo big time.

But I do think that I’ve picked up some tips from the lactation consultants, even though after nursing 2 monkeys I know about the good latch and the tug and pull and the let down and what not, and I think that today ive had the best feed since we came home, and that is so encouraging, I have to remember that at 2am when he isn’t completely awake and won’t do what he’s told.

 

 

6 March 2011

What an awful time that was! It got worse before it got better and I felt the worst that I possibly have in my life, but it has gotten better. The pain was bad for a while, one and off, before and after feeding and it still wasn’t making any difference in his weight gain. All that pumping and bottling after the feeding didn’t do much either, so I stopped and tried to just feed more often. It was comparable to the pumping and bottling so I was encouraged, but it still wasn’t great. I came to the conclusion that by the end of February, if things weren’t better or getting better then I was going to quit breastfeeding altogether. And after that I felt much better. It was not the conclusion I wanted but after having made the decision, I just felt better.

But I was not through trying. I ended up talking to some friends briefly (but tearily) about how things were going and that helped as well. They were supportive and sympathetic, one of them also recommended a midwife/nursing consultant. The consultant did a house call and we didn’t really solve anything, but she showed me how to feed in a reclining position. I had briefly tried it on my own in the past but couldn’t make it work. So from then on I was lying on the couch, no shirt, just baby and I skin to skin with a blanket for extra coziness. Thankfully husband was not travelling for a bit and it was a day away from the weekend and then both boys would be in school on Monday. So for 4 straight days I was able to lay around with baby, and we haven’t looked back! It was not a realistic long term strategy, laying down all day half naked with my child, but for those few days plus a few weeks with no playdates and very relaxed parenting of the 2 big boys, I was able to feed baby almost every hour (because if I got up he would wake up and think its feeding time), and laying down his attachment didn’t seem to be as big a deal. He was swallowing and it wasn’t painful, so the consultant said not to worry so much. And he put on weight. Not a lot but a lot more than before, and now he is a beefcake! I marvel at his fat little thighs, and his double chin.

We still lay down to nurse, but we are both fully clothed now. We also lay down in bed during the night, so ive fallen asleep almost every night with him in my arms, which is divine but also startling because I worry about him suffocating. I started taking my phone to bed as well so I could surf the web and hopefully keep myself awake until the feeding is finished, but that is not always successful. I don’t want to take a book because the lights would wake both baby and husband. But all in all everyone is happier. Husband is happy I am happy, he is also happy he can travel for work and not worry about me being a hot mess in his absence. i am happy because my baby is putting on weight. Im not sure how much he is putting on because the doctor told me not to come back for a month, but I know he is putting on weight so I can finally just feed him and hold him and be with him and not worry about anything except the snot in his nose that wont go away (thank you big brothers with sticky fingers not kept to yourselves).

Of course, reclined nursing has created another set of problems that I have not yet overcome –  playdates. I cant lay down at the kids club, I could lay down at a friends house, but what about outdoors? I finally took the boys to the park yesterday and baby couldn’t feed properly because the fast let down is too fast when gravity is not working in his favour like it does when we are on the couch. So he is trying to take sips from the firehose and struggling, as you do, and there are 5 dads at the park, and a creepy little girl (so says I because she is wearing pajamas at noon and looks generally dirty) comes and tells me that her creepy dad likes my baby. Hmmmm. I take that to mean he cant take his eyes of my boobs, grrrrrreat. Hasty departure, drive-thru lunch for all and back to the couch.

 

 

6 March 2011

Aside from breastfeeding woes, there were 2 doctors visits for me to take care of. The first was to follow up on the caesarian scar, which turned out fine, and the second was the standard 6 week appointment.

In the scheme of things and compared to some women’s experiences im sure I did extremely well, but this birthing experience for me personally was traumatic, so much so that we are pretty sure we are not going to go for the fourth like we had planned. I mentioned this to the doctor at the 6 week visit when she brought up contraception. The very idea of sex during an horrific breastfeeding nightmare was ridiculous, but generally only 6 weeks after birth is just stupid, in my opinion. Go you if you are getting biz-zay with your husband or significant other so soon, or are even entertaining thoughts that stray from having a shower or going back to bed. I am not going to ask any of friends about this subject, but I did read that on average it takes just 3 weeks for western women to start doing the nasty again after having a baby. Wow; that’s all I have to say about that.

 

 

6 March 2011

During previously mentioned breastfeeding nightmare, there were not many things that made me happy, but apart from the unerring devotion and support from husband, nipple creams were somewhat of a beacon in the dark.

I was lucky enough not to have any real problems feeding my first 2 babies, so I wasn’t really aware of nipple creams except as a money spinner. Everyone knows that breast milk is the best thing for nipples, and that’s it. Of course, that isn’t entirely true, and now, no one knows that better than i. After every feed I would apply one of these creams (read spa treatments for ones nipples), and if everyone was in bed or not at home, I could walk around the house with nothing on but the spa treatment, and breathe a sigh of relief for my poor sad skin. One of them was a thick goop that was initially hard for me to use, the second was a thinner ointment that would glide on easy but not last as long. I love them both, but don’t use them much anymore, thank goodness.

Another money spinning idea, that I have bought into, is a post partum support belt, otherwise known as a girdle. And it doesn’t work. I don’t know if it’s the material its made from or just the shape, but I cant get it to stay on where its supposed to, so im writing it off as a bad joke.

 10 March 10, 2011

I have borrowed a handful of books from the library in order to be a better parent, or to try to be a better parent. In our 3 ringed circus the 2 older rings are somewhat pains in the proverbial. By not listening and ignoring the rules that they know full well, they are obnoxious and rough and generally piss me off when they really try. I know I am absolutely part of the problem; I cannot be down on their level all of the time, sometimes Im feeding the baby and sometimes im trying to do housework (haha) and sometimes I dont want to have much to do with them. So I know that if I ask them to clean up it will work better if I help them, or I tell them to play in the basement so I don’t have to listen to their bullshit they are more likely to be silly down there and make a mess because im not down there playing with them.

So ive got the books to try and give myself some copying strategies and tools for getting them to listen and for me to be calm, or peaceful or whatever. But honestly, if I find the two of them on the dining table pushing the heavy and low-hanging light from side to side, what am I supposed to do but yell and put them both in a time out? If I look in the rear-view mirror and see them both pushing the baby capsule from side to side as much as it will allow (which admittedly is not that much) what I am supposed to do but slam on and scream at them? I don’t want to describe my feelings or ask them what they think the consequences will be when they are doing the wrong thing. Also, my gut instinct with regards to my baby is to be rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and in a big way, but its always been that way. I remember when I was be changing #1’s diaper and pregnant and he might kick me playfully and obviously not realize what he was doing, but I would get angry and defensive of my belly, like some sort of primal cave woman protecting her young. And even though im a 21^st century woman with ideals and intellect, I still get the same feeling when the big boys are being silly or rough too close to the baby.

Anyhoo reading the books is interesting, and gave me some perspective recently when husband was away for 5 consecutive days, and perspective is always nice rather than yelling the house down or time-outing around the clock. But I have my dad’s temper, so its not always easy to take a breath and recall different methods to deal with nonsense; I need my lavender. Nevertheless im on my way to enlightenment, and my husband would say “good for you” in his best typical yank accent. Good for me.

 

 

18 March 18, 2011

My husband is claiming expenses for work. Why does he get to do that and I don’t? Because he travels and gets fuel and frequent flyer points and has to sleep in hotel rooms and eat bad scrambled eggs for breakfast? I don’t know who im going to be claiming from, but I could do with some reimbursement as well.

Work clothes: I definitely need an allowance for work clothes, because they are routinely touched with dirty hands, spewed on, baby drooled on, pulled on, and never washed enough.

Personal injury: c-section scar, enough said

Fuel receipts: there are plenty of useless trips to and from anywhere

Work related expenses: whether they are different cups for the kids, different plates or types of diapers, surely all and sundry fall into this category, and it should be comparable to winning the lottery because they are never-ending

 “work parties”: also known as playdates. I don’t mind bringing things to playdates, actually I feel bad if I don’t bring anything but I think these are deserving of reimbursement as well

sick leave: needs no explanation, not sure where or who the funds or support will come from though

over-time: working late at the office my ass! When sick kids stay home from school that’s over-time! When they fight or generally shit me to tears that’s over-time! I don’t need to mention teething or sick kids at night because that’s obvious! Id also like to add sick dad’s to this category because they never seem able to take care of themselves

maternity leave: a well-deserved break from all of the above for a little bit during pregnancy would be bloody awesome!

 

 

 

18 March 2011

Hey mommy

That’s too many cars! I think that’s enough fresh air! I wanna snaaaaack! I did a poooo! I DID wash my hands! Im starving! I don’t WANNA talk to her! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

hey mooooommy! Mommy he ate some of my sandwich! I don’t want him to touch my things! but I AM using it! But that’s the wrong fork! I don’t want that bowl! Mommy where are you! Where’s daddy! I don’t want him to go to a different office! I want to stay in my pajamas! But they aren’t dirty! But I want to wear them! They are not the right ones! I want my elephant pillow! Where’s my mcqueen slippers! I want his puppy! Don’t touch my baby! Wheres my bag! But I neeeeed it! But it is clean! I don’t want to put them away! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

but its not raining! But I don’t want it to rain! I don’t want to go outside! I wanna ride my bike! You get my helmet for me! You do it! But I don’t like bananas! I don’t want pasta! That’s the wrong bread! I don’t want that drink bottle! Hes eating my snack! I don’t want a time out! But he hurt himself! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

but that’s not how you do it! Get out of the fridge! Mommy said you have to put the books away first! Hes not helping me! But I want to watch tv! I want to see the baby! But I cant see his eyes! I don’t want him to look at me!

Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy

 

 

April 5, 2011

No one likes a screaming baby, but my baby is young and he was not just left in the trolley (cart) to annoy all and sundry. I was carrying him in my everpresent moby wrap, and he was a tired little sausage. My 2.5yo was actually fairly civilized in the trolley (cart), but still people were giving me the look. I looked away from them before I was tempted to tell them to piss off, or worse. His tired cries were not double take worthy, but they did. Screw them! Of course my tired little sausage screwed me by falling asleep as we were cashing out, and he slept for as long as it takes to walk to the car and put the shopping in the back before he woke up and cried all the way home (10 minutes).

He does not like the car, you see, which is a real bother, to say the least. No one likes a screaming bay but 20 minutes each way to pick my 4yo up from preschool can really take its toll on a woman. Add to that the noise inherent in a 20 minute car ride with said 4 and 2.5yo, bloody hell. Its usually fine when driving with husband because he can hold my hand and cajole me that we signed up for this when I proposed to him on the first night we met, but its not so funny ha ha when he’s travelling for work and im doing the 9 to 5 and inbetween on my own. Bloody hell.

19 November, 2010

I am Maaamaaaa and I am ready to burst, fit to pop, fit to be tied.

I am 36 weeks pregnant with my third child and awaiting the inevitable. It may be soon, it may have been sooner if we didn’t have a specialist doctor to help with that: our Neonatologist from OHSU prescribed a progesterone medication suspended in a type of oil, injected directly into my ass – or my thigh if I was ever inclined to inject myself, no thank you! – every week for 20 weeks, starting at week 16. Im positive that it is the sole reason #3 has made it this far.

I didn’t get to hold or room in with our first 2 babies because they were 5 ½ and 7 weeks early, respectively, and breastfeeding didn’t start for up to 2 weeks and under supervision when they were out of their little humidicribs for brief stints. I am mutedly overjoyed at making it this far, and that I will be able to do all of the above in a very short time indeed. Overjoyed because #3 will not have to spend 3 weeks in the NICU, but mutedly because I feel enormous and am also running around (well running is not quite accurate) after 2 monkeys, 3.5 and 2 years old. But really they are very good little boys, and we were actually talking over dinner about being awesome, and how one can simultaneously be awesome and naughty or awesome and a silly billy. Indeed. So im not too muted, but im not actually running around, either.

In any event, I have just been jabbed with my last needle, and need only wait presumably until the medication is out of my system for said system to start the evacuation process of …baby girl or baby boy? Our eldest has gone from one to the other but recently has settled on the baby being a girl, and our youngest tends to repeat whatever is said to him on any given subject, unless as it may or may not relate to the newly reopened kids club, where anything important depends largely on the jumping castle, and how massive his jumps are. As for names, the eldest has his preference and I think he will be quite angry if we go with something different, but again, the youngest just repeats the most recent name suggested. But middle names? Our first 2 have grandparents’ names, remaining grandparents already have namesakes, so we aren’t sure what to choose and have trouble agreeing on this one.

But how does one go from the standard 2 to the big leagues? Many will argue that 3 kids is hardly the big leagues, and others will ask the question how is 2 kids not the big leagues? There is certainly sleep-deprivation for all concerned. But consider, 2 kids = 1 parent each for hugs and being carried around etc, unless strong daddy picks up both for photo shoots and limiting the boohoos. With 3 kids there aren’t enough parents, although there are enough arms, but then do you have to have another to even up the arm equation? And to negate the middle child syndrome? Ive been told that 4 = 2 middle children, go figure. But we are considering 4 because my husband doesn’t want a middle child, and I suppose he is willing to risk two of them. But that madness is for another time.

 

 

 

20 November 2010

When my husband and I met we pretty much fell instantly in love, I actually proposed to him on the first night and he turned me down, boo! After that brief setback we agreed that we wanted a good handful of kids – or a handful of good kids – and we started without delay, and it would have been very easy to stop at one. How can you love anyone more than your own child, even another version of your own child? But of course you can, you don’t run out of love you make more of it, so we made another baby. Of course you can’t just make more room in your house or your car for a third kid, that’s another financial situation entirely. Luckily we have a sizeable house and had the “typical” American car that was really too big for our family already, but roomy enough for #3 plus trunk/junk space. And yes, if you have kids you almost always have junk in your trunk, probably in more ways than one, and if you don’t then go to hell. So we started thinking what it would be like with a third monkey, which is sort of impossible but we tried it anyway. How would things go at the supermarket? Playdates? Out of the house in general? How would we cope on our own if the other is travelling for work or just lying down with a good dose of “leave me alone”? We started thinking about the logistics of travel, to said playdates or via airports, family holidays or errands. We figured we could handle it, but then husband said if three then four, and I acquiesced. So there you have it, the beginnings of the big leagues. Pure naivety, pure madness.

So the bags are packed, both for myself and for the boys to spend time at a friends house while it all goes down, and now im just waiting. Every twitch and twinge makes me wonder if this is it, but I know that if you have to wonder then generally it isn’t it. Next week is Thanksgiving and im tossing up if I want to go anywhere because its dark and will probably be raining (or snowing?) if we do, and perhaps that would be the day. Its only 40 minutes away, but 40 minutes in the car w upset monkeys and inclement weather and contractions? Count me out! An equal priority right now is seeing the new Harry Potter movie before the baby comes, but we plan on Tuesday (today is Friday) so hopefully that should be fine.

 

 

27 November 2010

Today is 37 ½ weeks, oh my goodness!

We made it to Harry Potter, we made it to Thanksgiving, we’ve made it. Im not sure what else there is, because now im just waiting, and feeling like such a hypocrite. The baby capsule is in the car, the crib is all made up and we bought infant diapers today. Im not sure what else there is. I don’t even have anything to occupy my nesting instincts anymore, and that’s saying something! We moved into our house 18 months ago then renovated after that, so things were moved around and boxed and lost and, needless to say, there was quite a lot of rubbish lying around the house. But now there is no more and ive nothing left to do. I even managed to repack my hospital bag with things I will need rather than emergency supplies, which I would have used a few weeks ago and did use for the first 2 births. I ought to be catching up on sleep because Im sure that will be the death of me over the next 6 weeks, but I cant even do that because my body wont co-operate. My eyes are tired but the rest of me won’t shut down, last night I even lay in bed for 2 hours before getting up for a crying #2, and even after that I didn’t go straight to sleep. Grrrrrr. And today, everyone is asleep except me, boo!

Anyway, husband and I were of the opinion that if we made it to Thanksgiving then baby would be born the weekend or early in the week following, so I have to keep waiting. And don’t get me wrong, im not impatient even though that is exactly how I sound, I just don’t know what else to do. I keep expecting something to happen because it hasn’t, this is surely a dream pregnancy (for me anyway) because of the length but also because of the lack of even general or minor complications or even inconveniences, but im twiddling my thumbs. That’s probably why I cant sleep, because im waiting too hard.

 

 

2 December 2010

So here I am, still pregnant! 38 weeks and heartburn from my belly button to my nose and still no baby. Of course its wonderful news, more than we ever could have hoped for, but I am getting somewhat bored, and I realize I am impatient. Which is hypocritical, but normal to want to be done, I think.

I have started to have little pains which could be indicative of something, but perhaps nothing, perhaps that is normal for 38 weeks of pregnancy. I have also been pretty much vomiting into my mouth on a semi-regular basis, and feel like I need to go (go go) to the bathroom, but in the end there is nought. Now that is frustrating, and I expect that is because I have an enormous (average sized) baby lolling about on my colon, but I cant tell the difference until after the fact. And even then all I have to do is stand up and I think I have to go again.

Bored and hypocritical I may be, but husband and I are also excited, we are getting very excited. We still have not reached agreement on names, and I made a point of showing #1 the letters of the names we have on our list because he can recognize his and his brother’s “special letters”, even though he has told everyone in his class that he is getting a baby sister, and he is emphatic on the name that he wants for said sister. We have whittled down the first name list but cant decide on middle names. The first 2 have middle names after their grandfathers, if #3 is a girl she will have the same, but if it’s a boy…I thought of something super cool the other day but forgot it of course, because I didn’t write it down, boo!

Aside from names, I managed to look online for the reflexology points to induce labour. They all recommend not doing it until your due date or past, but for a third baby does that really apply? I asked husband for a rudimentary foot massage last night, but that obviously was to no avail, I think I even had less niggling pains than I did yesterday, hmmm. But since I printed out the “instructions” we will try again after the monkeys are in bed, and see how we go.

***

So I have rethought that approach, and will give myself a few more days. Im sure I would wonder how far baby would have gone if I got a foot massage and it did start from there…

 

 

6 December 2010

We are 39 weeks and watching Top Gear reruns. Waiting is dismal, especially when things started on Saturday (but petered out) and all day every day I think “this is it”.

So yes, Saturday night things were rolling for 2.5 hours but ended in nothing; Sunday night brought the same thing to a lesser extent, but nothing else, boo! At least last night we decided on the boy middle name, so we are decided then and wont have to discuss it between heaves and hoes. Now we just need the baby to actually come out so we know which one to use.

What have I been doing to keep myself occupied for yet another week of heavy pregnancy? I cant imagine, I cant even remember. I really need to check the calendar on my phone to see what ive been doing… I’ve had a few playdates with #2 while #1 is at preschool, and we don’t tend to do much in the afternoons because its too dark and cold after naptimes. Occasionally we have gone bowling, visited the library or scooted to the kids club if we wake up early enough, but otherwise husband and I have been encouraging the monkeys to play in the basement so they aren’t awake until 9pm because they haven’t been active enough after a glorious sleep. Ive also managed to keep up the cooking and cleaning – shock and amazement! Muffins, banana breads, yet more pumpkin soup and every skerrick of laundry has been taken care of. What else can there be? Ive run out of flour, sugar and butter so I cant do any more cooking, and ive almost washed everything in the house, so theres nothing else there either, so…

Ive started a new book, which im not loving but ive read the others in the series and have the following one as well, so I have to struggle through. And that is what I did last night/early early this morning because I couldn’t sleep again. I lay awake for nearly 2 hours before just getting out of bed. I was surprised how well a glass of warm milk worked at making me sleepy, but it didn’t stop me from reading on the couch for nearly an hour. I know what will cure all this energy…

 

 

9 December 2010

At my doctor appointment a few days ago we actually discussed what would happen if I went overdue, oh my goodness! Husband and I never thought the medication would be so effective, but to the point of overdueness? No chance. I still have a week to go until the supposed big day, but another 10 days after that I cannot imagine. That would mean an actual Christmas baby, rather than a baby in the house by the time Christmas rolled around, which is what we meant when we told the monkeys.

Anyhoo, I have managed to keep myself from going insane, at least not quite completely insane. We went and bought our Christmas tree from a family farm over the weekend, and that was really nice. I didn’t think I would be able to because we were assuming we’d have a teeny new addition by then, what naivety! #1 wanted only to watch the Christmas cartoons on the tele in the barn, #2 bawled his little eyes out when one of the “tree boys” helped him into the wagon, and neither of them wanted anything to do with Santa or Mrs Claus, whom we picked up on our wagon ride around the farm. And the wagon was super bumpy, so I was really surprised not to be having a baby in the car on the way back to our house, but obviously my cervix has more fortitude than I give it credit for.

After blowing the tree with the garden vac to discourage any creepy crawlies from coming into our lounge room, we were able to decorate the tree and hang some more tinsel around the room before packing the boys off for naps, but now I am policing the tree when they are not sleeping because things keep getting pulled off “but im just looking at it”.

And now the prospect of those holiday activities is looming because we haven’t had the baby yet. And I was a little sad at the prospect of missing those things, but that was surely balanced by the inevitable tiredness of having a newborn, but now…those feelings are balanced by the impatience of not having a newborn already, and by the thought of having a birthday the day before Christmas!? That does not sound ideal, so, baby, THAT IS A HINT!!