But that's pretty indicative of my personality anyway. This is me at 30 weeks.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Pregnancy Photoshoot, or Why I Hate Modeling
I've always been hyper-critical of myself in pictures... and I've always hated taking pictures. These are my favorites that Joshua captured. I wish the ones in the black dress had turned out a bit better though... I look much more at home in the jeans and t-shirt.
But that's pretty indicative of my personality anyway. This is me at 30 weeks.
But that's pretty indicative of my personality anyway. This is me at 30 weeks.
So much to update...
It's official. I am The Suck at blogging.
Then again a lot has happened.
In no particular order:
I don't have The Beetus. Joshua started school again. Squirrel's room is painted. Squirrel has a crib. Some of my favorite people are throwing parties for Squirrel. Everyone is still trying to figure out Squirrel's name. I keep growing. Squirrel keeps growing. Squirrel has no more room to move. Squirrel is still of average size.
I will share more on these things in their own posts, backdated, to follow immediately.
Then again a lot has happened.
In no particular order:
I don't have The Beetus. Joshua started school again. Squirrel's room is painted. Squirrel has a crib. Some of my favorite people are throwing parties for Squirrel. Everyone is still trying to figure out Squirrel's name. I keep growing. Squirrel keeps growing. Squirrel has no more room to move. Squirrel is still of average size.
I will share more on these things in their own posts, backdated, to follow immediately.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The crib has landed!
Much like painting, furniture assembly at the Heerssen household is never a good thing. Inevitably, the man of the house will misread directions or forget a critical step and end up having to backtrack, leaving the woman of the house harping out of frustration and reading the instructions to him for the remainder of the project. We were reminded of this unhappy ritual when we recently purchased an IKEA entertainment center. If you've ever purchased anything from IKEA, well I don't have to explain the measure of desperation those cryptic assembly guides and small wooden pegs will create in the pit of your soul. For the rest of you, use your imagination.
Thankfully, our crib is not from IKEA. Joshua's parents were sweet enough to purchase our crib for us and have it delivered to our house for our assembly enjoyment. I use that word loosely.
Step 1 - Unwrap the pieces. Scatter the pieces. Decipher the instructions.
Step 2 - Begin. Let the cats help if they want.
Step 3 - Give the female the instructions for deciphering for the remainder of the project. Continue.
Step 4 - 90% completion. Assemble the Drawer Of Awesome.
It is important that I mention here that this drawer was 50% the reason I decided on this particular crib. I am a sucker for practical storage.
Step 5 - Completion!
Step 6 - Move into temporary position. Apply temporary ornamentation.
Step 7 - Insert baby here.
At the end of the day it wasn't all that bad really. It could have been worse... we didn't need to glue any critical pieces together so it was a win in my book. Also a win: the now undeniable fact that the queen bed will not fit in Squirrel's room along with the rest of her goodies. Which I knew from the beginning. Not that I'm bragging or anything.
Thankfully, our crib is not from IKEA. Joshua's parents were sweet enough to purchase our crib for us and have it delivered to our house for our assembly enjoyment. I use that word loosely.
Step 1 - Unwrap the pieces. Scatter the pieces. Decipher the instructions.
Step 2 - Begin. Let the cats help if they want.
Step 3 - Give the female the instructions for deciphering for the remainder of the project. Continue.
Step 4 - 90% completion. Assemble the Drawer Of Awesome.
Step 5 - Completion!
Step 6 - Move into temporary position. Apply temporary ornamentation.
Step 7 - Insert baby here.
At the end of the day it wasn't all that bad really. It could have been worse... we didn't need to glue any critical pieces together so it was a win in my book. Also a win: the now undeniable fact that the queen bed will not fit in Squirrel's room along with the rest of her goodies. Which I knew from the beginning. Not that I'm bragging or anything.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Adding to the stash
Maggie, Joshua's teaching partner, has already given us a ton of toys and a Pack n' Play for Squirrel... and she continues to find things that her two children have outgrown and pass them along to us. Thanks to her we have a few more toys, a tension rod baby gate and an umbrella stroller.
Also, on the first day of school, one of Joshua's former students, Kylemock (all one word) came up to say hello/goodbye before leaving for college in New York. He was sent with this from his mom to give to Mr. Heerssen.
Mrs. Mock is apparently a crazy-mad knitting/crocheting machine. She produced these in one weekend!
This child is loved and spoiled beyond words... and so are we. I really don't know how to express my thanks enough. Truly.
I'm going to be a big crying soppy mess at the shower!
Also, on the first day of school, one of Joshua's former students, Kylemock (all one word) came up to say hello/goodbye before leaving for college in New York. He was sent with this from his mom to give to Mr. Heerssen.
Mrs. Mock is apparently a crazy-mad knitting/crocheting machine. She produced these in one weekend!
This child is loved and spoiled beyond words... and so are we. I really don't know how to express my thanks enough. Truly.
I'm going to be a big crying soppy mess at the shower!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wasabi on the walls
The last time Joshua and I painted and I was actively involved in the process, we were living together in a 3 bedroom townhouse. We almost got a divorce before we were married.
Since then, we have avoided painting. However, Squirrel's impending arrival brought on the drive to put some color on our untouched walls. The living room accent wall Joshua did in June was our litmus test for how painting in the Heerssen household would go. I was mostly uninvolved. I think then we both decided, to ourselves, that it would be best if I remain uninvolved when painting our daughter's room too. Of course I had every intention of being involved... when we said "we're painting tomorrow" I was expecting to jump right in when I got home from work. Joshua had other plans... because he's amazing.
He not only painted Squirrel's room, he painted our electric blue accent wall in the gameroom. And cleaned up before I got home.
The color is perfect... not an exact match to her bedding, but given the amount of color I've got planned for her little space, exactness was not a concern. The window wall was left the original tan-ish builder color. Vinyl art and shelving will eventually live on that wall.
Here's the gameroom wall. I have a slew of movie posters to frame and decorate that wall with.
More painting is planned for Labor Day weekend... dresser, end tables and shelves.
Since then, we have avoided painting. However, Squirrel's impending arrival brought on the drive to put some color on our untouched walls. The living room accent wall Joshua did in June was our litmus test for how painting in the Heerssen household would go. I was mostly uninvolved. I think then we both decided, to ourselves, that it would be best if I remain uninvolved when painting our daughter's room too. Of course I had every intention of being involved... when we said "we're painting tomorrow" I was expecting to jump right in when I got home from work. Joshua had other plans... because he's amazing.
He not only painted Squirrel's room, he painted our electric blue accent wall in the gameroom. And cleaned up before I got home.
The color is perfect... not an exact match to her bedding, but given the amount of color I've got planned for her little space, exactness was not a concern. The window wall was left the original tan-ish builder color. Vinyl art and shelving will eventually live on that wall.
Here's the gameroom wall. I have a slew of movie posters to frame and decorate that wall with.
More painting is planned for Labor Day weekend... dresser, end tables and shelves.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
29 Weeks
I don't know why, but I've always avoided odd numbers. Odd dates, odd months, they're all weird to me. 1 and 5 are the only exception, because they have an order about them. Multiples of 5 are orderly and simple. And 1? It's a straight line. Nothing threatening about that.
So, given my weirdness, I am not really a fan of the fact that this picture was taken at 29 weeks. I am getting more comfortable with the fact that I continue to grow, though.
It's fun to watch that white shirt continue to stretch.
So, given my weirdness, I am not really a fan of the fact that this picture was taken at 29 weeks. I am getting more comfortable with the fact that I continue to grow, though.
It's fun to watch that white shirt continue to stretch.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Houston, we have colostrum!
FINALLY!
Oh, right, TMI Disclaimer - this post is 90% about my boobs. Skip if you're offended.
Anyway, FINALLY! Finally the first signs that my breasts are good for something other than free drinks, getting my way with the opposite sex and making me easily recognizable from a distance. I was beginning to become quite dismayed at the lack of progress the girls were making as it related to my pregnancy body. They didn't swell to amazing size, they were never particularly sore or tender and aside from some odd sensations of interior tickling they didn't do much of anything. They've just been sitting, waiting, getting dwarfed by my expanding belly, much to my chagrin.
This morning I'm showering and checking out my chest meat, as I do every morning. I'd been noticing stretching, cracking and expanding of the holes in my nipples, so I knew they were doing something. But today when I squeezed ever so slightly, again as I do every morning, I almost yelped for joy at seeing liquid emerge from not one, but BOTH of my nipples. My boobs are working!!!! They're doing exactly what they are supposed to do and I really couldn't be happier.
So there we have it. Way much more information than you ever wanted to know about my breasts. If you ignored the disclaimer and read to the end and are offended, don't act like I peed in your Cheerios. You were warned.
I HAD to get this out. I was going to tell Joshua, but as he's sleeping, with one of my eye masks over his face no less, (which I should take a picture of because it's really quite hilarious) and since the cats respond with a meow no matter what I tell them, I figured I'd just let my joy out on the blog.
JOY!!
Oh, right, TMI Disclaimer - this post is 90% about my boobs. Skip if you're offended.
Anyway, FINALLY! Finally the first signs that my breasts are good for something other than free drinks, getting my way with the opposite sex and making me easily recognizable from a distance. I was beginning to become quite dismayed at the lack of progress the girls were making as it related to my pregnancy body. They didn't swell to amazing size, they were never particularly sore or tender and aside from some odd sensations of interior tickling they didn't do much of anything. They've just been sitting, waiting, getting dwarfed by my expanding belly, much to my chagrin.
This morning I'm showering and checking out my chest meat, as I do every morning. I'd been noticing stretching, cracking and expanding of the holes in my nipples, so I knew they were doing something. But today when I squeezed ever so slightly, again as I do every morning, I almost yelped for joy at seeing liquid emerge from not one, but BOTH of my nipples. My boobs are working!!!! They're doing exactly what they are supposed to do and I really couldn't be happier.
So there we have it. Way much more information than you ever wanted to know about my breasts. If you ignored the disclaimer and read to the end and are offended, don't act like I peed in your Cheerios. You were warned.
I HAD to get this out. I was going to tell Joshua, but as he's sleeping, with one of my eye masks over his face no less, (which I should take a picture of because it's really quite hilarious) and since the cats respond with a meow no matter what I tell them, I figured I'd just let my joy out on the blog.
JOY!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
How to Make a Diaper Cake
I love spoiling my friends when I can, and the best way I know to do that when a baby is a-comin' is by making a diaper cake. It sounds disgusting, I know. I wish there was another name for the thing... Diaper centerpiece? Whatever it is, it's practical (full of diapers and trinkets from the registry) and also functional (cute at the shower AND cute nursery decoration for weeks and weeks!)
This weekend my melon-loving bosom buddy Carol had a shower to celebrate the impending arrival of her little Coog Baby Boy. This is the first time I've chronicled how I make these things... hopefully it will help anyone who is looking to do the same for a pregnant gal pal!
What you need:
Step 1 - Diaper rolling
Unwrap the diapers and rubber bands and get to rolling. Leave the diaper folded in half and roll either from the top or the bottom, like a tortilla, and secure with a rubber band. I used the size 2 diapers for the bottom layer of the cake and all 50 filled the pizza pan.
Step 2 - Diaper grouping
Stand the diapers up on their sides in the pizza pan. This may take a bit, but they should stand up just fine on their own. There's no right or wrong place to start - from the outside in or the inside out. Just however they best cooperate to fill the pan.
Step 3 - Diaper wrapping
Get your tulle and wrap it around the first layer of diapers. Turn the pizza pan and hold the tulle tightly - it goes much faster that way. Bonus if you have a Lazy Susan. Since the tulle is a bit transparent I wrapped it several times. Do whatever you feel is best. When you're happy with it, snip the end of the tulle and simply tuck it into itself. If there is room for more diapers to make a more compact layer, fill in as needed.
Step 4 - Repeat for the next 2 layers
Repeat the rolling, grouping and wrapping for the next 2 layers, building each directly on top of the previous layer. As a guide, I made my second layer a roll and a half smaller in diameter than the first, and the top layer was a roll smaller in diameter than the second. Make sure you leave enough room for your decorations.
Since you're not grouping them on a flat surface, these will not stand up quite as well. Just be patient with them - once they're wrapped in tulle they aren't going anywhere. I used 38 size 1 diapers for the top two layers, and that was with a lot of extra stuffing after I wrapped the tulle around.
Step 5 - Ribbonize
Get your decorative fabric ribbon and measure a length around each of the layers to create a cute ribbon effect. I cut it a little longer to give myself room to fold it down for a clean edge at the back. Use your tape to secure it as much as you need to (on the underside of course) and a stick pin in the back to fasten it. Careful not to stick the pin into the diapers - just pin the ribbon tightly to itself.
Step 6 - Decorate and you're done!
I wish I had taken more pictures of this step as I changed my mind about positioning of the items frequently as I went. My original plan was to have the monkey seated at the top of the cake, but as he was almost the same size as the cake itself I had to rethink things! I ended up using the extra tulle to fashion a bow, and used the blue and orange curling ribbons to fill in the top. The teether (lion) and bath toys (sea creatures) I stuck in where they would fit and filled in with more curling ribbon. I tied the two snack cups with curling ribbon so they look like they're cascading down from the top of the cake. Mr. Monkey served to cover the seams in the back of the cake and I simply tucked his hands and legs as tightly as I could in between the layers without using any pins or tying him up.
If you're really fancy and skilled, you can use all kinds of floral wire to secure the toys and decorations instead of the ribbon, but you must take care not to puncture the diapers since this is a gift meant to be dissembled and used by the mom-to-be. Stuffing the ribbon down between the rolled diapers is a much easier way of going about it, in my opinion, and it makes for less work later for mom-to-be too.
After you're done, you're going to want to wash your hands about 45 times before attempting to eat any finger foods. Between the rubber bands and the diapers, there will be a distinct smell and taste to your fingers, and trust me, you don't want that extra flavor with your sandwich.
Variations of the decorations include adding shredded paper to the top of the layers to cover the diapers and using receiving blankets instead of tulle to wrap the layers. I was also going to make little flowers out of washcloths and add them to Carol's cake, but there was no room! The extra diapers and washcloths went to her anyway of course!
There we have it - enjoy experimenting with your own diaper cake! I'm off to get my arm poked 4 times and drink some nasty flat Sunkist at my gestational diabetes test, yay!
This weekend my melon-loving bosom buddy Carol had a shower to celebrate the impending arrival of her little Coog Baby Boy. This is the first time I've chronicled how I make these things... hopefully it will help anyone who is looking to do the same for a pregnant gal pal!
What you need:
- A pizza pan or large round plate - absolutely essential for transportation.
- Diapers - I like to mix sizes to increase the longevity of the gift and give the mom options. For Carol's cake I used 76 size 1 and 50 size 2 of the brand listed on her registry.
- Tulle - found in the wedding section of Hobby Lobby or any craft store. Stretchy and just the right size for wrapping around the tiers of the cake.
- Decorations - I went off Carol's registry to purchase coordinating items: two snack cups, a teether and a bunch of little bath toys. Pacifiers also work great.
- Ribbon - the fabric kind, to coordinate with the rest of the decorations.
- Curling ribbon - like what you use for wrapping presents, better for tying on the decorations.
- A stuffed animal - 6-8 inches tall is plenty. The one I used was 15 inches and a bit overwhelming, but it worked!
- Scotch tape or double sided tape
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- A buttload of rubber bands
Step 1 - Diaper rolling
Unwrap the diapers and rubber bands and get to rolling. Leave the diaper folded in half and roll either from the top or the bottom, like a tortilla, and secure with a rubber band. I used the size 2 diapers for the bottom layer of the cake and all 50 filled the pizza pan.
Step 2 - Diaper grouping
Stand the diapers up on their sides in the pizza pan. This may take a bit, but they should stand up just fine on their own. There's no right or wrong place to start - from the outside in or the inside out. Just however they best cooperate to fill the pan.
Step 3 - Diaper wrapping
Get your tulle and wrap it around the first layer of diapers. Turn the pizza pan and hold the tulle tightly - it goes much faster that way. Bonus if you have a Lazy Susan. Since the tulle is a bit transparent I wrapped it several times. Do whatever you feel is best. When you're happy with it, snip the end of the tulle and simply tuck it into itself. If there is room for more diapers to make a more compact layer, fill in as needed.
Step 4 - Repeat for the next 2 layers
Repeat the rolling, grouping and wrapping for the next 2 layers, building each directly on top of the previous layer. As a guide, I made my second layer a roll and a half smaller in diameter than the first, and the top layer was a roll smaller in diameter than the second. Make sure you leave enough room for your decorations.
Since you're not grouping them on a flat surface, these will not stand up quite as well. Just be patient with them - once they're wrapped in tulle they aren't going anywhere. I used 38 size 1 diapers for the top two layers, and that was with a lot of extra stuffing after I wrapped the tulle around.
Step 5 - Ribbonize
Get your decorative fabric ribbon and measure a length around each of the layers to create a cute ribbon effect. I cut it a little longer to give myself room to fold it down for a clean edge at the back. Use your tape to secure it as much as you need to (on the underside of course) and a stick pin in the back to fasten it. Careful not to stick the pin into the diapers - just pin the ribbon tightly to itself.
Step 6 - Decorate and you're done!
I wish I had taken more pictures of this step as I changed my mind about positioning of the items frequently as I went. My original plan was to have the monkey seated at the top of the cake, but as he was almost the same size as the cake itself I had to rethink things! I ended up using the extra tulle to fashion a bow, and used the blue and orange curling ribbons to fill in the top. The teether (lion) and bath toys (sea creatures) I stuck in where they would fit and filled in with more curling ribbon. I tied the two snack cups with curling ribbon so they look like they're cascading down from the top of the cake. Mr. Monkey served to cover the seams in the back of the cake and I simply tucked his hands and legs as tightly as I could in between the layers without using any pins or tying him up.
If you're really fancy and skilled, you can use all kinds of floral wire to secure the toys and decorations instead of the ribbon, but you must take care not to puncture the diapers since this is a gift meant to be dissembled and used by the mom-to-be. Stuffing the ribbon down between the rolled diapers is a much easier way of going about it, in my opinion, and it makes for less work later for mom-to-be too.
After you're done, you're going to want to wash your hands about 45 times before attempting to eat any finger foods. Between the rubber bands and the diapers, there will be a distinct smell and taste to your fingers, and trust me, you don't want that extra flavor with your sandwich.
Variations of the decorations include adding shredded paper to the top of the layers to cover the diapers and using receiving blankets instead of tulle to wrap the layers. I was also going to make little flowers out of washcloths and add them to Carol's cake, but there was no room! The extra diapers and washcloths went to her anyway of course!
There we have it - enjoy experimenting with your own diaper cake! I'm off to get my arm poked 4 times and drink some nasty flat Sunkist at my gestational diabetes test, yay!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Showing off the stash...
No, not the lovely red mustache that has become a permanent fixture on my face... my baby gear stash!
This kid is spoiled for clothes. No really, she already has 112 pieces of clothing and some of those are 2 piece outfits. Yikes! So far we have amassed the following items for Squirrel, mostly through gifts and hand-me-downs:
I love, love, LOVE the gorgeous nursing cover and the bedding because neither of them are pink and they match any room of our house!!
The painting of her room will hopefully happen soon. We're going with a light greeny-sage color called Wasabi Powder (Behr color UL200-16 if you're really curious). A fitting name, as the mobile I'll be making is origami! Can't wait to really get started!
This kid is spoiled for clothes. No really, she already has 112 pieces of clothing and some of those are 2 piece outfits. Yikes! So far we have amassed the following items for Squirrel, mostly through gifts and hand-me-downs:
- A pack n' play (gift)
- An infant-to-toddler bathtub (gift)
- Crib bedding, diaper stacker, valence and matching changing pad cover ($150 on Amazon)
- A dresser (freecycle, plus $18 for paint)
- An activity mat with a musical mobile (gift)
- 4 penguin-themed children's books (Daddy gift from London, £20)
- 3 FuzziBunz cloth diapers ($13 resale)
- A red wrap-style baby carrier ($40 from BabyEtte on etsy)
- 2 handmade burp cloths (gifts)
- A swanky handmade nursing cover (gift, laying on the pack n' play in the pic)
- A polka-dot swaddler from a craigslist lot of winter baby girl clothing ($30 for over 60 pieces of various sizes listed below)
- A pink Halo sleep sack (from craigslist winter lot)
- 19 Newborn outfits (5 gifts, 14 from craigslist winter lot)
- 50 size 0-3 outfits (16 gifts, 34 from craigslist winter lot)
- 11 size 3-6 outfits (2 I couldn't resist, $6 at Carter's, 9 from craigslist winter lot)
- 20 size 6-9 outfits (all gifts)
- 2 size 12+ outfits (all from freecycle)
- 11 size 18+ outfits (all from freecycle)
- 19 size 24+ outfits (from freecycle & gifts)
- 12 toys including a penguin stroller clip-on thing that shakes! (all gifts)
- A vintage red pleather bag, heretofore re-purposed as a diaper bag! (already had it!)
- 8 bibs (all gifts)
- A super soft pink polka-dot blanket (gift)
I love, love, LOVE the gorgeous nursing cover and the bedding because neither of them are pink and they match any room of our house!!
The painting of her room will hopefully happen soon. We're going with a light greeny-sage color called Wasabi Powder (Behr color UL200-16 if you're really curious). A fitting name, as the mobile I'll be making is origami! Can't wait to really get started!
The Beetus and What in the HELL was that?
So I'll get the crappy news out of the way first - I failed my one-hour gestational diabetes test. My highest allowed score was a 130 and I got a153. Extra credit is not good in this situation, so now I'm slightly freaked out. Tuesday is my next appointment which will include a 3-hour test. Draw blood, drink super sugary flat Sunkist, draw blood again several times over the next 3 hours to see how my blood processes sugar over time. Fun and exciting, I simply cannot wait.
If I do end up having gestational diabetes, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I've done well with controlling my portions, staying active even when I don't feel like it and generally just trying to be healthier. Both of my grandmothers had the beetus later in life so it very well could be genetics that are working against me, not my occasional bad habits. Either way, it will be a pain to deal with poking myself for the next few months if I come back positive, but I can handle it. And maybe my change in diet will get Joshua to change his less-than-healthy eating habits too. I should know my fate by the end of next week.
And now the coolest thing ever.
Last night we had an Ordeal of the IKEA Variety. We (and by "we" I mean Joshua and David while I was at a baby shower for my dear friend Carol) bought an amazing entertainment center that bolts to the wall and has doors to hide stuff and also doesn't look like it's about to topple over onto small children. All these things are a massive bonus given our impending arrival and the already very active toddlers we have in our life. Hooray for no more of my hovering next to the TV.
Of course if you've ever purchased something from IKEA you know it's not always quite as easy as it sounds, or looks. Creepy illustrations of safety dos and don'ts complement the pages upon pages of steps instructing you, the sucker consumer, where to insert small pegs and hand-screw oddly-shaped bolts. Ingenious designs, but totally a pain in the ass.
This is where it gets cool.
Into hour 4 of our IKEA Ordeal, way past my bedtime especially given the amount of socializing I had done for the day, I'm in a foul mood and coming down off what is surely my 18th wind while laying on the couch, half-watching Joshua affix the doors to the shelving units. Shirt up to give the belly some air, resting my hand where Squirrel usually hangs out, not really wanting or hoping for anything extraordinary to happen because surely she's is just as tired and uncomfortable and pissed off as I am.
And then, my belly hits a 9 on the Richter scale. The symbiote is having an incredible rock concert that shakes my entire stomach and as suddenly as it started, it stops... and a tiny appendage pokes up, makes its way across about 3 inches of stomach, and disappears.
Peter, Paul and Mary what in the HELL was that??
It was like Shark Week... a single fin emerging from the mysterious deep, narrated by Jacques Cousteau in my delirious brain. I'd been given a live, non-electronically-assisted glimpse of something human inside me and my only verbal response was some combination of "whooooaaaa" and "oh WOW that was weird". I begged her to do it again. I even called her by her full name in true mom-style, hoping to strike fear into her precious little heart to perform for me one more time. No luck. And I have yet to feel another knee... or elbow.
Her performance did thrust me into my 19th wind, and we did end up finishing the entire 3 pieces of the entertainment center and shelving that we purchased, albeit not completely finalized nor bolted to the wall. A kick, nudge, fin from her is all it took to get me back into a productive, happier mood. Looking forward to much more of that sort of unconditional, innocent encouragement outside of the womb from you, Squirrel.
The mostly finished product of our IKEA Ordeal. Doors and drawers make me happy in the mommy pants.
If I do end up having gestational diabetes, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I've done well with controlling my portions, staying active even when I don't feel like it and generally just trying to be healthier. Both of my grandmothers had the beetus later in life so it very well could be genetics that are working against me, not my occasional bad habits. Either way, it will be a pain to deal with poking myself for the next few months if I come back positive, but I can handle it. And maybe my change in diet will get Joshua to change his less-than-healthy eating habits too. I should know my fate by the end of next week.
And now the coolest thing ever.
Last night we had an Ordeal of the IKEA Variety. We (and by "we" I mean Joshua and David while I was at a baby shower for my dear friend Carol) bought an amazing entertainment center that bolts to the wall and has doors to hide stuff and also doesn't look like it's about to topple over onto small children. All these things are a massive bonus given our impending arrival and the already very active toddlers we have in our life. Hooray for no more of my hovering next to the TV.
Of course if you've ever purchased something from IKEA you know it's not always quite as easy as it sounds, or looks. Creepy illustrations of safety dos and don'ts complement the pages upon pages of steps instructing you, the sucker consumer, where to insert small pegs and hand-screw oddly-shaped bolts. Ingenious designs, but totally a pain in the ass.
This is where it gets cool.
Into hour 4 of our IKEA Ordeal, way past my bedtime especially given the amount of socializing I had done for the day, I'm in a foul mood and coming down off what is surely my 18th wind while laying on the couch, half-watching Joshua affix the doors to the shelving units. Shirt up to give the belly some air, resting my hand where Squirrel usually hangs out, not really wanting or hoping for anything extraordinary to happen because surely she's is just as tired and uncomfortable and pissed off as I am.
And then, my belly hits a 9 on the Richter scale. The symbiote is having an incredible rock concert that shakes my entire stomach and as suddenly as it started, it stops... and a tiny appendage pokes up, makes its way across about 3 inches of stomach, and disappears.
Peter, Paul and Mary what in the HELL was that??
It was like Shark Week... a single fin emerging from the mysterious deep, narrated by Jacques Cousteau in my delirious brain. I'd been given a live, non-electronically-assisted glimpse of something human inside me and my only verbal response was some combination of "whooooaaaa" and "oh WOW that was weird". I begged her to do it again. I even called her by her full name in true mom-style, hoping to strike fear into her precious little heart to perform for me one more time. No luck. And I have yet to feel another knee... or elbow.
Her performance did thrust me into my 19th wind, and we did end up finishing the entire 3 pieces of the entertainment center and shelving that we purchased, albeit not completely finalized nor bolted to the wall. A kick, nudge, fin from her is all it took to get me back into a productive, happier mood. Looking forward to much more of that sort of unconditional, innocent encouragement outside of the womb from you, Squirrel.
The mostly finished product of our IKEA Ordeal. Doors and drawers make me happy in the mommy pants.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)