Diapers

Who knew they could be this complicated?! After yet another multi-hour internet session, Lance helped make an executive decision and we bought a couple of cloth diapers and inserts online, we WILL buy one of the flushable g-diaper beginner packs and then whole foods has some eco-friendlier disposables that we can try if Parker doesn't like any of the 3 cloth-ish options. Yet again, I wonder how in the hell anyone figures this stuff out the first time they have a kid?

My body is really feeling pregnant these days. Today is officially 38 weeks. On Thursday, the doctor said that Parker's head wasn't low enough to go this week, but who knows about next week. We'll see if there's any dilation at wednesday's appointment. Mini-contractions are more frequent, but still no more than the minor throbbing you get with PMS. Lance has been very helpful giving massages that are supposed to help make labor easier. I still can't make it up and about for more than 3 or 4 hours without physically COLLAPSING from exhaustion. Thank god my schedule can actually accomodate that most days. I keep thinking that the first trimester was even more exhausting, but Lance pointed out that I'm deluding myself and never had to nap every 4 hours. Who can remember?

More and more little details crop up. I keep on thinking that, once I tie up all the lose ends, Parker will know it's time to come. But when are the ends EVER tied up? There's always more to do. Always. The most current one is the idea that I need to get to the social security office and stand in line to have Windish added to my last name so that Parker's birth certificate can have parents with matching names on it. The idea of the LINE is always overwhelming, even if the office is only 2 blocks from here. I know, I know- get over it. Bring a chair. Do something; just get there. Of course, once I do that, there'll be something else I think I need to do in order for her to come. Because it's obviously based on my to do list, and not just when she's good and ready to make an entrance...

xoxo

WE HAVE INSURANCE!!!

Hallelujah! What an ENORMOUS reflief!

After a pretty un-inspiring voicemail from Oxford yesterday, I thought we were in for some more bad news. But luckily, that's just how that guy's voice sounds! I caught him on the phone this morning and we won our appeal and the pregnancy will be covered! Yay! Yay! Yay! Now Parker can come and we don't have to have her in a taxi or drive to New Mexico to try to talk my best friend Becky's midwife sister to deliver her for free! THANK GOD.

I have a doctor's appontment this morning. I can't wait to tell the billing department that we are a-ok!!!!! PFEW!

xoxo

Snotty

My head is full of snot. Extreme sinus pressure. Just thought the world (or at least the few friends and family who are kind enough to read this damn thing) should know that. It's driving me crazy. The only thing that relieves the pressure is taking a shower, but by now I am SO sick of getting wet every 5 minutes. I know, whine whine whine. But I will never again take for granted the value of antihistamines once I'm allowed to start taking them again.

Lance is at his final day of the nursery school. Since a couple of the classes had their last day with him yesterday, he played their favorite game "Shape Shop." It basically is the kids making shapes with their bodies that they then have to hold as the shop-keeper (Lance) picks them up and moves them around. After having picked up 2 and 3 year olds all day, he was HOBBLING last night. I don't think I've seen him that tired or crippled in a long time, if ever. It was really cute. I don't know how he's going to survive another day of it today. On the other hand, he's got to build his stamina back up again before Parker starts making him pick her up over and over and over. And over...

Spoke with oxford insurance today. Apparently their records show my appeal being reviewed and their rules say that they'll make a decision in 15 calendar days, which technically means by the end of today. PLEASE KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED.

Bought the paper we think we want to use for Parker's birth announcement. It keeps getting more and more real over here. I hope Parker waits until we clean the house up a bit. On the other hand, let's be honest, I don't want to keep her in my uterus forever...

Parker just super jujitsu kicked my stomach way out. She's really getting strong. But I think that the fact that she can still make such big movements means that she's still got a while to go. The books seem to say that one factor in a baby being ready to escape the womb is being too crowded to move.

I can't remember if I mentioned that one of Lance's best friends is having a baby. They are at about 12 weeks. I am SO GLAD that he has one of his old friends to talk to about all this daddy stuff. It was one thing for him to talk to friends of mine that have become his, or friends at the dog park, but it's REALLY good to share this with a friend that is just his. Very exciting.

Today is the dress rehearsal for one of our circus classes. Most of the costumes are being re-used from previous years, but I'm having fun making them new vests to wear. I just have to fit them today and then bang out, oh, say, 20 of them for next week. Totally manageable for a super pregnant lady! More excellent decision making on my part!

Feel like there's more that I could ramble on about, but I'm starting to fall asleep and must conserve resources before teaching.

love love love

xoxo

Sighhhhhhhh...

Fighting what feels like allergies or a cold (but according to the books could actually be a sign that labor is around the corner). Wish my ears and throat would stop hurting.

Had a nice 3-day weekend with Lance. He's always in such a good mood when he gets a day off from teaching. Speaking of, it's his last week teaching at the nursery school. That's good, because it means he can cover more of my classes and have more time pre-baby, but bad because those are his favorite students. He's always coming home with the CUTEST stories from them, like the girl who was having a turn dancing and needed to stop the song in the middle to tell Lance she got a new umbrella or the 2 boys who first started petting lance's head and then each others, obsessed with how "comfy" their hair was. And so many more... I guess he'll just have to tell Parker stories until next semester!

Parker has been trying to do story-worthy stuff these days. She's kicking harder and harder and sometimes she shifts positions and it's like the Loch Ness monster gliding across my skin under my stomach. Everytime I try to get Lance to see or feel it, she stops. But he sang one of his nursery school dancing songs to her yesterday and she kicked him in the face, which was nice.

My phone is freaking out. Every time I've tried to make outgoing calls or pick-up over the last few days, it has INCREDIBLY loud static feedback. I gave it a break turned off, so hopefully that will fix it and I can rejoin society again.

I did see more of the neighborhood society over the weekend than I have in a while. Lance has been doing a very good job of following his "birth partner" advice and inviting me on walks once or twice a day. We have to go SLOW because they're more waddles than walks, but we made it to the park yesterday and the day before. Rosemary was PSYCHED.

Oh, I also got outside by way of a hammock nap on sunday. A very pleasant way to elevate my feet! And especially cozy with my favorite quilt from my mom's house.

I guess that's it and I have 5 minutes to leave the house. I just want to stay in bed. But I guess I'll survive. It's definitely a movie day in class, because hey, the teacher's VERY PREGNANT...

xoxo

*FOund the cord!

Now we can see some of these darn pictures that have been trapped on the camera!

We'll start with the "Make Way For Baby Day."

Here we have Mark and his son JackAllen prepping what became the baby dresser/changing table:



Timmo, the most efficient and effective sander in the world:



Me and my tummy touching up some trim:



Robyn, Mark & Lance in the room with the fumes...:



Jenni & Maureen attacking the second file cabinet / dresser:



Hubie dealing with the dresser:



And Lance glossing up the door:



I'm not sure how I succeeding in letting Layna and Kathleen escape without pictures, but I somehow did. I'll get 'em next time...

xoxo

37 Weeks!

Technically full term as of today. Yowza. Spent the first half of the day totally exhausted. After a nap, for some reason, thought it was a good idea to consolidate the wood piles in the backyard after lance took down the broken fence, plant a ton of flowers, re-seed the lawn and experiment with the hose and sprinkler system. While fiddling with branches in the wood pile, thought about literaly "nesting." Wish this nesting instinct would get me to do the dishes or put the laundry away, but beggars can't be choosers...

I guess it's nap time again, until another burst of energy sets in. Huzzah.

xoxo

Happy Birthday Lance!

My baby-daddy is now 35. The perfect age to start being a daddy. Happy Happy Birthday!

We had his favorite breakfast together early this morning (croissants, mangos and coffee). Unfortunately he had to go get them because I refused to get out of bed that early. But what are ya gonna do? I'm pregnant! He then had a nice romp in the park with the dog and is now settling in to play some birthday video games. Tonight we're going to "eat vegetables" for dinner and go see the play Jump(click on the name to see the website), which is a big slapstick Korean martial arts show. I had been planning this surprise for months and Lance totally guessed it on the way home from circus class on wednesday. He ALWAYS guesses his birthday surprises just DAYS before they happen. I get all excited about planning them and getting away with it until the last minute and WHAM! He guesses them. He is just too damn smart for his own good.

I'm washing Parker's first load of laundry, using the baby-friendly environmentally safe laundry detergent. Very exciting. I'm only washing hand-me-downs and one or two new things because I don't want to jinx her arrival by making all the new things un-returnable. Probably crazy, but I don't want to tempt the fates.

With such a big day behind me and in front of me, I'd better get back to bed FAST and rest up for this evening!

xoxo

Who the hell knows

sometimes it's hard to title these damn things. i have no brain any more. just tummy.

met the last of the doctors in the obgyn practice today. i'm happy to report i like all of them. parker's heart is still beating a very healthy 140 to 150 beats per minute. the doctor said that in 4 days, I'll be considered "full term" at 37 weeks and now it's just a matter of time. that sure made it sound real. he said now all that's left is waiting for me to pop; i felt like he was describing a geyser or old faithful or something.

i keep on thinking that i am fully functional these days, but i really have to admit that i can't handle more than 3 hours of activity a day. i tried to go to the doctor and run 3 small errands before teaching today and ended up on a street corner in tears because the restaurant i wanted to eat at before going home was closed and i couldn't figure out what to do. i don't know how lance can take it. all i ever want to do is curl up in the fetal position in the middle of the sidewalk and sleep because i don't want to walk any more. oy vey. time to cut out ANY activity i possibly can, not that there are that many left anyway.

the waterproof mattress cover arrived today, so i told parker that she doesn't need to wait to break my water anymore; the mattress will survive. i think that's mainly what my body was been waiting for- a mattress protector. we'll see if it works!

now i really do need to pack that damn bag for the hospital and put it in the car. better safe than sorry.

xoxo

Oh Thank God

Just got all my grades for second semester and I passed everything just fine and even made the Dean's list again. Thank god having a HUGE round tummy helps people disregard attendence (or lack there of).

I feel like there was so much more I wanted to talk about, but I can't remember a damn thing these days.

Lance & I had fun watching a newborn care instructional video. The nurse demonstrating was so nervous, it was really cute. This is the second one of these that we've watched and I feel a lot better now. I was worried that there were tricks that I didn't know and that we were going to totally screw up. Now I'm much more confident that Parker will survive, we just need to help her eat & sleep, change her diapers and occasionally bathe her. All of those we can handle. I hope. At least there's nothing all that tricky or complicated about them. Again, I hope.

I've been reading a book about raising an eco-friendly baby. It seems that it will be impossible not to pollute the hell out of Parker and ruin the planet while doing it. It did have a nice suggestion of teaching toddlers to count (or at least recognize numbers) but using the recycling codes to sort plastics. And our washing machine is apparently a very eco-friendly choice. I switched the bottles on our registry for a safer plastic. We were going to use fragrance free plant-based laundry detergent, but now I know to use baking soda for fabric softener (and toothpaste for that matter.) I was also pleased to find out that a dishwasher actually uses less water than washing dishes by hand (at least with the water running). Now we just need biodegradeable dish soap. Oh Parker, do we really need to worry about your carbon footprint before we see your feet?

Tomorrow marks the first of the weekly obstetrician check-ins. It'll be nice to have someone else to maybe GUESS if parker is anywhere near ready to pop out. I swear she's lower...

People keep asking me about pregnancy cravings and the only one I've really had so far was, in the first trimester, whenever I was nauseated, I really needed vinegar to settle my stomach (although I also know now how much I need white vinegar as a natural cleaning product...) I'm happy to report that I couldn't sleep this morning because I URGENTLY needed to go get a croissant. The bakery didn't even open until 7:30, but I luckly found one at a muffin shop. So there. Now I've had a pregnant craving. With jam. And it was good.

Must elevate my feet and nap imediately. Get it while you can, they say...

xoxo

36 Weeks and Counting!

I can't believe it's been a week since I wrote in this thing. Time is FLYING now that school is over and Parker will be here ANY MINUTE. Technically, she's got 4 more weeks, but she keeps telling me she's coming early. Perhaps we should buy some diapers... Holy cow. SHe's really coming. That's not just her I'm feeling, but an amazing amount of butterflies fluttering about in my stomach. Wow.

Lance and I have been nesting like crazy. The new washing machine is fantastic and we're finally catching up on laundry and pre-washing baby clothes/bedding. I don't think I've ever folded this much in my life. We also installed the bedroom ceiling fan, so now all 3 rooms will be cool and energy efficient for the summer. Lance tore down the broken fence in the backyard that was desperate to fall on someone, and we only lost one raspberry plant in the process. Now I can plant the lawn without worrying about trampling it come fence removal time.

I put the flower decorations from the faux-real shower above parker's cradle, so now there is a very clear, very PINK baby section of the bedroom. I love it. PLUS it makes me think of how supported I was/am with a group of loving friends.

Lance and I continued the hot pink flower theme, drawing thank you cards last night. It was so much fun and will probably be the last pre-baby craft project for quite some time.

I can't find the damn cord that connects the camera (again) so no pictures to upload yet. Oh, except for the most recent ultrasound. It was just to check to make sure that Parker's head was down (it is), so it doesn't have any details. But I thought it was funny that this scan is on the same machine as the first one and her HEAD is bigger than the original size of my UTERUS. Talk about a switch. According to the weekly emails I get, she's supposed to be almost 19 inches long by now and about 6 lbs. My body wants to get her out while she;s still a manageable size (please god) but my work schedule would REALLY benefit if she came out at least a day late. The last performance with our students is her due date. We'll see... I guess that technically it's a win/win situation, benefiting either my body or my job.

Speaking of my body, I feel like it's finally taking a beating. I'm sleeping as much as I possibly can, but I wake up at least 8 times a night. Thank god for more nap time now that school's over. Lance and I walked around a lot on sunday and my legs were NOT up to it anymore. I came home and was sound asleep by 4 pm.

I also think that Parker's dropped down a little. It really feels like different muscles are supporting her as she headbutts my pelvic floor. It's definitely a new and more uncomfortable sensation, but it could be worse! At least this is all for an extraordinarily good cause.

xoxo

Good and Bad

or at least annoying...

Got the actual denial letter from oxford today. Faxed them a written appeal, which they supposedly will respond to within 15 days. REALLY hope this works, as it already sucks having so many things denied from the last insurance carrier. (Yes, another $700 bill showed up in the mail today. That's brings us to about, oh, 7 or 8 thousand and counting and the baby is STILL INSIDE ME. Delivery apparently shouldn't be that expensive, only 7 grand for the doctor and a minimum of 5 grand for the hospital (assuming a healthy, vaginal delivery with minimal in-patient recovery).

Being a grown-up ROCKS. I am SO HAPPY to be financially responsible for everything that needs to be paid for and am SO GLAD that we don't live in Europe or Canada or ANYWHERE that realizes how crippling private health care costs can be.

On another note, I ended up in a very good mood after my last class on Thursday. No more school until the fall! No more pregnant homework! Yahoo! I now have a little over a month to enjoy all the pre-baby stuff I haven't had time for. I still think I'm going to do some pre-natal yoga. DEFINITELY going to spend some time "nesting." And mostly SLEEP, I think.

Still have to tie up a lot of bookkeeping and tax-prep loose ends, but that seems so much more manageable now that all 15 of my end-of-semester papers are in.

Had a great Mother's Day Weekend with Lance. Saturday we ate a whole cherry pie, napped, and went to see the movie "Baby Mama." It got some good write-ups, but was pretty darn disappointing. Still, it was nice to have a date-night (I had been looking forward to it for a week.) Then sunday, my first mother's day!, I went to the park with Lance and the dog to enjoy the gorgeous morning sun and all of Rozo's friends. Then Lance & I brought lilacs to the ladies at the neighborhood diner who have been surrogate mothering me for years. I also ate a lot of pancakes. Yum. We followed that with more quiet time at home. We read books under the covers, called our moms and my grandma for mother's day, watched the second half of the instructional "Bringing Baby Home" DVD (now we know all about breastfeeding, bathing, swaddling, and post-natal checkups), made a huge pasta early dinner, and ate ice cream while watching another baby mama movie: "Juno." That was MUCH better. Very touching yet still humorous. I balled my eyes out at the end. Oh yeah, and we also went to target where Lance bought me fancy mother's day pajamas with hearts all over them that I wore all day and will continue to wear as frequently as possible, pre and post delivery, and we used gift money from my mom and brian manuel and andrew and hubie and sarah (and chase credit services) to BUY A NEW WASHING MACHINE! It cost a ton more than we wanted it to, but it will be such a relief to get rid of the old, broken one and have a service plan and no more mildew smelling towels. We figured that, since the service agreement guarantees us a perfectly working machine for 10 years, fronting what comes out to $100/year in laundry costs was well worth it. Especially since, before we had a washing machine, every time we went to the laundromat, we ended up spending about 50-75 bucks. So, yay movies, washing machine, heart pajamas, sunshine, lilacs, quiet time and my first mother's day!

Have big plans for all the stuff I'm going to accomplish today. So far, it's almost 1pm and I've eaten breakfast, made a list of pre-baby todo's, updated the target registry (now that I've organized all the new and hand-me-down clothes, it is clear that we don't really need to register for or buy any until parker's at least 6 months old), attempted to check email, and sent the damn oxford fax. Sounds like nap time to me!

xoxo

Livid

That's probably the best word to describe it. It probably doesn't help that I'm exhausted from finishing up the semester, but OH MY GOD AM I ANGRY AT OXFORD INSURANCE. Even though I CHECKED before I gave them a ton of money to enroll me in their stupid plan, they are now denying the pregnancy as a pre-existing condition. I made sure that my other (crappy) insurance coverage would be enough to make the pregnancy a current claim with previous coverage before I signed up. BUT NOOOOO. Now I have to start an appeals process to get this outrageously expensive thing covered, while still paying them monthly premiums JUST IN CASE it's worth it. AAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH. I hate it I hate it I hate it. At least I got this news before the least demanding of my finals. I remember how *EASY* it was to focus on my midterms last semester while trying to figure out if I was really pregnant or not. Now I get to go through finals wondering if I'm going to have to declare bankruptcy or something. Oh joy.

Thank god I already love Parker to bits, because man oh man, is this a frustrating process. Yuck.

She was really cute today. She's been tossing and turning, making me laugh with a somersault or two whenever I get really pissed off. How can I stay angry when someone is dancing in my tummy?

AND I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE CLASS AND THEN I'M DONE DONE DONE!!!! THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKK GGGGGGGGGGGODDDDDDDDD!
Now maybe I can start taking care of myself and do some pre-natal yoga or something in the THIRTY SIX days before Parker is due! Or at least take a nap!

xoxo

System of rewards

Well, that plan was all well and good, but Parker decided we needed a nap before work and I decided we need to go to bed as QUICKLY as possible after work, so miraculously, we did a non-perfectionist job, pushed through, and at least have SOMETHING to turn in. Pictures will have to wait, because who are we kidding, that was just more procrastination anyway.

Wish me luck on my final exams and LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! WOO HOO!

xoxo

DOwn to business

Ok. Tomorrow is the last day of school. I have turned in all but 5 papers and have 1 in-class exam. My skin is crawling and I want to do anything but hunker down and finish. Aaaauuuggh! I really hope Parker doesn't get my procrastination gene. Although Lance has a pretty strong one too, so I think she's just screwed. Perhaps it's nurture not nature?

I'm going to attempt a system of rewards. For every paper I write today, I get to post one new blog thing, be it pictures or party details or what have you.

If anyone reads this today, please god, light a candle, say a prayer, anything to send some FOCUSED study energy my way.

xoxo

Chipping Away...

...at both the mound of homework and the days left before Parker shows up!

Recently I've been trying to talk her to come a week early, so that her birthday is 06/07/08. But we'll see...

Got a huge stack of homework turned in, still a huge stack left to go... But I guess there's some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. There are only two major papers due on monday and then four minor and one major paper due on thursday and then I am DONE. DONE. DONE. (Aside from a final performance and two in-class exams) Thank god. I don't know what I was thinking working this much with this many classes with this many hormones. Yet another genius decision by COnstance Tarbox. It's no wonder I'm pulling my hair out over here...



Really looking forward to seeing some of my friends this weekend. Hopefully the house will be put back together before they get there. At least a little. It's still covered in painting prep and the furniture is in a total disarray. One thing at a time... Speaking of, I will now go concentrate on DINER before my 6:30 class...

xoxo