Showing

I can always count on people with disabilities to give me an honest interpretation of who I am. So the other day one of my more impaired clients reaches out to touch my belly. He certainly doesn't have the memory to recall that I am pregnant, nor the restraint to inhibit his desire to "rub the tiny budha." So I smiled and took it as an honest evaluation. It's official. I must be finally showing. 5 months and the tiniest belly is finally visible to the unknowing eye. :)

Stupid little fiends

So the little contractor rearranging everything in my abdomen has decided to move on to another project temporarily... Probably to torcher one of my other pregnant friends. Only one small problem... Those tiny hard had fiends left the place in complete disarray. My uterus is just hanging there, cock-eyed, held up by a couple of overstretched ligaments and a two-by-four. The ligaments trying to hold it to my sacrum/ lower back keep wondering how long they have to hold this huge heavy thing. Their over extended, overworked arms trembling with pain, "I don't know how long we can hold this guys."

Of course, everything else is just pissed off ... Doesn't like to be shoved around like that... my Sciatic nerve (huge nerve that connects everything) keeps wondering who in the hell keeps jerking on it. Heck, even my knee, shoulders, neck, and head have all joined in the screaming match. Like a middle school cat fight- everyone's gotta join the chaos.

So I've been to the chiropractor 3x in the past 9 days and had 2 pregnancy massages. All of which have helped to manage this thing. But Wow! Apparently even amazingly skilled chiropractors and Ginormous massage therapists (spending enormous amounts of time pounding the daylights out me to put everything back in place) are no match for those tiny, hard hat bastards. I'm sure I've taken 100 Tylenol in the past 2 weeks. Two at a time. (Sighs.)

SO excited about our little girl!!! She seems to the growing well. But I do wish for a more "normal" level of discomfort in bringing her into the world.

Literacy

B's literacy is expanding exponentially. It's really amazing to watch. He's learning like 10-20 new words a day! It's amazing to me. Dave and I have spent years (since he was 1) laying the phonemic (sound awareness) foundation he needs for reading and writing little by little. But, it's like watching a miracle happen before my eyes. Like giving him crayons and teaching him how to use them, but suddenly he creates a stunning piece of art (just an analogy guys)...Suddenly, he's putting it all together. Several times a day, he reads a word I didn't know he knew. Or sounds out an unfamiliar word. 40-50 times a day he asks us to read to him words he doesn't know. He broke the code and now wants to read every single word or phrase he sees. It's just fascinating to me. I had no idea.

Wicked!!!

We saw Wicked last night. I love musicals. We've seen quite a few. I gotta be honest. I was excited about it, but a little afraid I would just fall asleep.

No way man!!! This thing was absolutely AmaZing!!!!
I had heard a lot about it. I knew the general story line. But to watch Elphaba (sp?) evolve right before your eyes. Wow!!! Her courage to stand up for what she believes and to become someone truly outstanding. Anytime in life someone stands up and does something revolutionary or truly important- they WILL face conflict. It gives me joy to see others become something other than mediocre. Even if, as in her case. She paid a dear price. What a beautiful musical!

I even stayed awake. :). Of course,the traffic was bad, so I hurled all over my dress on the way there. But.. Eh.. It washed off well. ;)

One wonderfully memorable date with my sweet heart!

Corporate restructuring

So my body has decided to do some corporate restructuring...
I can just hear the little guys. "Hmmm. Let's see. I think her uterus is a little to low, let's hike that up a bit here." YOu can hear the little people in hard hats, groaning as they pull the muscles and ligaments into their new location. They pull until they can't possibly achieve any further movement. "That'll work for now."

And "Uhh. Her hormone levels are starting to settle into something liveable. We can't allow that to happen." The little hormone chemists in the pituitary, turn the wheels and open the flood gates. Watch the chemical rise, just enough for the nausea/hurling meter to engage, along with some headaches (just for fun). You hear the whole system slow back to a semi-crawl, "Hmmm. That should do it. If she's not crying from exhaustion, we have not done our job!"

So those little corporate folks and I need to have a talk. I get it.. the baby has now reached 8 oz and is ready for some serious growing. I can see need for muscle rearrangement for the event. But seriously, not getting the need for the nausea/exhaustion guys!!! Isn't that counter productive at this point? You want the baby to gain weight right? I know, I know, she'll always get what she needs. But seriously, can't the rest of us be reasonably comfortable too. This is supposed to be the middle trimester... you know, where I feel like a human being.

Hurricane

Pregnancy is like a hurricane. The storm hits and incapacitates anything in it's path for 4-5 months. Then there's the calm (the eye). A few months of relative peace (2-3 months, 4 if I we're lucky). Take a deep breath, put your life back together, and prepare for the other side- A couple of months of building discomfort (the rains start to return). Followed by... Holy Hell!!! Am I ever going to survive this thing???? One serious pounding!!! (First few days/ weeks after the baby is born. Really the first month. ) Then months and months (6-8 months) of continual rain and rebuilding until that baby finally sleeps through the night and life starts to return to something closer to "normal". A new normal. But Ahh... The Joy!!! Not the hurricane, but the new life that storm brings with it!

My cute little nesting family

Alright. I am clearly nesting. (As exhibited by my previous post.) My usual, neat, but relatively laid back cleaning self (I pride myself on being a "happy medium".), has disappeared and been replaced by a girl my mom would be OH so Proud of! I was asleep for 4 months. Now I have awakened only to realize... I've only got like 3 months until I am too uncomfortable to move. AND.... ****We've got a little baby girl coming!!! **** YAHOO!!!!!! We've seriously gotta make some space, get things cleaned up, and ready. If I sound minutely obsessive... I am... just a tad.

During my adventures up into the cave of doom (the attic), in addition to locating and irradicating Dave's 8.5 year old shrine to the God of empty boxes, I located: our car seats, baby swing, crib, nursing pillow, bottles, infant head positioners, etc. (Dave informs me that the above stated shrine was to the GodESS of empty boxes.) Anyway, Now, of course, every one of them MUST be washed/ scrubbed until it is squeeky clean and smells like a new baby :). No old food crumbs or attic insulation dust for my little baby!!! I spent a couple of hours today scrubbing the car seat and carrier down. I have to admit... there is something absolutely soothing to my soul in the task. Preparing for our new little baby Girl!

But Heck! If "I" am nesting. I've got nothing on Dave. I had a 5 day weekend this week. Dave -asked- if I wanted to go out of town, but the reality is... HE didn't want to go Anywhere! I came home Wed night. He had a fan half way installed in B's room. Yesterday, He came home from work like 4 hours early... just didn't want to be away from his family. Today, he INSISTS that we go to Sams. We didn't need ANYthing from Sams, but left the place stocked up until the new year with tons of commodities. Then we head to Walmart--- a $200 bill-- stocking up on everything possible. I said, "Wow. Our whole family is nesting." Dave denies it, but this guy is NESTING. It's cute!!! Makes me smile.

And to be truthful, So is B. My typically oh-so-adventurous kid, suddenly doesn't want to leave the house! He'll tolerate and enjoy one family outing on Saturday, and of course church on Sunday, but other than that-he will do anything in his power to talk us out of leaving for my entire Thursday-Sunday weekend. He knows that life is changing, and just wants to be at home in his own nest. He moved Seven's car seat up into his room today and insists that we set the baby's crib up in his room. That kid is making space in his life for that little baby. We were all laying in our bed this morning. B made sure there was plenty of room... for Mama, Papa, B, and Baby Seven. She got her own pillow.

Girl

B: I knew that baby was a girl!

Crowd Wisdom

As you may know, this afternoon we find out Seven's gender. Crowds in large numbers tend to be right, even when dealing with topics in which they have no expertise. With that in mind, please use the sidebar to let us know how you think the ultrasound will turn out.

Update: Ok, the sidebar poll didn't work. Leave a comment instead :).

Update: Well, the crowd is right, she's a girl!

Nesting Pregnant Woman, Stage 1

So, April, What'd you do this morning?
Well, B slept in, that was nice. We made some Blues Clues signs and posted them throughout the house. (Pretty normal right.) 10:00. Still in my PJs. I looked up and saw the chandalier... old, crappy. Thought, "Hey, I have a better one up in the attic"..... NEVER send a 4.5 month pregnant woman up in the attic!!!

It's cloudy outside, so the temperature was actually reasonable up there. But that chandalier---- No where to be found up in that place. This place was so crammed, I could barely manage to stand at the top of the stairs. I saw ONE old, empty box from years ago..... HOLY CRAP, PRegnant woman turns NESTING Pregnant woman and goes Ape-shit on the attic! One box leads to like 100. I'm just throwing them out of the attic and down the staircase at lightning fast speeds. I gave B fair warning... It was gonna be raining boxes and it WAS! 10 min later, Ian came out of his refuge of safety (his room) and says, "I'm trapped mom. I can't get out of my room. " I look down, the entire stairway and the passage to the attic were 4 foot high with boxes. "Ahh Crap. Now, How do I get out of here?" (I took a picture--- you've gotta see it.) So I managed to throw a few overboard to make a small trail through the impenetrable fortress I had unknowingly created. I thought, "Wow. I can't breathe." (Apparently the insulation up in the attic was getting to my lungs.) "I need to get a drink." So I guzzle some lemonade, and realize that I've gotta get this stuff out to the curb.

So I start hauling this stuff out. That's right.... Still in my PJs. So I don't even bother to put on a bra. Crazy Ape-Shit Nesting Pregnant Girl is on a roll. Ian, still stranded at the top, has decided that his fortress of solitude is actually pretty cool. I get like 1/2 of the stuff out there and it starts to sprinkle. I thought, "Those trash guys are never gonna take this GInormous pile of Dave's unending desire for empty boxes if they are soaked" So I find the original plastic that our 8.5 year old queen sized bed came in and start loading these boxes in there. They wrapped it good, so there are 2 HUGE plastic bags.

I have them 3/4 of the way loaded (about 75 boxes) and it starts POURING. But Crazy, Now Ravenous-to-get-this-task-completed Nesting Pregnant Chica is incapable of taking a break! I just keep hauling them out. Well, suddenly, my stomach decided it didn't like the attic's insulation either... So Pregnant, Bra-less, PJ shrouded, soaking wet woman starts hurling in the bushes.

Then, if that weren't enough... my bladder decides to get in on the game. Apparently I didn't look pathetic enough! I was puking so hard, I peed my pants! And of course, stomach thinks this is funny, so it decides that 4-5 rounds of this thing was the best choice. By the time I was done hurling, the entire contents of my bladder had soaked my otherwise lovely self!

But who cares???? I only had a few boxes left!!! And it was raining, so who would know??? So warmly soaked, crazy, braless, nesting pregnant woman finished the job! I couldn't be prouder!