Still waiting, still working. Except last Friday - I finally dragged my butt out of bed, took a shower, and then... instead of putting on clothes for work, ended up in a fresh nightgown. I was just so tired, and crampy.
It didn't help that I had two people suggesting I rest, and a bit of a bloody nose. (The latter is something I've experienced only during pregnancy, and seemingly only when I stress my body, usually with not sleeping enough.) So I called in and said I'd try to make it in the afternoon. And then in the afternoon, I called again and said nevermind. Maybe the influence of a woman in our baby CPR class the night before? She asked when I was due, and I said next week - which surprised her. And me. And then she asked if I was still working and was shocked again. But, if Charla's sisters are any indication, my swelling lips are a sign that we will meet Bean very soon.
One thing I finally did this weekend was to print birth announcements (- just the part that can be done now). Which meant, finally, use of the Gocco* that Sam bought for me last year! It was fun and easy to use, and I think the announcements turned out pretty nice. Those of you who have experience with the Gocco, do you save your masters over time, and use them again? The directions give two options of saving and using again in the next day or two, or throwing away. I was going to try to save anyway, but thought I'd ask about success with such.
*If Mariko's brother is to be believed, I should be calling it a Print Gocco, but that extra word makes it a little too awkward for my tastes.
In the past week, I've become more aware of how much we lean forward in carrying out daily activities - sitting at a table, getting into a car, using the toilet.... The reason behind my awareness? My leaning abilities have become severely limited by Bean's mass. Before, my belly was big, but there was some wiggle room - for Bean, and for me. I could still lean, because there were parts of my belly that could relax and collapse a little. But now, the belly is filled to capacity so there is no leaning to be had. Makes daily living a little awkward.
*A reference to While You Were Sleeping, even though that kind of leaning is different from my kind of leaning (or, rather, not leaning).
the consumption of high calorie foods. Bread pudding? French fries? Hot chocolate with whip cream? I haven't yet decided where my craving is directing me.
My window of opportunity for eating these things while blaming it on Bean is steadily closing. Of course, in a few weeks, I'll still be able to blame Bean, since I will be his/her only source of food. But there's something more socially acceptable about a woman snarfing down food when she looks like she her shirt is occupied by a beach ball, rather than a deflated-yet-lumpy air mattress.
less than two to go... until my due date. It's strange - all along, I've assumed that Bean would enter the world sometime after the due date. Yet, every day I wonder if maybe this could be the day that we meet. I guess it's a signal that, as nervous as I am about motherhood and the pain of getting there, my excitement about my new role, and meeting this little one I've been carrying around, is greater.
I've gone through the past few days feeling a bit crampy - something akin to mild menstrual cramps. And Bean's activity has slowed down. Even, last night, after some major fruit consumption, something that usually results in the tarantella. So, I was sure that today's OB visit would indicate some progress on my cervix's part. But, still fully closed. After I commented that I'd been sure something would have changed, my OB did say that it might be thinning a bit. But it doesn't seem like something to write home about. (Yet, apparently, it seems like something to blog about.)
In other close-to-the-end-of-pregnancy news, next Friday's my last day at work until early February. Yay! Only eight more days of work! I'd thought about working until I go into labor, so that I can spend the maximum time possible with Bean (outside of the womb). But I recently decided that it would be easier, physically and mentally, to not work after my due date. If I go into labor early, so be it, but at least there's a goal in sight as far as wrapping up work responsibilities.
As you make your way around town (wherever you live), do you see dogs being pushed in baby strollers? It's not something I see every day, but it's common enough that I now only do a double take, rather than a triple one. I can't help but wonder why people do this.... Maybe they think the two front legs somehow cancel out the two hind legs....
So, country/world-wide trend, or something gaining popularity only here?
After a highly irregular Saturday full of rain*, and a rainy Sunday morning, today is gloriously fall-like. I'm still wearing a t-shirt and sandals, but the air is a bit cooler and crisper, and the sunlight shouts fall. I think the lighting is my favorite part of fall, and, luckily, I can get that here.
*Living here has made me appreciate a grey and rainy day, especially on the weekend: sometimes you want to stay home, or run errands, without the sun beating down on you. And this wasn't the kind of day that fakes you out - starting grey and then turning sunny. It was rainy all the way, and I liked it.
sprint up the stairs at the mall when 38 weeks pregnant. I wasn't trying to freak them out - it just seemed like the least painful way of dealing with the escalator being broken: getting the climb over and done with. My mom and Sam weren't the only ones surprised. I was, too, since I haven't tried to move so fast since March. As I said on Friday, I should wear my girl power shoes more often.
So, I'm back, still intact, not in labor. Walking and carting was a bit tiring, but not unmanageable. And I got a ride back.
My mom had wanted to come with me - I guess to serve as a sherpa of sorts. But I was sneaky and left the house without waking her up this morning. The walking wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated - I should start wearing my girl power shoes more often.
I'm off to give a presentation - walking there, rolling my stuff in a cart. If I don't show up, look behind the palace for a woman in labor.
Just kidding, Mom.
Cold roasted barley tea (strong, as I let it steep over night in the fridge) with soy milk and a little maple syrup
Yum! (and a nice coffee substitute)
*an entry where I lose touch with punctuation
Last night, my belly was feeling a bit sore and crampy. Then I dreamed that Bean had dropped, positioning his/herself to enter the world. But, this morning, my belly looked about the same. As did my lips (reference to Charla's comment). And at this morning's OB appointment, my cervix was unchanged. So I guess we have a little while to go. Though my OB did say, "Maybe we'll see you next week," implying that I could go into labor between now and next Wednesday. It's all up to Bean and whether s/he takes after my side of the family (I and my brothers were three, two, and four weeks late, respectively), Sam's side of the family (he and his three siblings were relatively "on time"), or strikes out independently and is born a little early.
I'm not entirely sure where the past week went. I know it involved various baby preparations, brief moments of baby-related panic, an afternoon of wishing for a wheelchair so that my puffy feet which were barely fitting in my sandals would not have to carry my 150 (yes, 150!) pounds, and plans for a date with my hubby that turned into our taking an evening nap and then eating and watching tv with my mom. But other than that.... (Mojganis, I hope that the scene from SHAG , when they arrive at Luanne's house, is coming to mind at this moment. It does for me whenever I use that phrase.)
Last night, I was pretty tired. Actually, all three of us were. So my mom went to bed. Sam fell asleep in front of the tv. And me? I did what every tired woman who's hit her 37th week does. Something I've been meaning to do for years. I moved our stacking washer and dryer, so I could clean out the lint that has accumulated between it and our fridge. I figure the baby is full term now (though I have three weeks until the due date), so moving a large appliance can't hurt too much. Well, nothing except my back. I woke Sam up to help move it back into place. I'm sure Bean will be highly appreciative of my efforts to reduce the lint quantities in the apartment. Don't say I don't tend to the essential needs of my little one.
I'd say the overzealous cleaning is a sign that we will meet Bean very soon. Yikes!
I love me some broccoli!
I just had a delicious lunch of crackers (stone ground sesame), cheese (sharp cheddar), broccoli (steamed with a bit of salt and butter), and an apple (Fuji).
In a land where plate lunch is king, it struck some coworkers as a bit odd, but I'm okay with that.
What'd you have?
I venture to say that, as far as the apartment is concerned, we're almost ready for Bean's arrival. Say, if I went into labor right now (which I am not wishing), I wouldn't be very concerned about the things that are outstanding.
This weekend we:
Still to do:
I've been slow in sharing this, but my waddle is now interspersed with a hobble. Especially when I first get out of bed in the morning, or sit in one spot for too long. Since the early days of my pregnancy, I've awakened with sore inner thighs, as if I've spent the night horseback riding. As the pregnancy has progressed, the soreness has increased - in intensity and in duration (half an hour each morning instead of a few minutes). And now it's accompanied by sore feet, ankles, hips, wrists, even my ear from sleeping on it too hard....
It should be no surprise. Because in the past two weeks, I've gained 5.5 pounds! Five-and-a-half pounds! In two weeks! In total, I've gained more than a third of myself in the past seven months. No wonder my body is crying out in pain. But it will all be worth it when I hear Bean crying out in surprise at coming into this world.
Other highlights of this morning's OB visit include a flu shot (don't forget to get one, my fellow pregnant women), getting swabbed for Group B Strep, and finding out that my cervix is still closed. The cervix check will be a regular part of my visits. My visits that fall every week now. Less than 168 hours until I next see my OB. Likely less than 1000 hours until I see Bean. The thought's enough to make a girl's eyes water.
It's almost 3:00 am and I'm awake.
I kind of want to clean and tidy. And that's kind of scary. Apparently, women tend to go into some sort of cleaning/nesting frenzy right before labor. And I'm not ready for labor. I guess it's a good sign that I'm able to maintain my post here at the computer, and haven't yet attacked the pile of stuff that needs to be put away. Yet.
If any time there were a time slated for early labor, it would be this weekend. My office had a shower for me today. Some friends have a shower for me tomorrow. And how else to bring on someone's labor than to throw a shower for her? On top of that, I actually have some other plans with friends for the first time in forever. And Sam has plans that involve his being away from the house for 30 hours. So you know we're tempting ironic fate.
But I've recieved strict instructions from my mother that no baby is to be born before her arrival on Monday night. And if that isn't enough for Bean, I have given strict instructions that, as much as I want to meet him/her, I want an internal occupant for at least a few more weeks, preferably five. I still have paperwork to complete.
And cleaning to do.